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TE3

TE3: Planting fruit trees

Capital Items open_in_new View on RPA Website

£28.07

per tree · one-off

info Summary

This Capital Grant item supports planting fruit trees in traditional orchards or hedgerows to maintain local landscape character. It provides £28.07 per tree and can only be used on land already under specific SFI actions or Countryside Stewardship options for orchard or hedgerow management.

format_list_bulleted What to do

  • Apple, pear, cherry trees: must be at least 2 years old with a well-branched head and 2m clear stem.
  • Plum, damson trees: must be at least 2 years old with 1.5m clear stem.
  • Maiden fruit trees: must be 1 year old, grafted, with a single stem.
  • Rootstocks: M25 for apples, seedling pear for pears, Brompton or Myrobalan B for plums, F12.1 for cherries.
  • Planting: remove grass/weeds in a 1m diameter circle around each tree, plant in a sufficiently deep/wide pit, ensure graft union is at least 75mm above ground.
  • Staking: stake and tie standard trees securely (maiden trees may not need staking), tie above graft union, use flexible ties, maintain until established.
  • Protection: protect trees from livestock and wild animal damage.
  • Replacement: replace dead trees in the following planting season; at agreement end, at least one living tree in good condition must remain.
  • Tree guards: must allow access for pruning, mulching, and clearing vegetation; must not be fastened to the tree or damage it.

schedule When to do

  • Plant bare-rooted fruit trees between November and March while they are not in leaf.

checklist How to do and evidence required

You must keep photographs of the completed work and provide them with your claim. You must also keep and provide on request: * any consents or permissions connected with the work * receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable * the date, location and method of any weed control carried out * the dates of planting * details of the age, height and species of each tree planted * photographs of the location where each tree will be planted Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information. 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.

tips_and_updates Additional Advice

  • Weed control is essential: keep a 1m diameter circle around the tree clear of all vegetation for at least 3 years after planting to reduce competition.

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info Additional Information

TE3: Planting fruit trees

This item is part of Capital Grants 2025. You must read the Capital Grants 2025 guidance to understand the rules and how to apply.

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:

BE3 - Management of hedgerows

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:

  • be at least 2 years old

  • have a well-branched head supported by 2 metres (m) of clear stem

If you plant plum or damson trees, they must:

  • be at least 2 years old

  • have 1.5m of clear stem

If you plant maiden fruit trees, they must:

  • be 1 year old, grafted trees

  • have a single stem

If you plant rootstocks, they must be:

  • M25 for apples

  • seedling pear for pears

  • Brompton or Myrobalan B for plums

  • F12.1 for cherries

If you plant bare-rooted fruit trees, you must plant them:

  • between November and March

  • while they are not in leaf

If planting any of these varieties, you must:

  • remove all grass and weeds in a 1m diameter circle around each tree station before planting

  • 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

  • make sure the tree’s graft union is at least 75 millimetres (mm) above ground level

  • 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)

  • tie the tree to the stake above the grafting union so that it is held firmly upright, but some movement is allowed

  • use flexible and adjustable tree ties (for example, rubber tree ties) to prevent wind damage

  • maintain stakes and ties until the tree is established – remove them when the tree no longer needs support

  • protect the trees from livestock and wild animal damage

  • 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:

  • carrying out formative pruning

  • applying mulch

  • clearing vegetation around the base

You must not:

  • fasten guards to the tree itself

  • 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:

  • any consents or permissions connected with the work

  • receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable

  • the date, location and method of any weed control carried out

  • the dates of planting

  • details of the age, height and species of each tree planted

  • photographs of the location where each tree will be planted

Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.

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. *[CSHT]: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier

Questions about TE3?

Ask Tom anything about this subsidy, eligibility, evidence requirements, or compatibility with other actions.