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Hello

We have an apple tree that has been in a pot for sixteen years. It bears miniature apples which are very tasty. It was planted from a pip and we don't know what sort it is. We want to plant it out and have been reading up on this. However, does that fact that it is sixteen years old make any difference to the way we handle it?

Also, it is growing at a weird angle. Do we keep the angle when transplanting, or do we stand it upright and hope the root sorts itself out?

Any advice would be appreciated as we don't want to kill it after all this time.

Thanks. Lindsay

It sounds like you may have 'semi-bonsai-ed' it! I have a friend who bonsais just about any tree she can aquire seeds for. She says that if you plant it out, in well prepared ground*, in a couple of years it will revert to full size. She suggests you remove any fruit for the first year, to let it put all it's strength into establishing it's rootstock.

As for straightening it up; personally I wouldn't. Too many things are boring, a wonky tree is much more charaterfull, but that's just my opinion!

I would wait till the weather improves though. A pot grown tree can be planted at any time of year, so why not wait 'till things are warmer? As soon as you see the first dandelion flower you'll know Spring is here, that's when I'd do it.

Don't forget to water you tree well throughout it's first year as it establishes it's self. If it's much more than a metre tall I'd stake it too, for the first year, but at a 45 degree angle, about a third of the way up it's trunk. Point the top of the stake into the prevailing wind. (Usually West in Lincs, but check your specfic location).

*Dig a hole twice the width of the tree's pot, and as deep. Fork over the bottom of the hole & add something like 'blood, fish & bone' (It's rumoured that they used to bury a dead dog under each tree in the orchards of the 'big house' to feed the tree! )

Meanwhile stand the tree in a bucket of water as deep as the pot, till it's root ball is soaked.

Mix 'b,f,b' 1/2 &1/2 with the soil you took out of the hole. Knock your tree out of it's pot by holding it by it's trunk & thumping the edge of the pot. (If it's a ceramic pot do this over the grass, not your foot...experience talking!!! )

If the roots are very pot bound carefully tease them out a little, but if not I wouldn't bother as you could break the tiny feeder roots..

Plant your tree, so that it's 'potsoil' is sligthly higher than the ground, but pack your back fill soil up to it, except at the edge of the hole where there should be a slight dip to act as a watering moat. As you backfill keep firming the soil with your boot. Knock the stake in being very careful not to pierce the root ball. The golden rule is 'Tie the tree to the stake not the stake to the tree'

Water-in your tree. (yes, I know you soaked it, but watering-in settles the soil around the roots.)

Then you say 'Grow, you bu**er, grow!'

Good Luck

MW

Wow, thanks Muddywitch for such a detailed answer. This is exactly the info we were looking for. As we have a foot of snow on the ground at the moment I think waiting until spring is a good idea. Thanks. I'll let you know how the tree gets on in a year or two! Lindsay

muddywitch gave you a spot on answer
i agrre that you shouldn't plant it out untill the soil has warmed up but you can prepare your hole in advance i would suggest digging your hole bigger than you think you need it and this will probably be about the right size
as for staking the tree if drive the stake in at an angle so it passes over the hole and is driven in to the undisturbed earth next to the hole it will be firmer and not damaging the root ball , you will also be able to use the stake to support the tree while you back fill and firm the soil
if you do not have a long enough stake to do the angled plan use 2 stakes and a peice battoning (any spare bit of wood) long enough to bridge the hole to make an H shaped support
in regards to the straight or angled debate if the tree grows to be 4m tall planted striaght up you will need a ladder to pick the fruit . if it is planted at a rakish and intereasting angle and grows 4m you may still be able to reach most of the fruit from the ground.

As the tree was grown from a pip, it is on it's own rootstock, not a dwarfing rootstock, therefore you need to think that the tree will ultimately grow pretty tall (25-30ft?). Is this what you want / can cope with, as this is too tall for pruning and/or efficient fruit collection. If you are looking for a small tree to enjoy the apples from, you could think of taking grafts on to a dwarfing rootstock.

How big is it at the moment? I think the idea of grafting some cuttings onto known rootstock might be a better plan - you don't have to kill the source plant to try this.

Wulf