Cherries And Pears...

[supraflyguy]

I'm new to fruit tree growing and I've recently picked up a 'conference' pear tree and a 'stella' cherry tree from Lidl's for what I considered a bargain £8

The growing instructions with the trees say not to plant them out in cold or wet weather which is fair enough, so I was just wondering what your advice is? What should I do next year before planting out and when is the best time to plant out?

Thanks in advance.

[FB.]

When you plant them out, don't add too much compost to the planting hole or the roots will not grow outwards in search of nutrients. Also, too rich soil can be acidic and literally burn the roots.
After planting, a surface mulch (e.g. compost) around the tree would be very useful to slowly add nutrients to the soil and to hold a bit more moisture during the summer.

As for when to plant them or what to do with them until planting.......it depends on whether they're bare-root or container grown.

[supraflyguy]

Thanks for the info!

Yeah I forgot to say, they are bare-root.

[FB.]

Bare root ought to go into the ground at the first opportunity (when the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged).
Many people will lay their bare-root trees on the ground (doesn't matter if they're sideways or upright) and then cover the roots with a good layer of loose soil until the weather is reasonable. This gives the roots some protection from drying out and from sudden temperature changes.

Covered with soil as above, the trees can sit for as long as you like, but bear in mind that soft new roots (that are easily damaged when you dig them up again) will start to grow out of the old woody roots once the first signs of spring appear.

If you keep the trees indoors for more than a day or two, they will start to grow again and will lose their winter-hardiness and be potentially badly damaged if they encounter further frosts.

Until you are able to cover their roots with some loose soil, they would be best if you keep them outside in shed, garage or other fairly cool place to stop them thinking that spring has arrived due to sudden warmer temperatures.

[Mell]

Weird instructions not to plant in cold or wet, given mostor the dormant season is cold & wet ! But as FB said I guess they mean extremely. You can't wait until next year to do sometrhing with them. I've always planted asap. Either in the ground or in containers depending where I wanted them.

[supraflyguy]

Weird instructions not to plant in cold or wet, given mostor the dormant season is cold & wet !

That's what I thought, Which is why I came on here and asked for some experienced heads to shed some light on this

Thanks for the help!