RE: ORCHARD: PLANNING, PREPPING & PLANTING
I don't know how I missed this post, but I'm glad you put the link in the sustainable chat room on PAL. I might have missed it completely otherwise.
I was thinking that you could plant your orphan cherry tree about 2-3 feet from the other one in a direction that gives the second one some space. Also, if you feel ambitious, you could dig out the space between the 2 trees and amend that entire space. The roots would be happy to grow toward each other and might interact with each other that way, maybe. Of course, that area would also hold more water for the trees.
As for mulch, if you could get hardwood wood chips in bags or bulk, you could use that to mulch the trees. I don't think I would use pine mulch, that might acidify the ground more than you would want for those trees.
Pine mulch works well for blueberry bushes, they like the acidic soil.
I totally spaced in posting it in the post promo rooms. shrug
That's a great idea @amberyooper. I wish it weren't so stupid hot. I can barely do anything out there. Watering is hard enough. I just hope by the time it cools off enough I am still able to dig there without damaging the new roots of the one already in the ground. The thing is even if I were capable of doing the labor of digging and planting, It's much to hot for the tree to be transplanted right now. They are already stressed out. Transplanting in heat index over 100 degrees isn't smart rn. I'm a broken record. SCREW THIS HEAT lol.
There is actually a place locally that cuts trees, mulches, and dumps in their city by the courthouse which anyone can go pick up for free. Wish I had some help around here. They have a really large mound. Getting enough mulch for the whole front yard would not even put a dent in the amount of free wood chips. It's just... you know. What might end up being more practical for this year is using the half decomposed straw bales and hay here. It's already partly turning into compost and would buy time until I could get more long lasting mulch like the wood chips. And yes, absolutely about planting between the trees. That's always been the intention. If I had a small backhoe it would go much faster. It took me about a week to dig the holes for the trees. Digging between all of them is going to take me fooooorever.