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Re: Size of hole for a fruit tree? Small or large?
dhs <dhs@mit.edu> wrote in article
<MOD$971004.19895@rec.gardens.ecosystems>...
>
> I have already asked this question on alt.agriculture.fruit and have
> received strongly conflicting advice. I thought I would ask this group
the
> same question: what size hole do I need to dig for a fruit tree?
>
> The two schools are: First: very small, just the size of the root ball,
and
> "make them work for it". School number two says: very large with lots of
> amendments. The proponents of school number two say that those in favor
of
> small holes use lots of agressive fertilizers and that is why the holes
may
> be made small. What is the opinion of the eco-sensitive folks? A large
hole
> seems right to me.
Well, there is a lot of controversy about this. The real question is "What
type of soil are you starting with".
If you already have a good deep loam (or sandy-loam) AND good drainage,
dig the hole wide enough to accommodate the roots, and no deeper than
necessary. Since the soil is already good, amending it isn't necessary but
can't hurt. Amendments to consider are organic matter (compost, etc) and
superphosphate (for root growth).
If you have poor soil, that's when you have to be careful about additives,
since it is possible that the roots will stay in the improved soil and
never move out. You can avoid this by digging a wide hole and adding no
more than 1/3 volume of organic matter to the soil. Add some superphosphate
also. Then backfill with the mixture. This applies more to clay-type
soils. Sandy soils should always get more organic matter (up to
half-and-half).
If you have a thin topsoil overlaying a deep subsoil, then you have to
separate the topsoil from the sub-soil, amend the topsoil as above and
only use the topsoil (amended) as your initial backfill. The subsoil can
be used to complete the backfill.
If you have poor subsoil drainage, that is when you have to dig deep to
break up the layer. It is much better to do this over a wide area than in
the hole. When the area was fairly small, the old-timers would "trench"
or "double-dig" the bed. However, this can be backbreaking labor, even for
a small area. But it is a really bad practice to leave that hardpan, so
break it up as best you can.
As you can see, you really have to know about your soil type and your local
conditions. If you get a soil test first, you will get very helpful
information in that regard.
--
Nick - NJ - Zone 7a
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