Table of contents
- benefits and properties
- purchase and lease
- Invest
- Plant
- cultivate and harvest
- promotion and building regulations
The meadow orchard serves as a habitat for plants and animals, has a positive impact on the environment and can even be financially profitable. We show what is important.
benefits and properties
The meadow orchard represents an important habitat. This applies to both animals and plants. On slopes, they can prevent soil erosion. In addition, old, regional species are preserved on them. Orchard meadows are therefore an important contribution to protecting the environment.
For this reason, some federal states also provide financial support. For this, however, the meadow orchards must have certain desired properties that differ significantly from the requirements of an orchard. This includes, among other things:
- trees of different ages
- large variety of species or biodiversity
- standard trees with a crown at least 1.8 m
- no use of artificial fertilizers
- comprehensive herb layer
- No chemical-synthetic pesticides
- 60 to a maximum of 120 trees per hectare
Tip:
On a meadow orchard, the trees are significantly taller and further apart than on orchards. Therefore, they are already optically easy to distinguish from each other.
purchase and lease
In many places, meadow orchards are often sold when, for example, the care and harvest can no longer be managed. A purchase is therefore comparatively easy, depending on the region and the number of meadows. The prices for this, also depending on various factors, are in the range of five to over 20 euros per square meter. The decisive factors are:
- existing plants
- Federal State
- Position
- State of the meadow and plants
Otherwise, fallow land can also be used to create orchards yourself. Another option and an alternative to buying is to lease the land. In both cases, the first point of contact should be the land registry. Here you can find out who owns the land - if it is not advertised for sale or lease with contact details of the owner.
Tip:
Since the harvest in particular is very time-consuming and laborious, it can make sense to acquire and manage the orchard together with other people. This also makes plots of land with higher square meter prices affordable.
Invest
In order to be able to create a meadow orchard, only a few points have to be considered. These are:
planting distance
The distance between the trees should be kept as large as possible. At least twelve meters is ideal for pears and apples. The same applies to walnut trees. In the case of cherries, plums and wild fruit, the distance between the trees may be smaller. However, it is advisable to place the young trees further apart. This makes it easier to manage to plant younger trees over the years. A distance of at least 20 meters also ensures that the crowns do not close and that wild bees, among other things, can settle better.
Distance to paths and lanes
The distance between trees and any paths or roads that may be present must generally be at least three meters. However, the regulations for this can differ depending on the state and municipality. Before planting, the respective rules should therefore be found out.
number of trees
On meadow orchards there should be between 60 and 120 trees per hectare. However, these should not be planted all at once. It is better if the plants are of different ages. An exception is when fruit trees already exist or seedlings of different sizes can be planted.
biodiversity
The first choice for meadow orchards should be regional and older varieties. It is also ideal to combine different types of fruit and nuts. The variety not only brings variety to the harvest, but also attracts different animals. This increases the value as a habitat and the attractive appearance is improved by different flowering times.
Plant in stages
To ensure that the trees are of different ages, the planting or the creation of the meadow orchards should be spread over several years.
planting holes
The planting hole should always be twice as large as the respective root ball.
planning
In neat rows or colorfully distributed? That is solely a question of individual taste. Rows can simplify harvesting and creating paths. However, they quickly appear sterile and therefore do not contribute to a natural landscape design, at least visually.
Tip:
Since a lot of trees have to be planted when creating a meadow orchard, renting a mini excavator is recommended. With this, the planting holes can be dug much faster and easier, so that the effort can be reduced.
Plant
When planting the trees, other points should be considered in addition to distance and size. The following guide shows what is important:
- A tree distribution plan is drawn up. The respective requirements for the location should also be taken into account and the plants positioned accordingly.
- Spring and fall are usually the best times to plant. Spring should be preferred so that the plants can grow before the first frost.
- After digging the planting hole, the soil can be fertilized with compost and, if necessary, sand can be added to loosen it up.
- The young trees are planted as deep as they were in the planter. If grafted, this spot should be above ground.
- After planting the young trees and tapping down the substrate, the plants should be well watered. At least ten liters per tree are recommended.
- If the trees have not yet been pruned, the crown can be corrected immediately after planting.
Tip:
Experience has shown that it makes sense to use a stake as a support for very small, delicate trees. This should be used on the weather and wind side at a distance of about 60 centimeters. This is usually the west side.
cultivate and harvest
The care of the trees on meadow orchards does not differ significantly from orchards or plants in the garden. Are important:
- a regular, if possible annual, cut
- Fertilize with natural resources such as compost, manure or horn meal
- Irrigation during dry periods
- Checks at regular intervals to detect diseases or parasite infestation at an early stage
- Winter protection in the first year
In contrast to the care, the harvest is more complex compared to a garden or a plantation. Because here not only the different ripening times of the fruits have to be considered. Due to the larger distances or an irregular distribution of the fruit trees and the Biodiversity, the harvesting phase is very long and getting from one tree to the next falls more difficult.
promotion and building regulations
Due to the numerous advantages of orchards, financial support can be applied for in the respective federal state. Various points are important for this.
Among other things:
- obtain information in advance
- observe building regulations
- conduct extensive research, for example at a nature conservation association or online
- Care as natural as possible and without synthetic substances
This makes it possible to get comprehensive support.
garden editorial I write about everything that interests me in my garden.
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