News from Bob's Market & Greenhouses, Inc.

A couple of weeks ago Scott and others took a truckload of flowers and supplies to our Atlanta, GA market. On the way back they stopped at Freedom Tree Farms in Pelham, Tennessee to pick up this year's selection of fruit trees. These trees are now available at our locations! This week I thought that it would be a good opportunity to share some tips for planting newly purchased fruit trees.

Choosing The Right Home

Fruit trees should be planted where they will get 6 or more hours of full sun throughout the growing season. For the best result fruit trees require soil that is at least 3 feet deep and is well drained. This may present a problem for some as topsoil is sometimes removed or compacted during home construction. Also, the clay-rich soil in our area can also sometimes be problematic for young fruit trees as it tends to hold moisture. However, amending the soil should help with that.

Tree Selection

Selecting the right type of tree is important. Fruit trees can come as bare root stock, planted in plastic containers, or in ball and burlap. This will have an effect on the care requirements for the first few years of growth. Here at Bob's we only offer trees that come in 5 gallon containers so I will focus on planting that particular style. Also, if you do not have fruit trees or fruit trees nearby, you may want to consider purchasing a pair for pollination. We have a number of downloadable pollination charts that are easy to use when selecting trees.

Planting The Tree

Dig the planting hole at least twice as wide as the spread of the tree roots, but no deeper that the depth of the root ball. This will prevent the tree from settling below its root crown. This reduces the likelihood of crown rot, which most often kills trees planted in poorly drained soil.

Container-grown trees may have circling or girdling roots, which should be gently pulled away from the root ball before the tree is planted. Start backfilling around the tree with the same soil that was removed from the planting hole. Once the hole is halfway filled gentle pack the soil to remove any large air pockets. Then finish filling the planting hole. The soil on the top of the hole should slope toward the trunk until it is 2 inches above the surrounding soil level at the trunk. This will eventually level out as the soil settles into the hole.

Irrigation

All newly planted trees should be watered thoroughly to settle the soil around the root ball. If the soil is heavy with a high concentration of clay, take care not to overwater as this may actually settle the soil too much. If this occurs, too much water can eliminate air spaces and create anaerobic conditions that can kill the tree. Water the tree twice a week in hot weather and less often in cooler weather, but make sure the soil stay moist during the first growing season.

Mulching

The ground within about three feet of the tree trunk should be kept free of grass, weeds and other vegetation that can compete for nutrients with the newly planted tree. The best thing to do is apply mulch to the area, but take care to leave a mulch free area of a few inches around the trunk. This will help prevent the aforementioned crown rot and the possibility of invasion by pests.