apple trees gone? cherry trees coming?
I have an end of group townhouse with a small yard on the side. It's next to a small public park area with tall trees, so part of the morning, all available planting spots are in the shade. Where do I plant my new cherry trees next spring It says at least 10 feet apart. They would look good if they were planted in the same spots as the 2 dead and dying apple trees. Is it better to plant where a tree had been, or in a new spot? I have soil with loads of clay, and I've lost 2 dogwood trees I planted because, I guess, even though I conditioned the soil with -- I forget all that I used -- but I adjused the acidity and mixed in peat moss or whatever I was told, I think the problem was that I didnt' do this to a big enough ball of dirt, didn't make a bigger than recommended hole.
I figure the presence of a 26 year old tree has fully conditioned the hole and the dirt that surrounds it, if I plant in the same place and dig out the center of the roots (where the hole will be.)
Also, these spots are attractively positioned between some, admittedly ugly, 15 foot bushes, and a poplar? tree that started growing on its own and is now 20 feet tall.
Also, one tree is not yet dead, but even if I spray next spring, I'm not sure I can save it. But maybe I can and maybe I should either buy just one cherry tree, or I should buy two and plant one where those ugly bushes are??
Any advice would be appreciated.
Background. My two apple tress have been doing less and less well because of cedar apple rust. Admittedly, I didn't spray, partly because I was in a bad mood, and partly because I was scared of the poison. They told me I got the last can of it, because it had been banned.
So one finished dying this past summer and I cut it up and it's gone.
The other still had fruit at the start of the fruit growing season, but they didn't live to maturity. (I think they grow so much and get sucked back into the tree.) This was a 26 year old tree that used to give more apples than I could deal with.
But I'm sort of tired of apples and the rust is probably still around, so i thought I would get two (different) dwarf cherry trees from Miller's Nurseries.
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