Fruit Trees | Planting & Caring For Them Properly

When you have decided on which kind of fruit tree you like, and where you would like to plant it, you can finally get started. If you purchase your tree from a nursery, be very careful when you are transporting it from the nursery to your house.

You may also need to make sure your ground is level where you plan to plant your tree. If you choose a quality spot, but the ground isn’t level or it’s lacking good soil, you may consider having a landscaping service come in to dump dirt or help sculpt an area to your needs.

Once you have gotten the tree safely back to your home, look at the bottom of it to see how large the ball of roots is. It may seem like a lot of work now, but you want to dig a hole that is twice as wide as the clump, and just a little less deep. Making the hole slightly bigger than the clump of roots allows there to be room for the soil that you dug out to be put back in. Otherwise you might be stuck with a large heap of unwanted dirt, and nowhere to put it. After you have the hole dug, place compost of fertilizer in it as a liner so that the tree will grow better. After this is finished you should set your fruit tree in the hole, and spread the roots evenly so the tree will be stronger and have more stability.

When all of this business is done, take the soil that you dug up and fill in the hole completely. Unless you want big piles of dirt everywhere, you should be sure you use all of the dirt even is it is a couple inches higher than the rest of your yard. This is because it will compress when watered. Before you firm up the soil, make sure that the tree is completely vertical and will not fall over. After you have confirmed that your tree is vertical you can gently firm up the soil.

If the tree’s trunk is not yet completely sturdy and can be bent, you need to tie the tree to a stake with a bit of rope. Don’t tie the rope too tightly to the tree, because you need to allow room for the trunk to grow.

Once the tree is strong enough to withstand various types of weather, you can remove the stakes. When this is finished you should lay mulch around the base of the tree. If you reside in an area where wildlife can access your yard, then you might want to put a fence around your tree, because the bark on young trees is appetizing to some animals. Once you have successfully planted your fruit tree it will start to bear fruit after it is three to five years old. Once your tree starts to carry a lot of fruit you should periodically pick some of the fruit so that the branches aren’t weighed down too much. If the fruit gets too thick, the branches can break off. On some years your tree might not bear as much fruit as others, but this should not worry you. Healthy trees often take years on vacation where they produce little or no fruit.

After you’ve planted your tree you might start to have some problems with pests. To help keep these pests away, always rake away old leaves, brush, or any other decaying matter that could be holding bugs that could be harmful to your tree.

To make sure that your trees always stay healthy in the future, make sure to prune it during Winter or Spring. Water your tree every two weeks during dry times, or utilize sprinkler systems in prime areas. Be sure not to hit your tree with a lawn mower or a weed eater because it could severely damage the growth process. Also just make sure that your tree gets plenty of water and plenty of sun, and your growing experience should be just great.