Help with Transplanted Apple tree please!!

Emily36

Hi, we have had to move a well established cooking apple tree (no idea how old it is) to allow access to a piece of land from our back garden. Its been dug up with a mini digger and replanted on the same piece of land just at the other end and well watered.  I'm just wondering as I know it's the wrong time of year to be trying to move trees if there's anything we can now do to try and help it survive? Does it need any kind of food or special attention or shall we just make sure its watered regularly? Know nothing about apple trees but would be lovely if we can save it.. we live in Devon so reasonably mild and wet weather.  

Many Thanks

BobTheGardener

The only way you can help is by regular watering at the moment. Has the bark on the lower trunk been damaged by the move?  If so, that reduces the chances of it making it, unfortunately.

Emily36

I forgot to add, we've got another 2 apple trees that aren't being moved,  is there anything we should be doing to help them along at this time of year? Think they've also been there quite awhile but don't seem like they've had much attention. Look healthy enough I think? 

Emily36

Yes it has sadly,  it slipped a bit whilst on the digger :-( do you know how long it'll be or what to look out to know if it is surviving or dying? 

BobTheGardener

If it doesn't come into leaf within a couple of months, scrape back the bark of some of the highest branch tips.  While there is still green underneath, there is a chance it will still come back - the transplant shock could delay it's normal growing cycle by several weeks.  If it is brown under the bark, that twig is dead so try a bit further down and if still brown, it's a gonner.

For the others, try to keep an area of about 1m diameter under each tree clear of grass and weeds as fruit trees don't compete well with those.  Also put down about a 2" layer of well-rotted farmyard manure in that area you've cleared around the roots.  If you can't get well-rotted manure then sprinkle some fish, blood and bone fertiliser over the area and gently work it in with a rake or hand fork.  Either of those will give the trees all of the food they need and it only needs doing once a year.

Emily36

Thanks that's really helpful! The damaged bark is bigger than I realised as well, there's a bit on both sides :-( the other two trees are a bit of a mess at the base, its kind of hard to tell in the photos but the ground behind the apple trees is a good ft lower than where the tree is. If I try and pull out the weeds and fill in the holes with some of the surrounding earth then put some manure/fertiliser do you think that would be okay? I need to do some more apple tree research,  they produced loads of delicious fruit in oct last year so really would like to look after them best I can. 

BobTheGardener

Thanks for the close-ups which help a lot.  You have a lot of Ash tree saplings growing around the other trees.  Those all need to come out or be killed otherwise they'll quickly take over.  I've put purple circles around those to help identify them for you.  The branch in the foreground of the photo is probably one too:

Ash saplings are a menace in my garden too.  If you can't dig them out, cut them back to the ground and paint the top of the stumps with 'SBK brushwood killer' or 'Root out' which will kill their roots.  If you just cut them back, they'll grow stronger than ever, so dig-out or use a stump killer.  If carefully applied with a paintbrush, no harm will come to your fruit trees or wildlife.

Don't raise the soil around the base of the trunks as doing that will harm them - just pulling the weeds and putting down a couple of inches of manure or a sprinkle of FBB will be just fine. 

Emily36

Ohh great, we were wondering what those were! They've come from the  other side of the fence but seem to be a lot of them! I think it's unlikely we'll be able to dig them out so will look into getting some root out or similar. Glad I didn't decide to just chop them! Thanks so much for all your help,  really appreciate it :-)

BobTheGardener

You are welcome (and welcome to the forum by the way!)

Loxley

After moving a tree it's a good idea to prune them - so the now damaged roots have less top growth to support. I think it is OK to prune now, perhaps someone can confirm.

The gash on the trunk isn't good. The bark is like the tree's arteries, carrying food and water up to the leaves. You can either let it heal and hope for the best, or have a go at bridge-grafting perhaps?

Emily36

Yes I did read that somewhere but also wasn't sure whether it's okay to do now.  If anyone had any advice about this would appreciate it.