PLANTING A FRUIT TREE

When planting a fruit tree, select a sunny location with well-draining soil. Test your soil for drainage by digging a small hole as deep as you wish to plant the tree and filling it with water. If the hole takes more than one hour to drain, that spot does not drain well and a different location should be chosen for the tree.

Once a good location is found, dig a hole large enough to accommodate the tree’s root system. When planting, the tree’s graft union remains above ground level. For bareroot trees, create a low mound of dirt in the bottom of the hole and place the root ball on top of the mound, spreading its roots out and fill in the hole with dirt.

For container trees, dig the hole twice the width of the container and the same depth as the container. Remove the tree from the container and place it in the hole, making sure the graft union is above soil level, and fill in with soil. Once planted, water well to settle the soil. Add more soil, if necessary, to fill the hole completely.

Create a water basin around the base of the tree about a foot away from the trunk to retain water and allow deep watering of the tree’s roots. Expand the size of the water basin each year so that it is just inside the tips of the tree’s outer branches. If you flood irrigate, a basin is unnecessary. Space trees 15 to 20 feet apart.

Wrap the trunk of a newlyplanted fruit tree with burlap or cardboard to prevent sunscald, which can kill the tree. Once the tree forms a canopy, the trunk does not need to be protected and the burlap or cardboard can be removed. If you wish, newly-planted fruit trees can be loosely staked. Once the tree’s root system is established, remove the stake. Movement of the tree as the wind blows helps strengthen its trunk. If staked for years, the trunk is less strong.