Proper placement of fruit trees is one of the most important points to consider when planning a garden. The slightest mistake can lead to disease or death of the plant. We will tell you how not to make mistakes and which fruit trees not to plant next to each other. How to design your orchard correctly!
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Why certain fruit trees cannot be planted next to each other
Fruit plants can pose a danger to their neighbors or, without posing a direct threat, by attracting the attention of pests. Trees that belong to the same crop family are susceptible to the same diseases and pests and, as neighbors, become easy prey for a variety of infections.
Some plants are capable of releasing special chemicals during their development that can harm the vital activity of their neighbors. This phenomenon is described with the term allelopathy.
Creation of a planting plan for the orchard
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After purchasing a piece of land, the owner feverishly begins planting it and makes a big mistake. Trees and shrubs planted without considering their characteristics and compatibility will, over time, begin to overwhelm each other, become overly infected by diseases and pests, and become ill due to lack of light, nutrients and moisture. It is more practical to design several schemes with the designation of the main landmarks by:
mark the boundaries of the site, ensure proper lighting of future crops in the garden – take into account at what time of day certain areas will be illuminated by the sun. examine the type of soil. examine the depth of groundwater.
So, trees of each of the desired crops are planted in the garden, taking into account the ripening time and biological characteristics of the variety or hybrid. As a rule, these are apples, pears, plums, cherries, apricots, peaches.
After determining the range of fruit crops, the data is entered into a table of competitors and unwanted neighbors. We’ll help you by showing below the types of fruit trees that don’t get along.
Apple trees and peach trees don’t get along
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You should not plant peaches next to apple trees. These plants grow much faster than apple trees and consume a large amount of nutrients in the soil as they grow. Neighboring apple trees soon receive too few nutrients, which often leads to their death.
These species suffer from a number of common diseases, which is also one of the reasons not to plant them next to each other. Peach trees tend to grow much smaller than apples, so when they are next to these crops they are always in the shade of the latter.
Which fruit trees should not be planted next to each other: cherry and apple
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The cherry tree has a much stronger root system and grows and develops faster than the apple tree. It can push the rootstocks of apple trees into deeper layers of soil where water and nutrients added to the soil with fertilizer normally do not penetrate.
Also read: How to protect cherries from birds? Keep annoying flocks of birds away from fruit trees in the garden
Why not plant plum trees near pear and apple trees
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The crops mentioned have pests in common with the plum, and the diseases characteristic of the plants also belong to the same group.
Peaches and cherries are not good neighbors
Practice shows that a peach growing near a cherry tree begins to grow in the opposite direction of the cherry tree, while the other side loses its leaves and shoots. This is attributed to the lack of sunlight the peach can experience due to the proximity of wide tree canopies.
Keep cherries and apricots at a distance
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Do not plant cherries and apricots next to each other. The root secretions of the apricot are toxic to the cherry, so it is better to keep these plants at a distance.
Also read: Cutting and grafting fruit trees: important advantages and effective tips and methods for grafting