TE3: Planting fruit trees
Find out about eligibility and requirements for the planting fruit trees item.
If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the CSHT applicant’s guide to understand the rules and how to apply.
How much you’ll be paid
£28.07 per tree.
How this item benefits the environment
Planting fruit trees in traditional orchards or hedgerows helps maintain the local landscape character.
Where you can use this item
You can use this item only on land in one of these actions:
You can also use this item on land parcels in these Countryside Stewardship options:
BE4 - Management of traditional orchards
BE5 - Creation of traditional orchards (Higher Tier only)
What you must do to use this item
If you plant apple, pear and cherry trees, they must:
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be at least 2 years old
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have a well-branched head supported by 2 metres (m) of clear stem
If you plant plum or damson trees, they must:
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be at least 2 years old
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have 1.5m of clear stem
If you plant maiden fruit trees, they must:
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be 1 year old, grafted trees
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have a single stem
If you plant rootstocks, they must be:
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M25 for apples
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seedling pear for pears
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Brompton or Myrobalan B for plums
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F12.1 for cherries
If you plant bare-rooted fruit trees, you must plant them:
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between November and March
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while they are not in leaf
If planting any of these varieties, you must:
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remove all grass and weeds in a 1m diameter circle around each tree station before planting
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plant the trees in a pit deep and wide enough to contain the full depth and width of the root system with room to spare
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make sure the tree’s graft union is at least 75 millimetres (mm) above ground level
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stake and tie each standard tree securely using material appropriate to the size and species of the tree (maiden trees can be established successfully without staking)
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tie the tree to the stake above the grafting union so that it is held firmly upright, but some movement is allowed
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use flexible and adjustable tree ties (for example, rubber tree ties) to prevent wind damage
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maintain stakes and ties until the tree is established – remove them when the tree no longer needs support
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protect the trees from livestock and wild animal damage
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replace dead trees in the following planting season – at the end of the agreement, there must be at least one living tree in good condition
Make sure any tree guards allow access to the tree for:
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carrying out formative pruning
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applying mulch
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clearing vegetation around the base
You must not:
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fasten guards to the tree itself
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let tree guards damage the growing tree
Evidence you must keep
You must keep photographs of the completed work and provide them with your claim.
You must also keep and provide on request:
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any consents or permissions connected with the work
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receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
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the date, location and method of any weed control carried out
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the dates of planting
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details of the age, height and species of each tree planted
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photographs of the location where each tree will be planted
If you’re applying for this item as part of a CSHT application, read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.
Advice to help you use this item
The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.
Controlling weeds
Weed control is essential to successfully planting fruit trees. To reduce competition for water and nutrients, keep a 1m diameter circle around the tree clear of all vegetation for at least 3 years after planting.
Updates to this page
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'Air quality' added to Land use.
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Updated for 2017 applications.
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Information updated for applications in 2016
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First published.