Intensive orchard planting: the technology by month

Planting an intensive apple orchard starts at least a year before the saplings go in. By planting day the soil must be analysed and fertilised, the site cleared of perennial weeds, and the trellis and drip lines in place. The order cannot be swapped: posts go in on an empty field, and saplings are tied to a finished support at planting. Below are the calendar and the technology of each stage.

Orchard planting calendar by month

Several seasons pass between soil analysis and the first harvest, each with its own work. The table puts them on one schedule, counted from the date you plan to plant.

Soil analysis and site preparation a year before planting

Soil analysis is ordered a year before planting because phosphorus, potassium and lime go on in advance. The University of Wisconsin Extension (publication A3560) advises sampling a year before planting, one sample per block of uniform soil of no more than 4–5 acres, about 1.6–2 ha. It also says site preparation should start at least a year before planting.

For an intensive orchard the trade blog bozos.ru gives these benchmarks: a humus layer of 40–60 cm, pH 6.0–7.0, groundwater no closer than 1.5–2 m to the surface, a slope of 2–5 degrees. If the plot falls outside these limits, you need to know before choosing the cultivar and layout. Irrigation water goes to the laboratory too, since its composition decides the filters for the drip system.

Site preparation runs in this order: kill perennial weeds, apply fertiliser, then plow and loosen. The University of Wisconsin recommends sowing a cover crop for the winter after perennial weed control and subsoiling 2–3 ft (60–90 cm) in two perpendicular directions.

According to bozos.ru, an intensive orchard gets 40–80 t/ha of manure or compost and is plowed to 40–50 cm. The soil analysis refines these values, so doses are not set without laboratory results. The analysis results help the nursery agronomist choose the rootstock and the layout.

Trellis and drip go in before the saplings

Trellis and drip irrigation are installed before planting because the Washington State University guidance (WSU, EM117E) requires the trellis to go in ahead of the trees. Posts and wire go up on an open field, machinery does not trouble the saplings, and an M9 tree is tied to its support from day one.

Wooden posts should be ordered early: Ontario Apple Growers in their trellis guide recommend doing it a year ahead. The support design, post spacing and materials per hectare are covered in trellis for an intensive apple orchard, and mainline and drip-line layouts in drip irrigation for an intensive orchard. If hail nets are planned for the plot, post height is calculated early, as described in hail nets for an orchard.

The nursery does not sell or install trellis and irrigation. Design, site preparation, trellis, irrigation and planting are done by the nursery’s partner contractors within turnkey orchard planting, and the scope, price and regions are given in a quote on request.

Planting window: March–April or October–November

Saplings are planted in spring before bud break or in autumn 3–4 weeks before sustained frost, as bozos.ru describes. The nursery releases saplings in October and November and in March and April, which matches both windows. The difference between spring and autumn planting is covered in when to plant saplings: spring or autumn.

At planting the graft union stays 5–10 cm above the soil, as both bozos.ru and the Canadian organisation Perennia state. Perennia advises pruning the tree soon after planting.

The University of Wisconsin advises ordering trees one to two years before planting. A lot at our nursery is secured by a contract and a 30% payment, and stock by cultivar and grade is in the price list: reserve on the pre-order page. Rootstocks, cultivars and grades are described on the rootstocks and apple pages.

First year: watering, a clean strip, sod

The first year has three jobs: water, keep the row strip clean, and secure the support. The Netafim apple protocol allows about 10 l per tree per day in year one: four 1 l/h drippers run for 2.5 hours. This is a manufacturer’s example, and the agronomist adjusts the rate to weather and soil.

A strip 0.8–1.2 m wide in the row stays free of grass, and sod is sown in the inter-rows in the first autumn, writes bozos.ru. After harvest the wire tension is checked: Ontario Apple Growers recommend doing it every year after picking.

How many saplings to order and when

The sapling count follows the planting layout: a 3.5 × 1.0 m layout takes 2,857 trees per hectare, and at the price list of 9 October 2026 grade 3+ for such an orchard costs RUB 1,142,800 per hectare including VAT, with no reserve. The sapling calculator works it out for your layout, and the article how many saplings per hectare explains the formula and the reserve. The rest of the cost structure is in how much a hectare of intensive orchard costs.

The list price applies from a lot of 6,000 saplings, and smaller lots from 1,000 are possible with a surcharge, priced in the quote. If you plant orchards for clients, see saplings for contractors.

Sources

• University of Wisconsin Extension, A3560, “Planning and Establishing Commercial Apple Orchards in Wisconsin”
• bozos.ru, “Basic principles of intensive orchard planting”
• Perennia, “Planting and care of young orchards”
• Netafim, “Apple protocol”
• Washington State University Extension, EM117E
• Ontario Apple Growers, “Building trellis support systems for high density orchards”
• Sady Stavropolya price list, stock as of 9 October 2026