I planted fruit trees (apple and pear are all that survived) trees roughly a year and a half ago and they're doing pretty well. I've been cleaning up any vines and larger growth around the base, but should I keep them completely clear? I gave them a lot of care the first 6 months but am going with a "survival of the fittest" approach since I am not at my land very often. They gotta be tough.
by Shame_Craver
12 Comments
I put about two feet diameter of mulch down around the base of mine to keep it clear with a minimum of effort
I would clear the weeds a few feet around the tree and mulch. The weeds take moisture away from the tree. Mulch will help prevent weeds and retain some moisture
I weed except for clover. It’s a nitrogen fixer.
Mulch is better than weeds, weeds are better than bare ground. As long as no vines are wrapping around the trunk or covering up the leaves you should not worry too much.
I follow a video I saw. You need to make your own ground cover. 5 types I don’t remember their names/terms but:
1. Nitrogen fixers. I use beans and lentils since they stay short. Clover works too.
2. Litter/leafers. Plants that drop foliage to resupply mulch and fertilizer. I tried fox glove but it takes 2 years. If you don’t collect the beans from #1 that works too.
3. Pollinator attractors.
4. Insect repellers (catnip, marigold, onion, herbs like thyme or rosemary.
5. I don’t remember. Lol.
Or, you can mulch. It’s your orchard/garden. Do whatever you want. Mulch looks better.
I really you don’t want anything touching the trunk
Best is 12″ clear around trunk, then mulch after that as far as you want to go.
But truth is, I think people make a FAR GREATER fuss about growth around the fruit tree than nature believes. Ultimately, is the tree healthy and thriving, if yes, the ground cover doesn’t really matter… if no, then the soil may be having trouble keeping up with the tree AND the weeds.
I plant companion plants specifically around my fruit trees, so I never have a completely bare, beautiful patch of mulch, like you’d see in some city park or rich person’s landscaped mansion.
My trees grow fine.
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If you want your water feeding weeds, sure, let ’em grow@
Like everything in gardening, it really depends on the microclimate. If you’re on a hill for example, then naturally the water content in the soil will be less than a lower point of your property, so having any vegetation directly beneath your tree would be stealing the water that your tree would otherwise be getting. Most of my food Forest is in a low point on the farm I’m on, so everything stays pretty wet and I don’t have to worry about watering.
The smartest thing you can do is understand the depth that the roots go for the plants beneath your tree, relative to how deep the roots of your tree get. Then you ideally plant plants that occupy the different levels of the roots. For example, comfrey is a great plant to put beneath a fruit tree because it puts a root down up to 20 ft deep, much deeper than the tree itself in its first few years of growth. Comfrey isn’t stealing any water from the tree, and can also be chop and dropped to add nutrients to the soil. It also has flowers most of the season making for a great pollinator companion.
I put cardboard down then mulch on top. This does a few things. First it’s going to suppress the weeds so no one gets trigger happy with a string trimmer and accidentally cut the side of the tree. Also by adding mulch around the tree you will have to water less because the mulch will help keep the ground from drying up. This is pretty important when they’re young because they need lots of water. It will also breakdown which adds nice compost around your tree so you’re adding to your soil health. A healthy tree is going to be less likely to have problems. Think of them just like us. If we have a healthy immune system we are less likely to catch a cold. Trees are the same. If the soil around them doesn’t have lots of good nutrients they’re not going to be as healthy therefore they’re going to have more pests in disease problems. It’s also very important to not pile up the mulch around the tree trunk. Do not do a volcano. Keep the mulch pulled out an inch or so around the trunk. Don’t use weed fabric or anything that’s going to be putting stress on the roots. The cardboard helps to keep the weeds from growing through the mulch. It will break down within a year. If I’m getting a lot of weeds I will add a new layer of cardboard but most years I just need to add a little extra mulch. And remember your mulch breaking down is a good thing because it’s basically composting and you’re getting new good soil that will filter down into the other soil and add nutrients.
I create a well so that water stays in the area around the tree base and can soak into the ground. I do the same around blue berry bushes. I keep that area clear of grass and weeds. In the spring I plant flowers such as nasturtiums, etc. Then as they close together they shade out weeds, or I pull them when they pop up above the leaves. I makes a very pretty circle rather than bare dirt.
We leave our forest orchard trees just like you have there and just keep the weeds short. Our main orchard we mulch and cardboard 18 inches.