Underplanting Fruit Trees

[purplekat]

I am having the same dilemma at the moment. So far, I have been considering squash (planted far enough away not to affect the roots) and comfrey.

Although some good ideas on here
https://chriscondello.wordpress.com/...-trees-part-2/

[boundtothesoil]

Many commercial fruit growers in the Fens around Wisbech used to underplant their apple and plum orchards with gooseberries for decades, up until the 1980s. This seemed to work pretty well until the market for gooseberries all but disappeared.

[GBax]

what rootstock trees did you plant?

[burnie]

I'm not convinced you will restrict the tree growth with your ideas, you may well reduce the fruit crop considerably, which I don't think is beneficial. If you want small trees you need dwarf rootstock or grow as cordon/espalier, I doubt you will be happy with the result of planting trees close together then under planting, I can't see how any of the items will be at their best.

[Jay-ell]

They are being grown as cordons. As I said this is an experiment

[veggiechicken]

We, well I, lurve experiments
I've almost finished giving every fruit tree its own little bed, which will be underplanted with fruit bushes, flowers, bulbs, herbs and squashes...........oh, and begonias.
Anything really that happens along.

[chrisdb]

I'm not convinced you will restrict the tree growth with your ideas, you may well reduce the fruit crop considerably, which I don't think is beneficial. If you want small trees you need dwarf rootstock or grow as cordon/espalier, I doubt you will be happy with the result of planting trees close together then under planting, I can't see how any of the items will be at their best.

It's quite common to see trees on semi-vigorous rootstocks like mm106 with grass right up to the trunk. People just plant them then leave them. It doesn't seem to affect cropping in many cases if the tree manages to establish properly before the grass moves in. My grandparents have a few such trees and they get tons of Spartan and Grenadier apples every year, the trees are covered in them.

Grass is terrible competition for a tree, so if they can take that they can probably take most other competition too.

[Guest]

Many commercial fruit growers in the Fens around Wisbech used to underplant their apple and plum orchards with gooseberries for decades, up until the 1980s. This seemed to work pretty well until the market for gooseberries all but disappeared.

Sorry to sidetrack the thread but do you have any references for this? books, websites etc. I only found out about this recently but can't find any info on it. Apparently they also grew blackcurrant bushes.

[Guest]

I have just read a winemaking book where it mentioned one person grew all their vines (bines if anyone wants to get technical) through fruit trees. Most of my trees are only semi dwarfing types so are underplanted with bulbs, plus my soil is not up to scratch so year long competition is not really a good idea. However before I moved in the few trees I had had grass growing right up to the trunks and they have matured and produced decent crops. I really think it is a personal choice so worth experimenting

[muddled]

In permaculture guilds they suggest a circle of daffodils around the drip line to deter couch grass, nitrogen fixers (beans usually) close to the tree and comfrey in between...both of those being for 'chop and drop' mulching.
However, all of these things are to aid rather than impede the growth of the tree.

[Jay-ell]

In permaculture guilds they suggest a circle of daffodils around the drip line to deter couch grass, nitrogen fixers (beans usually) close to the tree and comfrey in between...both of those being for 'chop and drop' mulching.
However, all of these things are to aid rather than impede the growth of the tree.

Wonder if that's why there's daffodils scattered all around my new plot. Doesn't seem to work as the daffs seems to be covered with couch grass as well - I'll have a proper check when I get to the next batch of bulbs

[b0oDy]

I got my allotment last July with 8 apples, 1 plum and 1 pear. Most of them are matures but with grass covering the trunks to an extent you can't even see where are the weeds. I've cut the grass last August and covered the whole ground with weed control fabric. This March I uncovered it to find some daffs around trunks coming and a good number of exhausted dandolines. I picked those up, fed the tree and the weed fabric is going back again. I'm planning to lift it completely this autumn (after a year) or next spring and plant Rhubarb, Strawberries and move some of the existing Gooseberries down the trees. I will also add some flowers but haven't decided yet.

I know it's not productive to cover the ground for a year or so but I'd rather kill ever thing naturally and start fresh.