Moving fruit trees - advise, please.

[belairebel]

When I took over my current allotment (no pun intended!) I had to move a load of fruit bushes that the previous allotment holder had dumped in the centre of the plot and allowed to run wild. Since there is poor drainage and the site has a tilt from top to bottom, I got them out and put them all into a seperate section at the top. A few weeks later, I got 2 bramley apple trees and a pear tree from the "dead" section of Poundland and put those in the same section.

Last year I didn't expect anything and although the raspberries fruited, some sh**e went under the netting and nicked the fruit so, in desperation, I broke up a dead gooseberry bush that had lovely long thorns and pushed the branches in along the top. Three guesses? Yup, all the "dead" branches have sprouted as well!!!! And i promise - it was completely brittle and dry.

This year, I am up to my eyes in raspberries, blackcurrants, goose-gogs and on top of that - all 3 of the fruit trees have fruit!!!

I need to sort it out and my first thought was to wait until late autumn and then move the three fruit trees to thier own section and then re-arrange the fruit into sections - oh - and I also have several thriving rhubarb plants in there!

I've been told that if I move the gooseberries, they won't fruit for a year or two and ditto the trees, which is worrying me more than a little. Can anyone advise me? Also, if I have to cut the roots of the fruit trees, will it kill them?

I need to start preparing the section for the fruit trees soon, so any advise would be wonderful - I don't want to do all that and then discover I can't move them without killing them.

[belairebel]

[goodlife]

Relax... ;D..yes you can more all those things without killing them..but...If you attempting to do during the summer months you are tempting your faith....well your trees faith.. ::) If you can leave the moving bit until the leaves have dropped and your trees and bushes have gone dormant..so that would be late autumn and during winter start the job.. you need to dig around each plant so that you get as big as possible root ball with them..bigger the better..and then dig planting hole that is even bigger..fork some bone meal (that's to encourage new root growth) in to the hole and around on the soil heap..'drop' the plant/bush/tree into that hole..back fill..give it a bit of your boot too to firm the soil in..and some water would not hurt neither..
And then next spring..later February/early March..give all of them again  good amount of Blood, fish and bone meal to feed them and give them energy to put some new growth on....as for the loosing next years crop..well yes,,that will propably happen and it is better if it does,,as next year will be their recovery year and any crop will just weaken and delay their establishment..
So..good luck..no doubt others will soon follow with some more/other tips.. ;)

[PurpleHeather]

I agree with goodlife on all that. I would just point out that the moved trees, because they will not have the root system will need to be watered regularly in year one. Possibly daily if we get a very dry spell. Just keep an eye on the leaves for signs of wilting.

The first thing that the trees will do next year  is to drop off any fruit if they are underwartered, that could be why you were told that you wont get a crop.