Replacing Silver Birch for Fruit Tree - Advice

Hi All,

I've got a mature silver birch in our back garden which (a) isn't in the best of states (b) hangs over our fence onto the neighbours garden who then chop it right back every 6 months and (c) casts a shadow over most of the lawned area . . . thus, as much as I hate the thought of chopping any tree down, it's got to go.

Instead, I'm after a tree that's going to stay a little smaller in height and that can be pruned to maintain size without looking silly and I like the thought of a fruit tree. There are several apple trees looking down the gardens in the street but are there any other options or considerations here?

Is there any special preparation I should be doing? The root removal of the Birch isn't going to be much fun, but how much of it do I need to get rid of given I want to sight the new fruit tree in more or less the same spot?

Any advice much appreciated

Cliff

 

Cliff

Welcome to the forum.

Will you be taking down the mature silver birch yourself? It's a big job, especially removing all the debris, and I'd recommend employing a professional tree surgeon. He'll also be able to get the stump out, one way or another, if you want him to.

I've had a number of trees cut down over the years but I've never replanted a tree in exactly the same spot. Doesn't seem a good idea to me because the soil will be depleted and some old roots are bound to be left in situ but I guess you could feed the planting site heavily if you really need to plant in that place.

Which type of fruit tree you choose depends on what you like to eat!

I'd certainly choose an apple tree myself because a) I love apples b) birds tend to leave the fruit alone (unlike cherries), c) the fruit will store reasonably well d) the trees produce fruit while still quite young) e) wide choice of types f) by the sound of it, several other apple trees are nearby to help pollination.

 

Thanks flinty.

I'm not worried about cutting the tree down myself - I'm a handy kinda chap You may have a point with the root though. I'll see how much root removal will be. As it happens i'm redoing most of the garden and digging up most of where the tree roots are. I plan on sighting the replacement tree about 6' away from where the current tree is just to limit the amount the branches span over the fence.

I like apples so I like your advice

C