My grafted apple trees "fruited" after 1 year in ground, and they were 1 year old when planted - but the fruit was not able to ripen fully, I should have just picked them off early and let the tree establish more
I'm a bit leery of mulch around trees as its easy to pile too much up and cause rot at the base, though I know lots of people swear by it. The grass right up next to the trunk generally breathes better and discourages rodents from chewing on the bark in winter. And if you think about it, its how apple trees naturally grow, as they are pioneer species in disturbed environments. I do try to compensate for any lost nutrients from competition with regular fertilization with chicken manure.
@@Biophile23 Ideally you put the cardboard/mulch down first to prepare the site before the tree gets planted. I pull back the mulch, plant the tree and ground fertilise about a metre around the tree. Then sow inoculated clover seed. I don’t have rodent problems here with eating bark. Interesting!
@@MsPeacelove01 inoculated clover seed is a great idea. My other issue with mulch is I free range my chickens under the trees (they eat fallen fruit that might contain pests) so the mulch would quickly end up everywhere. :)
