Planting apple tree in poor soil? Or should I pot it?

coconut · Last edited by coconut on Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:58 am; edited 1 time in total

I have just bought a coronet apple tree and I'm undecided as to whether to plant it in a pot or in the ground. I'm pretty sure we have clay soil. It's extremely hard to dig through and is full of stones/rocks all the way down through it, so I'm not sure if the tree would do ok in this?

Any advice appreciated.

coconut · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:57 am Post subject:

Anyone got any advice? I'd like to get it out of its little pot and into its home asap. I just have no idea whether the tree would survive in the ground (obviously I'd have dug out the hole, but would the rocks through the surrounding soil cause problems?).

Sive · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:39 pm Post subject:

I do a lot of my gardening by instinct, coconut, and so I would advise you to pop the tree into really good quality soil into a suitably large pot....that way you can let it settle in, and flourish. You can always plant it in the ground next year if you prepare a good spot for it. It also gives you time to do some more research and preparation.
But don't forget to water it !

tippben · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:28 pm Post subject:

It'll probably do better in a container. You'll have to water and feed, obviously, and make sure to mix some soil in with the compost, or use a loam based one. Water retaining granules and slow release feed pellets will help. Here's a link with some info:
http://www.coronet.ie/explained.html

coconut · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:38 pm Post subject:

Thanks very much for the advice, I'll go get a container tomorrow!