how close can you plant trees

[rita1]

what sort of space should you give a dwarf fruit tree, i don't have a lot of room and would like to plant 2 into the ground but they will be close together, is it ok to do this.

[orangepippin]

It depends a bit on the rootstock you are using. If it is apple M27 then 1m is fine. For apple M9 a 2m spacing is good. Commercial orchards will use much tighter spacings than these.

[StephenH]

I've got four apples in a row on M26 (semi-dwarfing) rootstock, and I planted them 12 feet apart, because that's supposed to be their maximum ultimate spread. They were planted as one-year maidens in Nov. 2008, and are not as yet anywhere near that wide, so there's plenty of space between them. I think I could have got away with a somewhat closer spacing, maybe 10 feet, but the wider spacing probably benefits them.

[FB.]

I've got four apples in a row on M26 (semi-dwarfing) rootstock, and I planted them 12 feet apart, because that's supposed to be their maximum ultimate spread. They were planted as one-year maidens in Nov. 2008, and are not as yet anywhere near that wide, so there's plenty of space between them. I think I could have got away with a somewhat closer spacing, maybe 10 feet, but the wider spacing probably benefits them.

I'd be lucky to get a M25 tree to reach 12ft; the M26 being about half as vigorous would be lucky to get to about 6ft for me. A lot depends on the depth and fertility of the soil and the abundance of rainfall.
Good deep fertile soil with plentiful water (but not flooding) is paradise for trees and they will grow quickly and to a large size. In poorer or drier soils the trees will be much smaller - and may not survive at all in the case of dwarfs.

[yummersetter]

I guess it depends too on where they're planted - if they're in grass then your minimum is double the width of the mower . . . .

[FB.]

....I guess it depends too on where they're planted - if they're in grass.....

I should add that I grow mine in grass, which is, in most cases, de-vigorating due to competition.

Curiously, though; the amount of penetrating summer rainfall here is usually so little that grass cover actually helps keep the soil cooler, damper and protected from wind-drying for longer than if I had clear ground which would rapidly be sunbaked, evaporate moisture and be wind-dried (there's almost always a brisk breeze here on the edge of windmill country - even trying to tip the kitchen bins into the wheelie bin usually ends up with some rubbish being blown around).

[roitelet]

If you don't have a great deal if space, have you thought of cordons?

[StephenH]

Well, I've got fairly heavy clay, quite fertile, which is probably quite good for them. I give them a mulch of compost each year, out to about 18" from the trunk, as well. So far, the ones planted in 2008 are about 8' high and wide. Whether they'll get significantly bigger remains to be seen.

[StephenH]

I'd be lucky to get a M25 tree to reach 12ft; the M26 being about half as vigorous would be lucky to get to about 6ft for me. A lot depends on the depth and fertility of the soil and the abundance of rainfall.
Good deep fertile soil with plentiful water (but not flooding) is paradise for trees and they will grow quickly and to a large size. In poorer or drier soils the trees will be much smaller - and may not survive at all in the case of dwarfs.

The post above was meant to be a reply to this, but I hit 'Reply', instead of 'Reply with quote'!

[Doive]

I planted mine 12ft apart as well, although they are on a medium rootstock. I'm not expecting them to grow as big as that, and am hoping to plant a few more on that spacing.