Augļu koku un ogulāju stādīšana

The roots of fruit trees are mostly located in a layer up to 50–60 cm deep and extend much further than the branches. Pits should be dug only so deep that the roots are in a fertile and loose layer. If the soil is deeply ploughed and improved throughout the garden, the holes can only be dug deep and wide enough to accommodate the roots freely. If the sub-layer is dense, the hole should be dug only up to it and the dense layer should be excavated. If the soil in the entire garden is not deeply loosened and improved before planting, it is better to dig a hole that is not deep, but as wide as possible. Small and medium-sized rootstocks of apple trees have a different root system, which requires different growth space, so bonsai trees will not grow well in neighbours with stronger apple trees — both they will receive less sunlight and water and other benefits will go more to the stronger roots. Apple trees on medium-sized rootstock MM.106 should not be planted in depressions where water tends to accumulate. Cherries and plums in the form of self-root, as well as shrubs, grow and produce better in fertile, sufficiently moist, humus-rich soil. Sweet and sour cherry, as well as plum seedlings, grown on seedling rootstocks, will grow well in less fertile, drier soils that are loose and contain a lot of air. Pears on seedling rootstocks have a deep and wide root system. Drought will not frighten them, but they will not like high groundwater very much. The buyer should find out how long the stick has been growing/has been in the container. If it has been in a pot for more than one or two years, the roots may have formed a substantial ball, which should be carefully unrolled a little or planted in a wider hole with fertile and loose soil accessible to the roots. Not all rootstocks are sufficiently winter-hardy, so it is safer to plant so deep that the hole is about 10 cm above the ground and mulch can be applied around the plant, which would protect the rootstocks from freezing in frosty winters. The black currant and red currant bushes should be planted 5–10 cm deeper than the plants and after planting should be pruned so that two or three buds remain above the soil.