Fruit Tree Planting: A Family Affair
My future farmers
January is a busy month for us on our little Bohemian farm. For the desert gardener it is the time to prune and plant roses and fruit trees. This past weekend we planted eight new fruit trees and I still would like to get two more in the ground by the end of the month. We have really got a good system going which includes the whole family!
My husband digs the holes,
I mixed the bone meal with the amendment and make a mount. Then I carefully separate and trim the roots.
The kiddos back fill with the "black"dirt as Boo calls it and Sissy shovels in the ground soil.
After that we all tap down the dirt around it and I do the final check of making sure the trunk flare is right at soil level. Then finish off with some compost on top and the final step is watering.
I took some Master Gardening classes taught by Master Gardeners and in the tree planting class the arborist told us that the most important part of planting a tree is the height--it needs to sit tall and proud--like this picture, courtesy of the ISA--International Society of Arborculture.
This was one of the most important pieces of information I learned that year. Trees can survive through a lot but it is the kiss of death for a tree if it is planted too low. It will not thrive and be susceptible to all kinds of disease.
If you want more info on how to plant bareroot fruit trees for your own home orchard click here.