Late fall planting apple trees?

Derek Reese 29

5 year old buck +
Hello everyone,
Just wondered if anyone had stories of success planting apples/crabapples late in the fall (Early Novemberish for me area) after the trees had gone dormant?
I have a plan to do just that, but there are a few complicating factors.
The first is, I will be putting these trees along the top edge of the food plot on my property. I want between 16-18 feet between them and there will be 8 trees (along with cages, screen, limestone screening for the bases). The trees will stretch across the top of the food plot, but I will not block any paths coming through from the fence row above the plot.
This area is very unpressured and I don't want to spook the deer by doing a little work up there.
I could plant these trees in the spring, but our family will be growing by 1 in early April, so my time will be in short supply then....
Also just wondering how the trees will respond the following spring/year.
I have not started digging yet, but am still thinking/planning.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
 
I am in zine 3b, and I have planted trees in the fall, with minimal success. I had planted 6, 4 woke up in the spring, 1 made it through the second winter. That one is still alive. Spring planted, I am at 100% survival after 2 years, minus what the bears take.
 
Hello everyone,
Just wondered if anyone had stories of success planting apples/crabapples late in the fall (Early Novemberish for me area) after the trees had gone dormant?
I have a plan to do just that, but there are a few complicating factors.
The first is, I will be putting these trees along the top edge of the food plot on my property. I want between 16-18 feet between them and there will be 8 trees (along with cages, screen, limestone screening for the bases). The trees will stretch across the top of the food plot, but I will not block any paths coming through from the fence row above the plot.
This area is very unpressured and I don't want to spook the deer by doing a little work up there.
I could plant these trees in the spring, but our family will be growing by 1 in early April, so my time will be in short supply then....
Also just wondering how the trees will respond the following spring/year.
I have not started digging yet, but am still thinking/planning.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
I'm sure there are more experienced tree planters than Myself on here. However I see nothing wrong with planting in November , some even recommend it. Hopefully you can get all 8 trees planted in one day to minimize the disturbance to the unpressured area. However either way, even if you wait until April and your time is in short supply ...It should only Take one day, maybe half a day if you can get some help....or pre dig the holes to p;ant 8 trees. Are you sure about the 16-18 feet apart though ?. MOST fruit tree Nurseries recommend 20 feet spacing . If I could do it over again and had the room, I'd make my spacing 23-25 feet to give the trees a little room, and make it easier to get around them with a tractor. Good luck whenever you decide to plant
 
Really not the best spot on the side of a hill, but at least the neighbors I have problems with can't see it/hunt over it. From the Mule on down are 5 Crabapple trees planted 20-21 feet apart...Blue Hill Recommends 20 feet spacings. Time will tell, but I think I may have been better off with just 3 trees planted 25 feet apart in that row.
 

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Hello everyone,
Just wondered if anyone had stories of success planting apples/crabapples late in the fall (Early Novemberish for me area) after the trees had gone dormant?
I have a plan to do just that, but there are a few complicating factors.
The first is, I will be putting these trees along the top edge of the food plot on my property. I want between 16-18 feet between them and there will be 8 trees (along with cages, screen, limestone screening for the bases). The trees will stretch across the top of the food plot, but I will not block any paths coming through from the fence row above the plot.
This area is very unpressured and I don't want to spook the deer by doing a little work up there.
I could plant these trees in the spring, but our family will be growing by 1 in early April, so my time will be in short supply then....
Also just wondering how the trees will respond the following spring/year.
I have not started digging yet, but am still thinking/planning.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Good question but do not know your USDA Hardiness zone. You should put your zone under your avatar. That helps with many of the questions you ask on here especially with guys in the same zone as yours.

btw ... I am in zone 4b/5a and planting 5 apple trees this weekend.
 
Good question but do not know your USDA Hardiness zone. You should put your zone under your avatar. That helps with many of the questions you ask on here especially with guys in the same zone as yours.

btw ... I am in zone 4b/5a and planting 5 apple trees this weekend.
I think Im close to the border between zones 5/6? (North Central PA)...just checked im in 6A
 
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I'm in zone 6A and have planted well over 100 trees in the fall with great results. These have been trees that I grafted and planted in pots then planted in late Sept-early Oct.
 
I'm in zone 6A and have planted well over 100 trees in the fall with great results. These have been trees that I grafted and planted in pots then planted in late Sept-early Oct.
Sounds great! I would love to get them in...just gotta get the fencing around and the holes dug...just didnt want to waste my time and $$ if it wasnt gonna work
 
I’ve planted apples, crabs and pears in December before with ground already frosted hard on top, because that is when I could get the trees. Biggest thing is to get all the air pockets out while planting that you can. I haven’t had any trouble in zone 6A with the trees I’ve planted late or earlier in fall. I have loamy clay soil.
I myself think there are benefits to fall planting …that way the trees get where I want sooner, roots do grow some in fall even though tree looks dormant. Also trees get all the snow melt and every drop of spring rains.
The draw back is it’s normally a pretty busy time of year with hunting. I don’t think most deer get bothered by a day of planting, the dirt smell even seems to attract them.
An old mature buck is a different story though, sometimes the slightest intrusion spooks them.
 
I’ve planted apples, crabs and pears in December before with ground already frosted hard on top, because that is when I could get the trees. Biggest thing is to get all the air pockets out while planting that you can. I haven’t had any trouble in zone 6A with the trees I’ve planted late or earlier in fall. I have loamy clay soil.
I myself think there are benefits to fall planting …that way the trees get where I want sooner, roots do grow some in fall even though tree looks dormant. Also trees get all the snow melt and every drop of spring rains.
The draw back is it’s normally a pretty busy time of year with hunting. I don’t think most deer get bothered by a day of planting, the dirt smell even seems to attract them.
An old mature buck is a different story though, sometimes the slightest intrusion spooks them.
I really like the idea that those roots will grow even a little bit as well as getting as much rain/snowmelt as possible (these will be planted towards the top of a pretty steep hill...Iwas thinking it might look like a scrape or 8 till the trees go in...could be a really good fake scrape line along the top edge of the plot
 
I've had good success in the past with fall planting potted apple trees on the zone 4/5 border. My soil is very sandy though, so it is easy to squish the air pockets out when filling the hole. I will be planting another 70 this fall.
 
Better to be to far apart then too close. From trunk out 10 feet each side is just a mature tree,So if both trees live to be mature then they will be touching
 
You and I are in the same area, I am right on the NY/PA border. I plant my grafts every year mid Oct to Mid Nov and I have 12 to go in this fall. I have never lost one and they do very well. Plant them now with no worries and I doubt the activity will bother the deer. I used to be very hands off and worry about spooking the mature deer I was hunting. I have eased up a bunch the last few years and the deer don't seem to behave any differently. Get out there and enjoy your property!
 
You and I are in the same area, I am right on the NY/PA border. I plant my grafts every year mid Oct to Mid Nov and I have 12 to go in this fall. I have never lost one and they do very well. Plant them now with no worries and I doubt the activity will bother the deer. I used to be very hands off and worry about spooking the mature deer I was hunting. I have eased up a bunch the last few years and the deer don't seem to behave any differently. Get out there and enjoy your property!
will do! dug the holes yesterday (at a minimum 20 feet apart), need to do the rest of the stuff to get ready to plant the trees and havent really seen any mature bucks yet on the plot but I know they are around from neighbor's reports and spotlighting surveys...plot is looking so good I almost hate to pop the trees in the top but it will only help in future years.....
 
I’m going to plant some trees this weekend. A few of them would be easier to plant if I pruned off some small branches. How big is the concern of winter injury? If these were off trees I was hoping to graft more of, what are the chances of the scionwood still being viable if it was cut this early?
 
Zone 5a, for the municipality i work for we have a gravel bed nursery and plant all of our trees at the end of October/ beginning of November. 200+ not one died from planting (no apples but quite a bit of Dolgos), kids breaking them at the parks is another story. My property is in zone 3b and i planted those apple trees in spring.
 
98BFBB0C-CC54-43D0-8240-3037128DC47D.jpegB4C055C6-4DC2-497F-86D1-7C9F0D1D46F8.jpegWorked my butt off this weekend but trees are planted. Fingers crossed for good survival. On a negative note, found a really nice deer on the property while planting, would’ve been a nice one for my son to get a crack at.
 
I transplanted 3 potted apple trees on this beautiful mid-November day (Kerr, King David, SnowSweet). After all the commotion of a clanking a cart full of stakes and fencing, then pounding metal stakes, I drove off retrieve a faulty trail cam and cruised right by a bunch of deer (all does) and 4 turkeys, all within 100 yards of my work area. Mid-November planting here in NY is fine, and the deer don't seem to pay any attention because they can hear where you are and just seem to work around the commotion.

2021 November planting SnowSweet.jpg

2021 November planting - King David.jpg
 
Good topic. I just bucked out, so this would be a good project possibly this weekend for a few of my grafts.


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Good topic. I just bucked out, so this would be a good project possibly this weekend for a few of my grafts.


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Bucked out? Let's hear it.
 
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