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A common question which causes much worry and also causes the planting of trees which aren't well-suited to the local conditions because the person giving the advice was an "armchair gardener" or not familiar with local conditions.
Incorrect assumptions at the time of planting can result in trees which don't grow as quickly as hoped, or trees which become larger than desired.
Here's a quick rough-and-ready suggestion which might help a lot of readers:
UK Google satellite map:
> Link to Google Maps <
Zoom-in a couple of levels and look at the colour of the map in your area – notice that some areas appear green and lush, while others are grey or brown, indicating less-dense plant coverage due to less favourable conditions. That might give an idea of the soil’s quality.
Then consider the amount of rainfall and how the tree size might be affected (remember to select the correct weather data from the upper and lower drop-down menu’s:
> Link to UK weather data (sun, rain, length of growing season etc) <
Home-grown fruit trees prefer about 800-1000mm p.a. rainfall, and areas close to this amount are likely to be kindest to the trees and achieve the best balance between vigour and health of the trees (subject to not being a disease-prone variety!).
Note that in sunnier/warmer regions the soil will dry more quickly (so trees may prefer 1000-1250mm p.a.), while in cooler/duller regions the soil won't dry as quickly and a slightly lower amount of rainfall may be adequate (so trees may be happy with 700-800mm p.a.).
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It then becomes obvious that the famous historical fruit-growing areas happen to coincide with the “sweet spot” of ideal soil and rainfall shown in the above weather and satellite-view maps.
Trees grown outside of the ideal areas are likely to be on the smaller side of official guidelines or more prone to certain diseases.
Armed with an idea of the soil quality and suitability in your area, you can then plug-in the information to a tree size estimator such as this, which takes into account rootstock, soil quality and the natual vigour of the grafted variety.
> Tree size estimator here <
.
If the grower is prepared to undertake soil improvement (e.g. addition of sand and compost to heavy soils, or addition of compost or rotted manure to light/dry soils) or regular watering in dry regions then it is possible to make considerable changes to the soil quality. This can be very hard work and needs continual effort or the conditions will deteriorate after a couple of years.
It is therefore much easier to select more vigorous options to compensate for any shortcomings in the soil/rainfall.
Also remember that there are many soil-testing kits around which can give an idea of your soil's pH and fertility.
Finally; if in doubt, ask someone with experience of your local area.
I hope that many readers find that useful.
.
Incorrect assumptions at the time of planting can result in trees which don't grow as quickly as hoped, or trees which become larger than desired.
Here's a quick rough-and-ready suggestion which might help a lot of readers:
UK Google satellite map:
> Link to Google Maps <
Zoom-in a couple of levels and look at the colour of the map in your area – notice that some areas appear green and lush, while others are grey or brown, indicating less-dense plant coverage due to less favourable conditions. That might give an idea of the soil’s quality.
Then consider the amount of rainfall and how the tree size might be affected (remember to select the correct weather data from the upper and lower drop-down menu’s:
> Link to UK weather data (sun, rain, length of growing season etc) <
Home-grown fruit trees prefer about 800-1000mm p.a. rainfall, and areas close to this amount are likely to be kindest to the trees and achieve the best balance between vigour and health of the trees (subject to not being a disease-prone variety!).
Note that in sunnier/warmer regions the soil will dry more quickly (so trees may prefer 1000-1250mm p.a.), while in cooler/duller regions the soil won't dry as quickly and a slightly lower amount of rainfall may be adequate (so trees may be happy with 700-800mm p.a.).
.
It then becomes obvious that the famous historical fruit-growing areas happen to coincide with the “sweet spot” of ideal soil and rainfall shown in the above weather and satellite-view maps.
Trees grown outside of the ideal areas are likely to be on the smaller side of official guidelines or more prone to certain diseases.
Armed with an idea of the soil quality and suitability in your area, you can then plug-in the information to a tree size estimator such as this, which takes into account rootstock, soil quality and the natual vigour of the grafted variety.
> Tree size estimator here <
.
If the grower is prepared to undertake soil improvement (e.g. addition of sand and compost to heavy soils, or addition of compost or rotted manure to light/dry soils) or regular watering in dry regions then it is possible to make considerable changes to the soil quality. This can be very hard work and needs continual effort or the conditions will deteriorate after a couple of years.
It is therefore much easier to select more vigorous options to compensate for any shortcomings in the soil/rainfall.
Also remember that there are many soil-testing kits around which can give an idea of your soil's pH and fertility.
Finally; if in doubt, ask someone with experience of your local area.
I hope that many readers find that useful.
.
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