What size auger bit for planting apple trees

[2ndHand]

Renting a skid steer to drill holes for planting 52 apple trees - what size auger should I use? I was thinking 18" should work. Thanks!

 

[Lot2Learn]

18" worked great for me.

 

[2ndHand]

18" worked great for me.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Lot2Learn]

I planted 50 fruit trees last Spring; it's fun and very gratifying. What varieties are you planting?

Also, planting that many trees is plenty of work, but please don't skimp on the cage/screen. It's such a bummer to hear the stories every year from guys that forget or otherwise skip it and report the damage to the trees from deer/rabbits.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

I used 12 inch auger to me the key is getting deep enough not so big in diameter I am sure 18 is even better but if all you have is 12 I think it will work

 

[Jim Timber]

I cut my holes about 18-20" with a shovel. If you have a 12" I'd use it. If you're renting I'd go bigger.

 

[2ndHand]

I planted 50 fruit trees last Spring; it's fun and very gratifying. What varieties are you planting?

Also, planting that many trees is plenty of work, but please don't skimp on the cage/screen. It's such a bummer to hear the stories every year from guys that forget or otherwise skip it and report the damage to the trees from deer/rabbits.

Varieties for this spring planting are: 30 Honey crisp, 6 Wickson, 2 Ashmead, 6 Liberty, and 8 Cortland. Grafting 38 for this fall planting - those will include Cortland, Empire, Chestnut, Zestar, Golden Hornet, and 3 Plumb Cider (from Dan Bussey). Hoping to plant a similar amount next year.

For planting - I have 60 cages cut (concrete wire), 125 bags of topsoil & manure onsite, brought 2000 6"staples for the lumite mats and 200 ft. of 36" aluminum window screen, plus the 10 ft. conduits for stakes and 500 ft. of Aglok and a ton of t-posts bought on Craigslist. Wish I could skimp...;):)

 

[2ndHand]

I used 12 inch auger to me the key is getting deep enough not so big in diameter I am sure 18 is even better but if all you have is 12 I think it will work

Thanks Aero - The rental shop has 12, 18, and 24 inch auger bits. Wasn't sure if I needed to go with the 24" bit. Sounds like the 18 inch bit should do the trick. Thanks!

 

[2ndHand]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree with Aero. The variable would be the type of soil you have. Heavy clay you'd want to make bigger. Sandy you'd want bigger so you can add back lots of stuff like Crazy Ed does. Nice loam you could go smaller. Luckily I have a lot of that.

Thanks NHM. Most of my planting will be in lighter soil (adding lots of stuff)... Wish I had nice loam...:)

 

[2ndHand]

I cut my holes about 18-20" with a shovel. If you have a 12" I'd use it. If you're renting I'd go bigger.

Thanks Jim! The site that I am planting in was clear-cut about 3 years ago, then excavated and bull dozed to remove stumps, clear and burn. Hoping I don't hit to much buried wood. Thanks for your comment!

 

[chickenlittle]

How deep should the hole be? I am finishing my prep this weekend and picking up trees from Cummins on Monday.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Deep enough that your graft union is between 4 and 6 inches above your soil line. The further you go below that may start effecting the dwarfing characteristics of your rootstock. So the answer is it may vary by tree depending on the existing root structure. Deeper is better as you can always backfill but harder to get back in with auger if it isn't deep enough. We would use hand tools if our augered hole wasn't deep enough to get down further

 

[Dan Wombles]

I use a 24" auger. I am a believer in a large hole to break hard pan and give those young tender roots plenty of room to grow and stiffen up before hitting hard clay. With a small hole, young roots will grow in a circle instead of growing out/down for good support.

 

[Jim Timber]

My shallowest hole has been 12" and it would've been deeper were it not for the ice. I try for about 6" deeper than the roots on the tree. I also scrape a bunch of leaves from around the hole into the bottom of it before adding top soil first and capping the hole with the lighter soils from below the hummus (first out is first in). That debris will become fertilizer over time and it also holds moisture.

Any large roots get tossed along with any big rocks (2" or larger). The sod plug gets flipped upside down and worked into the hole after the roots have been stabilized (the tree stands on it's own) - which again will become nutrients over time as it breaks down.

 

[Maya]

I use a 12" and just rock it back and forth a little before bringing it back up to soften the edges. It's big enough for about 99% of them. I have to plant several hundred at a time, and it works fine. If you have something bigger, it nice to have a bigger hole. The bigger you go though, the harder they work going down.

 

[2ndHand]

I use a 12" and just rock it back and forth a little before bringing it back up to soften the edges. It's big enough for about 99% of them. I have to plant several hundred at a time, and it works fine. If you have something bigger, it nice to have a bigger hole. The bigger you go though, the harder they work going down.

Thanks for the info Maya - picking up the skid steer tomorrow, will plant next Friday (Cummings will ship on Monday). Enjoy the weekend!

 

[Maya]

Good luck!