Bare Root Tree Planting Guide
Thursday, January 8th, 2009When planning to plant your single tree or home orchard, there are a few bare necessities:
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1. Select a fruit tree. We carry over 120 varieties of fruit & nut trees from Dave Wilson’s nursery. They provide us with trees of the highest quality! Buy 10 trees and get a 10% quantity discount and pay only $3/tree in shipping! |
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2. Dig a hole that’s about 1 foot deep and 1.5 feet wide. If you don’t have a shovel, our employee pick is Fiskars Digging Shovel. |
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3. Good drainage is essential to the health of your fruit trees. Fill the hole to the top with water. It should drain within 3 to 4 hours. Then fill it AGAIN. If the hole does not drain within 3 to 4 hours either time, then you need to find another location or modify your current location by making a raised bed or a French drain. Need a hose to get the job done? We’ve got ‘em. |
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4. Protect the roots from gophers with a 15 gallon, tree size gopher basket. Until young trees are well established, gophers can do significant damage and kill your tree. |
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5. Soil amendments such as Soft Rock Phosphate or our Foothill Fertilizer Mix should be added to the soil before planting along with some compost, especially if you have clay-like soil. The roots will spread out so be sure to amend the soil around your planting location as well. |
| 6. Plant your tree and be sure not to plant the tree any deeper than the soil line on the bare root tree. Water thoroughly and watch for settling. You may want to soak the roots overnight in a 5 gallon bucket before planting. | |
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7. Protect the young trunk from mechanical damage, pests, and sunburns with a tree guard. Another option to prevent sun scald is to paint the trunk with interior white latex paint diluted with an equal part of water. |
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8. Prune your dormant tree. Dave Wilson recommends pruning your tree at knee height as this will produce a great flush of growth in the Spring. Questions? Ask your local nursery or master gardener. We have a wide variety of pruners to help you get the job done. Our staff pick is the Felco Pruner No. 8. |
| 8. Windy?If high winds will be a factor in your planting location, then the tree should be tilted slightly towards the wind’s prevailing direction. Do not overdo it, a slight tilt will suffice. Supports may be used, but try not to over do it; you want your tree’s trunk to become strong, not dependent on supports. |
For further information, read Peaceful Valley Bare Root Tree Growing Guide here.
Enjoy planting!!
