Citrus Trees - Orlah, Shabbat, and Shemitah
This question and answer were automatically translated using our trained AI and have not yet been reviewed by a qualified rabbi. Please treat this translation with caution.
go to original →
Question
Hello, I have large planters in the garden that are placed on artificial grass. I attached a picture. I bought citrus trees - orange and pomelo - from a nursery owned by a religious person. He told me that due to doubts regarding various grafts, especially with pomelo (I don't remember what it was grafted with), it is better for a non-Jew to plant the trees. I brought the trees with the bag they grew in to my home. I asked a foreign worker to place the trees in the planter in the ground and cover them with soil. After the non-Jew left, I saw that the trees were too deep in the planter, and I pulled them up a bit so they wouldn't be too deep (I didn't take them out of the planter, just pulled them up a bit inside the planter). I pushed some of the soil in the planter down so the tree wouldn't be too deep. Is there a problem, and should I have done this through a non-Jew? Is it better to call him again to straighten the tree? Another question on the same topic: the tree arrived in the bag it grew in at the nursery, but I transported it in a car, and during that time it was in the car for several hours and then waited in the garden on the artificial grass until I brought the non-Jew a few days later. Regarding Orlah, should I count anew or count from the year the tree was planted in the nursery as stated on the tag attached to the tree? A third question on the same topic: the planter in the garden is large (about 300 liters) and on wheels. Is it permissible to move it on Shabbat? Will it be permissible to move it during the Shemitah year? Thank you in advance!
Answer
Hello,
You should not remove the tree and replant it, but you may straighten it in the place where it is. Therefore, there is no need to call the non-Jew again.
You need to count the 3 years for Orlah again. [However, it is important to know how to count the years correctly ].
A large container that is not intended to be moved due to its weight, should not be moved on Shabbat because it is muktze. Only if it rolls easily from place to place and there are no strict restrictions on moving it, is it permitted.
There is no change in nourishment when moving from place to place, as long as it remains on the same type of surface [for example, do not move from soil to pavement or vice versa, but only on the same type of surface is it permitted to move from place to place].