What fruit species or rootstocks to use in a area where i lost a apple tree to root rot? Im unsure on the rootstock of the declining apple tree.
I plan to treat this area with fungicide and add some dirt and plant the new tree on a mound and improve drainage the best i can but this spot gets pretty saturated in late winter because the neighboring property drains right through this corner of my yard.
What can tolerate the wet soil?
Zone 6 northern Kentucky
Id really prefer to replace it with either Apple or Jujube but im open to suggestions.
I do have some potted MM111 and Bud9 available already. Also Chickasaw plum mulberry and bush cherry.
A load of top soil dumped there and spread out… to 10 ft or so in a circle. Raising the soil at least 12 inches.
Most of what I grow here is grown in borderless raised beds… my good topsoil is quite thin… 3-4 inches deep… i break up a 8 ft wide section… then rake the edges up to the middle… ending up with a 4 ft wide strip with 8 inches of good topsoil.
Agree,
Getting some fresh soil hopefully well draining since you mentioned this issue, and perhaps a good woodchip mulch on top would allow you to plant most any tree you wish.
Dennis
Kent, wa
From what you typed, the problem begins with poor drainage. Forget the fungicide drench until you’ve solved your drainage issue. I have successfully grown orchards on areas with standing water most of the time simply by mounding up the existing soil into fairly tall mounds and sustaining them with woodchips to prevent flattening over time.
It may be easier to import soil and if your soil is a clay it might be the most practical solution but in commercial orchards it is often recommended to create raised rows by using a back-hoe. The mounds I created with hand tools and have used the method many times, often incorporating composted stable or yard waste and once in a while using a lot of sand when dealing with straight clay. The book claims that can create concrete, but not when you use enough of it.
I believe incorporating some of the native soil with incorporated stuff you bring in is the best permanent solution when the problem is clay. That allows a gradual change in soil texture and prevents excessive drying out during drought of soil where roots primarily grow.
If your land has slope, you can also consider installing drainage pipes but I have no experience with that. I have seen French drains work at sites too wet to grow peach trees but I’ve never used them.
I made this bed summer 2019… and planted it spring 2020. 90 ft long. 4 ft wide.
That is the largest borderless raised bed I have made.
I have grown a little of everything in that… CHE, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, goumi, peach, apricot, jujube. I planted 2 heritage red raspberries in there spring 2020… now there are 60 or more.
Break it up when it is dry… rake it up to form a nice rounded borderless raised bed… mulch it good. Plant what you want.
PS… I have heard that elderberry dont mind having their feet wet… i have some growing here in a borderless raised bed and they like that too.
@Robert i have some large pawpaw trees in that area and they dont mind the soil at all. Persimmons too. I just have too many of those trees already.
@JerrytheDragon if i had more space id be open to trialing a bunch of seedlings but im too limited on space and this spot gets sun all day so id like to get something in there that will produce fruit asap. My apple tree survived fine up until 2022 and thats when it started developing problems. It was a good sized tree.
@alan I forgot to mention the soil type but yes it is heavy clay. During a drought it’s basically concrete and in late winter when we get a ton if rain its completely saturated. French drain has crossed my mind and thats probably what needs to be done. Ill definitely raise that area up about 1ft with better draining soil before anything gets planted there.
If it was me, I wouldn’t fight the site to grow what already failed, with the exception of having the ability to modify the landscape to improve drainage as @alan and others have suggested. I’d say grow what wants to grow there or make mounds and incorporate woodchips and other stuff that improves drainage if you have the equipment or motivation to do it.
Id like to put apples back in that spot but i need to find a better rootstock. Replant tolerance and can deal with the water. Improving the drainage is a must.
You could try grafting a named variety of apple onto Pacific (swamp) crabapple. They can tolerate being in standing water for extended periods of time. I have about a half dozen of those growing down near the waters edge. You would likely have to grow Pacific crabapple from seed (seeds sold online). The resulting tree will be semi-dwarf in size when grown on swamp crabapple rootstock.
In addition to using resistant rootstocks and better drainage, the addition of Mustard Seed Meal helps control the rot fungus. An old thread here links to helpful info.
