too late to plant apple tree?

Joey Meister

today i bought an apple tree, it is in burlap and was the last one left and i wanted to get it, but i am worried it might be too late to plant it as it seems the dirt has settled in the burlap and when i feel it i can feel tree roots,i am thinking when i remove the burlap that all the dirt is going to fall off the roots.also with hot weather coming up. can i leave it in the pot till fall or plant it now? when i do plant it should i plant it any deeper than it is now?

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MoDirt

Never to late so long as the proper amount of water is applied and a mulch is used to keep soil moist.
You could wait till fall if you wanted but you would be watering it just as much as you would if you planted it.
Don't plant it deeper unless it is to shallow but you mentioned it was B&B so it should be ok. Make sure to dig the hole at least 2 times the diameter of the root ball. Place tree in hole with trunk root flare level with ground ( you can use a shovel or rake to be sure) then fill hole with water and let soak in. Mixing in a soil amender with the soil removed from the hole dug will greatly benefit the tree. Simply filling with amender increases the chances of root bounding as the feeder roots will not want to venture out past the amender.
After back filling water once again and top dress with mulch, stake if needed using Arbortie or fabric not string/wire/fishing line.
Water again and frequently, top dress with amender in spring and fertillize lightly outside the dripline.
Don't worry about the dirt coming off because if your planting it right away it won't matter.
Some will say to leave the burlap on but the moisture required to rot the burlap would rot the roots of the tree.

Eric Frei

I would plant it in a few weeks, by that time the fine roots should have grown sufficiently to bond most of that loose soil.

In addition it's a good idea to make a slight groove like a ring where the hole you dug meets the natural soil so the soil is moist where the roots need to grow (outwards).

Also there's some evidence emerging that says adding soil amendments is not that great an idea, and I agree.

Myth soil amendments

Here's a link to a gov site on planting trees.

But here's a little mod I like to see which will increase moisture levels at the face of the dug hole

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MoDirt

I also agree that the use of amendments is not necessary when planting native plants in their native soil.

I also agree that when you give a plant optimum conditions it will be healthy if there are amendments in the soil or not.

I like the pic, good description

Brent Ferris

My question treeluver, is the soil in the bag the same as the soil you are planting in -- the same soil is the best, fewer problems.
Myself, when I am planning to plant the tree, I dig the hole and fill it with water -- and if it is a sandy soil or sandy loam, I let the water drain away, and refill twice more before planting the tree (clay soil - 1 x is prob enough because water infiltrates clay more slowly). I do this because personal life often gets in the way, and the homeowner forgets to water the tree, and if the soil has water for a goodly distance the stress of planting is less, I have never had problems, and the clients have always been happy with the success of the planting,

And definitely remove the burlap bag. I have dug up stumps 10-15 years after planting, and the burlap is still intact. If the burlap is near the surface, it will wick moisture away from the roots; and the burlap bag will stop root elongation and the top will grow large and then topple over because of the poor root development,

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Joey Meister

the soil in the bag is a sandy potting soil/ wood chip stuff, the soil it is going to be planted in is a sandy rocky soil

Eric Frei

That potting mix stuff that comes in pots gets hydrophobic real quick, like a couple of weeks.

So use a wetting agent when watering.

I like the filling up the planting hole with water idea, maybe you'd have to wait a few days with a heavy clay soil for it to drain though . But seriously, it would help get that moisture content up and hopefully keep it there for a while.

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Joey Meister

so i got it planted this weekend, when i took it out of the burlap i was surprised at the number of roots it had, the dirt did not fall off and there was a lot of healthy roots, i planted as suggested and it seems to be doing fine, here to a healthy tree with lots of fruit to come. Thanks guys!