Planting New Fruit

[zester]

I wonder if anyone can help me. I want to plant some bare rooted fruit trees on an allotment. I am currently digging beds. I understand I should not put compost/manure in the planting hole for fruit trees but should I add it to the bed whilst or after I am digging but before I dig the hole?


When I look at advice for gooseberry/raspberry/blackcurrants it says add compost/manure to the planting hole? Is this correct? Surely if the roots of trees will be burnt by compost/manure so would fruit bushes?

Finally I am mulching my fruit with a porous weed membrane; is it going to be ok to feed my fruit with liquid fertilizer I water on to the ground? If not any alternative ideas?

[bario1]

Hi Zester, and welcome to the vine.

I've never heard of compost 'burning' the roots of either fruit trees or bushes. I would've thought adding compost to the planting hole would always be beneficial unless your soil is already very rich.
Manure can burn plant material if it isn't properly rotted, is that what you're thinking of?
Other things to consider adding to the planting hole are grit for drainage, and a spinkling of rootgrow, which you can buy in packets.

[Snoop Puss]

I was going to suggest mycorrhizal fungi, but I see that's what Rootgrow is.

You find all kinds of info about adding and not adding manure to your planting holes. Your call. But certainly only add manure or compost if it's well rotted.

I don't know what the conventional advice on feeding trees is in the UK. Here the tendency is to do it twice a year: a nitrogen-rich feed very early on in the year and then a P and K-rich feed at the flowering and early fruiting stage.

[zester]

Hi Zester, and welcome to the vine.

I've never heard of compost 'burning' the roots of either fruit trees or bushes. I would've thought adding compost to the planting hole would always be beneficial unless your soil is already very rich.
Manure can burn plant material if it isn't properly rotted, is that what you're thinking of?
Other things to consider adding to the planting hole are grit for drainage, and a spinkling of rootgrow, which you can buy in packets.

These are the sites that say don’t add compost/manure;

Planting Advice - Pip & Stone

https://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/...g-instructions

Looking around the suggestion seems to be don’t as it keeps riots to the planting hole instead of forcing them out into the regular soil.

I’m guessing adding compost before planting to the hole bed will avoid that?