Planting a fruit tree in a home garden is a great joy. When we had our fruit trees in, I couldn’t believe what a difference it brought to our growing space. Our ordinary home garden changed into a green oasis in the summer! It added visual interest, it gave me more confidence as a gardener, a couple of months our lovely peach trees bought in a local garden center fed us delicious peaches! I could not believe we ate off of the same fruit trees we planted just a few months ago! I was stunned. If you are buying your first fruit trees, I strongly encourage you to get established containerized mature fruit-bearing frees the first time you plant. It will pump you with excitement and inspire you to plant more even more trees.
Steps to planting fruit trees
- Choose the best location for the tree
- Dig a planting hole
- Amend the soil
- Plant the tree
- Water the tree
How to choose the best location for the fruit tree
One of the most important things to get right when planting fruit trees is the location. Get the location right. Choose a location that can accommodate the fully grown mature tree. Will this location be good 10 years later, when the fruit tree is fully matured? Make sure there are no cables or piles underground where you will dig a hole, plant the tree, and where the tree will grow its extensive root system. Consider if the place you plant your tree falls enough from interference such as power lines, sewer lines, sidewalks, and such. Ensure the planting site gets direct sunlight anywhere between 5 to 8 hours. The site should be well draining, and should not hold water in or get flooded. The site should be sunny, well-draining, and with fertile soil. If the soil needs to be enriched or amended, you can amend it before planting the three.
How to dig a planting hole for a fruit tree
Removed the weeds, or grass from the surface of the soil you will plant the tree in. Have the soil bare. Dig a planting hole about twice as wide and twice as deep as the roots of the tree, or about twice as wide and twice as deep as the container your tree came in. Ensure the roots will not be crumped or circled when placed in the hole. Remember that the area you just dug will be soon occupied with roots that will anchor the whole tree and sustain it. You are setting up the foundation for the tree.
How to amend the soil for fruit tree
The soil is another of the core things to get right when planting fruit trees. The soil is what will anchor the tree and feed it. If your soil is not loose and loamy, it needs to be amended. To amend the structure, aeration, and water retention, add either coco coil or peat moss to the soil that was dug out and mixed well.
When I planted my containerized fruit trees I amended the soil with peat moss, compost, pearlite, and aged manure. I mixed it with the soil I dug out. By amending my soil, I improved its water and nutrient retention, improved aeration, and added nutrients.
How deep should fruit trees be planted?
Plant the fruit tree only as deep as the grafting point (the bump several inches above the roots) allows. Place the fruit tree in the planting hole only as deep as to keep the graft point exposed and above the ground. The grafting point should not touch the soil. Graft placement should be above the ground while the rest of the bottom of the trunk with the roots should be in the ground. If the grafting point touches the soil, it creates an opportunity for the grafted tree to send out roots and the self-restrictive nature of the rootstock might be lost. This especially is important for the semi-dwarf and dwarf trees.
How to plant a fruit tree in a planting hole
Put some of the amended soil in the bottom of the planting hole. Then place the tree in the hole remembering to keep the graft point above the ground. Center the tree, make sure the tree is not leaning but stands straight and in the center of the hole. Cover the roots with the amended soil. Gently tamp the soil and fill the rest of the hole. Tam firmly the surface of the soil once the hole is filled. During the whole planting process, keep the tree staring, especially when temping and firming the soil.
How to water a newly planted fruit tree
Water your newly planted tree deeply in several cycles. Water once, and wait for the water to soak in. Then water at least twice more to ensure water reaches the roots of the tree and the soil around gets well saturated. Newly planted fruit trees should be watered daily for at least 1 to 2 weeks. Then 3-12 weeks should be watered every 2 to 3 days. After 12 weeks, water weekly until the roots are established.
Watering newly planted tree helps settle the soil around the roots, and fills the air pockets with soil. After planting, water when the top two inches of the soil around the tree dry out. Deep watering at the base of the tree helps the roots grow deep and healthy.
When to plant fruit trees?
The best time to plant fruit trees is generally in late winter till the beginning of spring, anywhere between December and the end of March. Most garden centers and home improvement stores carry fruit trees at that time. It might be the only time of the year that these stores actually offer fruit trees for sale.
Generally, their bare root trees, containerized trees, and balled ones. Bare root trees are sold with their roots bare and are mostly shilled by mail. Bare root trees are uprooted when in dormancy and should be planted as soon you have them delivered to prevent the roots from drying and minimize the stress of transplanting.
Containerized and balled ones are mostly sold in stores and bought in person. They are header to ship because of the weight of the soil they are planted in. Their roots come with the soil they are planted in. Containerized and balled trees can be also planted in the fall since they have their roots intact and are less prone to stress when transplanted.
I have written an article about when is the best time to plant fruit trees. There might be a difference in when to plant fruit trees depending on if you bought containerized one or bare roots one. Please visit, When to plant fruit trees, here.
READ HERE How to pick a healthy tree
