North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[dwoodard@becon.org]

You might want to plant test batches of each kind of fruit tree and
assess to what extent you have long roots growing around the sides of
the pots. If you have them, it would be nice to spread them out in
near straight lines, but it would be hard to do in auger holes.

Depending on the size of the top, the roots could possibly be cut back 
somewhat (cleanly), but I would want to do that as little as possible.

You might want to think about cutting slits in the sides of your augur 
holes if they are at all slick-sided.

If trees in your soil have trouble with wet feet you should probably 
ensure that the soil around the trunks is just a little higher than
the surround. If you have sand or gravel at hand, mixing a little in
the bottom of your holes might help a bit.

If your soil has no crumb texture, you might want to re-assess the 
desirability of planting next spring. You might think about planting
some densely rooting plant like red clover or rye-grass or both, for
a year of two with enough manure to get a good growth. It's a whole lot 
easier to get a good soil texture and organic matter content before 
planting trees than it is after.

Planting fruit trees in auger holes in heavy clay is a classic way of 
getting into trouble.

Do you have any smart/experienced neighbours to talk to?

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario


On Mon, 4 Dec 2006, Alan . wrote:

> I have been considering the use of a gas-powered auger for digging holes in
> a clay-based soil to plant various types of fruit trees currently growing in
> 2 and 3 gallon (about 10 inch diameter) containers and was wondering if
> someone here has experience with this device and might comment on such
> things as its efficiency vs other means, ease of use, auger diameter to
> choose for this job and any potential problems to bear in mind.
> Thanks.
> Alan Stein
> zone 6