I am in northern Indiana. I am not a pro gardener, but kind of knowledgeable. I have been having a rough time growing a few apple trees. Most do not die, they just do not grow. Very strange.
Lets start… I planted a row of 8 fruit trees in my back yard. Pears, peach, maybe a cherry and the last 3 are apples. All of them take off (fair for my lazy abilities) except for the last 3 apples at the end of the row. I will plant them with a few leaves and they can have just a few leaves for several years. If they do not die, they might not even grow an inch. Some die, some barely hold on. I have replaced them quite a few time over the last 5 or 6 years. Always the apples at the end. I put in some peat and even put out inground sprinklers in the whole row. They may be about 50 feet from a tree line. They have medium sun. Even the neighbor walked past with me the other day and said these are dead, and grabbed a couple and they were still supple and green. ??? Maybe more sun, but the other fruit trees are doing good. (Except for the darn frost)
BTW sand soil, with fair top soil near surface and I usually use some peat in the hole.
BTW I got some mail order, some Menards, some Starke. I try to stick with a red delicious and golden or yellow delicious.
Here is a picture of the row and the 3 apples are at the far end up to the cone. I can get close up pictures if needed.
It sure sounds like an issue with the soil. Was there a garage or some industrial activity there before it was a yard? I’m wondering if there are soil contaminants or some such.
Just for an experiment you might try lifting one of those trees after they go dormant, checking the roots, and then planting that tree somewhere else to see if it comes back in the spring. Nothing to lose, anyway!
As far as I know, just sandy ground. I don’t think anything has been there before. Even doubt even a house. It is out in the country. It would be interesting to transplant and try in another spot.
I think I may have used about a gallon of peat. (maybe less) I think the roots should have grown out of it. I did the same with the other fruit trees. We were thinking maybe not enough light, but the other fruit trees are fine in about the same shade/sun line.
BTW what is an easy way to check soil PH? Do they sell kits? Or do you have to take a sample in? Not sure about how to do it after I mixed in some peat??
What kind of fertilizing have you done? My property was previously farmland and anything I planted and did not fertilize did the same thing as your describing: never grew an inch and died completely in 3-5 years.
I realized later that my soil is pretty well depleted of nitrogen
Perhaps check your county soils office, my county does free soil samples to test ph and npk. An option would be to dig the tree up once dormant this fall. Remove all the back fill with peat and replant the tree with native soil only. Then mulch it with wood chips out to the drip line Avoid any fertilizers until the tree is a year old, then spread a handful of 10-10-10 around the drip line each fall and early spring adding more wood chips as the tree spreads its drip line. You should get more growth. Chances are you soil is not water retentive. The mulch should help keep the top 6” moist, this is where your feeder roots want nutrients and water
Dennis
Kent Wa
I wish mine looked that good. I have wood chips around them, but not that much. I see you have deer too. They mangled one of my peach trees, but apples, that are bad, they left alone.
Years ago I had the same issue. Young apple trees planted near where some old standard apple trees were growing. 2 did well. One was poorly from season one and died a few years later. Re-planted with a new variety and same result.
Finally gave up on that spot. Apple trees near it were fine. Never did figure out what was wrong at that spot. Left it empty after that. Always wondered if someone previously had dumped something on that spot. Drainage good and the grass on the surface grew fine. Weird since the grass grew fine.
Yep, grass grows good and fine drainage. Last 3 trees, not sure if it is just the apples, or the 3 spots. BTW a few different varieties in the same spots over the years.
Brian,
If you can locate a woodchip pile nearby consisting primarily of hardwood chips, perhaps one your local county and state road crews use to dispose of their winter wood waste, and dig down into it far enough to locate the white gold, that’s the mulch that will set your trees on a hot growth path! Any woodchips will work but I would avoid those chemically treated ones at Lowe’s and home despot. Use the oldest and most decomposed ones you can find. If it’s already turning into soil, even better. Hardwood is best but even up to 30% conifer is very usable. Starting at least 1’ from the tree trunk with only an 1” thickness near the trunk, at 1’ out it should be 4-6” thick and go just beyond the future drip line, as the chips breakdown the AM mycorrhiza will convert the chips to nutirents while your tree forms a symbiotic relationship with your trees feeder roots. Each year add more chips as they decompose.
The book Mycorrhizal Planet is worth reading as a go to reference on how to use woodchips beneficially.
Best wishes for healthy soil and trees
Dennis
Kent, Wa
So I have a similar problem with a new tree I planted bare root this spring. Barnsby pink lady. Of the handful of bare root trees planted this spring—all are leafed out and growing well, except this one tree. It’s on a slope towards the bottom of the slope. I was thinking it maybe had too much water?? Since it’s been a very rainy wet year for me. I’ve barely had to water my raised bed gardens this year it’s been so wet. I have a good amount of wood chips all over my space where fruit trees are planted so it definitely retains water.
It leafed out relatively quick after planting but just stopped after a few leaves on each branch came out. It’s been at a stand still for months. The leaves are also starting to curl a bit and a couple branches lost leaves. The leaves that remain don’t look diseased or anything. Just wondering what might be the issue and if there’s anything I can do to encourage growth?
If you can get in touch with your County Farm Extension Agency. see if they can take some soil samples from you to test. I did that to some of my different orchard areas and found some issues with my soil. The cost was about $18 per sample. It was worth it for me.
BTW I want to do the soil test on mine just to check it out. At least it will give me a start. I tried the local farm store and they had no idea. (I thought that was strange, since they are a seed and fertilizer store) They said try USDA FSA. They passed me along to Purdue Ag department. They had test kits and they are sent to a company about an hour from here.
The kits are free, but the basic test is $25 and advanced test is $35. Plus you have to box up and ship it to them. They give you a little test bag, but it wouldn’t hold up in the mail.
$25 test tests for organic matter, Phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, CEC, PH, and buffer PH.
$35 test same as above and includes: conductivity, boron, copper, iron, manganese, sulfur and zinc.
Not sure if the better test is needed?? As much as I spent in trees, it may be worth it.
How were the temperatures when you planted? Our nurseries delivered trees way too late due to the temperature differences between last year (very cold and late spring) and this year. The temps at the time of shipping were very high and most those trees, not just apples have very little new growth, even though it was a wet spring. But since it is no longer wet, rather hot and dry, that’s probably a good thing…
This tree was shipped later than most do in my area (2nd week of may), temp was roughly 70s/day—-50s/night when received and planted same day, but it was a warm May for us. Maybe it was a little hotter than ideal? Or maybe the root growth never caught up with the leaves after it broke dormancy? I was my single latest tree planted so may be a connection there.
