[puffinstuff]

hi,
i want to move some apple trees to the allotment.  I've read that you need to put a spade into the roots and slice them thus encouraging new growth.  my question is can i do this now in October or is it too late.  Also when is the best time to move the trees into their new plot.

many thanks for advice. 
PS the trees are dwarf on m26 rootwtock approx. 3 year old.

[Yorkie]

The best time to move apple trees is when they are dormant / leaves have dropped.  This is usually Nov - Feb.

The usual advice is to prepare the planting hole before you start digging up the tree.  Take the biggest rootball that you can; put the tree onto a piece of tarpaulin to drag it to its new location to save your back; plant the tree at the same depth as before, and bung in lots of growmore or fish blood bone to help.

Mulch the soil if you have any mulch available - don't let it touch the trunk - and water a lot for the first year, even if you think it's rainy.

Don't do it when frosty or waterlogged soil.

The reference to chopped roots makes the process a year longer.  The idea is to sever the main roots at a decent distance from the tree, and then let the tree grow back small roots within that cut circumferance over the next year, then lift as described above the following year.

[TerryB]

As Yorkie says but don't forget to stack it well because with the extra top growth after 3 years and a smaller root ball the tree will move a lot more in the wind.