Fruit Trees

[Worldor]

I am so fed up. It looks like both of my new fruit trees, planted last year, are dead. The apple tree did come into leaf and even had a few blossoms but now looks dead, the plum tree never got past a few new leaf buds showing. They cost me £40 so I am gutted about that but more upset to lose the trees. What did I do wrong.

[Lesley Jay]

Worldor if you bought the trees from a reputable seller they should be guaranteed for 12 months. When did you buy them?

[Worldor]

I think it was about September/October time and they were bought from a local florist/nursery. Was there anything I should have done? I did wonder whether I should have bubble wrapped them over Winter or something.

[blackkitty]

Worldor, you shouldn't have to wrap fruit trees over winter. You sometimes wrap them in fleece in spring but that's to protect the blossom from frost not the trees. Where the trees bare rooted or pot grown? I would agree with Lesley, go have a friendly chat with whoever sold them to you. With any luck they should replace them.

[andrewo]

A couple of questions, what type of soil do you have, clay, chalk or loam? Where the trees barerooted or pot? Where did you plant them? How did you plant them? Did you stake them? Did you water them?

We may find what killed them this way.

[Worldor]

Andrew - Clay and very waterlogged at the moment. They were in pots with a stake and we planted them with sand and compost mix around them. We did water them in.

[andrewo]

If the soil is waterlogged around them then the roots will rot. However, you still have to water them if the soil dries out round it, clay is notorious for going dry quickly once the sun gets at it. Contact the garden centre and tell them they have died. Scrape the bark just to make sure, if green still alive, if brown, dead in the ground.

[Worldor]

Thanks everyone