Just ordered 2 fruit trees, we had 2 in garden for 60 yrs, but hubby said they were dead, no fruit for a few tears. So he just dug them out, we want to plant the new trees in their place is it ok to plant in the same spot will the soul be good enough ?
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Fruit trees have a productive life span of 30 years I believe. So that could explain why yours weren’t fruiting.
Should be fine to plant the same trees in the same place, you might want to amend the soil with up to 10% organic matter (compost) and some balanced slow release fertilizer.
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What were the prevoius fruit trees and what are you going to plant, please?
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Thank you for the response
They were apple grown from pips.
The new ones are Granny Smith and Victoria Plum.
I’d plant them offset from the old trees. If nothing, I wouldn’t want to deal with their roots.
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Right ok thank you
You may want to plant another different variety of each kind for cross pollination or no fruits.
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Thank you was gonna do a cherry as well.
I was doing some checking and it looks like both the Plum and Apple are self fertile.bb
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Most peaches/ nectarines are self fertile as well, but many times even self fertile trees benefit from cross pollination. Two very early apples, Anna and Dorsett Golden cross pollinate each other.
Many people plant Bing Cherry, not realizing that it needs cross pollination from another variety. Check on the requirements for whatever variety you choose.
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Taking advice from other orchardists is always a fraught affair. I got into a discussion with the owner of a commercial orchard about lifetime of trees, and he said that, when they replace them, they borrow a large hydraulic tree transplanter from a nursery, one that takes up most of the root ball. They remove the old tree completely, which is not something a homeowner is likely to do. Then they over-fertilize a load of new soil, dump it back in the hole, and leave it fallow for a couple of years. The excess chemical fertilizer burns out any pathogens that might persist beyond two years … so he said.
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or plant it in a mound over the old root system. mulch with wood chips to hold the soil. as the old roots rot it will feed the tree.
There are apple trees either on standard or M111 that looked old 30+ years ago when I used to rent bees to the orchard…and they were in full bloom on Tuesday…just before it froze here.
(Am certain they lost part of the crop.)
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