Skip to main content

Grafted Fruit Tree Planting Part 2: Plant Your Tree!

Follow our three part photo essay on grafted fruit tree planting.
Part 2: Plant Your Tree!

Ensure your planting hole is large enough to accommodate the entire root system (photo).



Bare-Root Fruit trees should be planted back at the original soil level with the graft exposed well above soil level. A close examination of your tree’s trunk will indicate where the original soil level was. A color difference on the trunk is usually indicative of the original soil level (see photo).

For container grown trees, carefully remove the tree's root ball from its container, taking care not to break or damage the root ball.  Minimize touching the roots with bare hands as lotion and acids from your skin can cause damage. Place the tree in the center of the hole on firm ground so the root crown is level with the surrounding soil.  Check that your hole is deep enough for planting by placing a shovel handle level across the hole. The shovel handle level will indicate planting depth on the trunk (photo). Adjust planting hole depth as needed.

Backfill the hole with the soil you removed (original soil). Discard any grass and weeds from the soil. Do not add soil amendments.  Try to use pulverized soil like that of a gopher mound (photo).

As you continue to fill the hole, once again ensure the original planting depth is at soil level (photo).

Ensure the graft is exposed well above soil level (photo).

Do not pack the soil around the tree roots; instead use water to settle the soil into the voids of the hole. Do not place any kind of fertilizer tablets into the backfill. Do not use any kind of root stimulator or fertilizers in the hole with newly planted trees.
For optimum tree growth, watering with a sprinkler is best. The zone that needs to be watered is the same area the tree needs to expand its root system out into, the first growing season. This zone has a radius of many feet. If a temporary water basin is needed, make it as big as possible (photo).
Build the walls of the basin above the surrounding soil level (photo).

Using basin watering long term will affect the over all size, growth rate, and health of your tree. Roots only grow into moist soil, limiting that area greatly increases your chances for problems with tangled roots, limited growth, lower nutrient up take, poor anchorage (trees being blown over in strong wind) and stress. A stressed tree is more vulnerable to bugs and diseases. Do not depend on drip irrigation to water trees as it will not create a large enough wet spot in the ground to grow a satisfactory tree.
Look for our grafted fruit tree planting.  Part 3: Top Dress and Mulch!

Written by:
Stephen Sain
Staff Plant Physiologist

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weed Identification: Goatheads or Stickers

Goatheads ( Tribulus terrestris ) are native to Southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Goatheads are also called stickers, sticker weed, bullhead, devil’s weed, and puncturevine. Goatheads are easily recognized by their prostrate growth form, leaves with leaflets, yellow flowers, and stickers (Goatheads). If you miss’em visually then they will stab you painfully in the fingers as you work your garden, or stick to your clothing and shoes. Goatheads are the primary reason local bicyclists must get “thorn proof” tires for riding on area trails and streets. Goatheads have prostrate stems that radiate outward from one central point. Leaves are compound with smaller leaflets. Lemon yellow flowers form along the stems and fertilized flowers form fruits.   Fruits consist of several attached structures called nutlets (Goatheads). Each nutlet is a single seed that becomes hard or woody when mature. Each seed has two sharp spines that easily penetrat
1 comment
Read more

Weed Identification: Sand Bur

Sand Bur ( Cenchrus longispinus ) is native to North America. It has other names like sand spur, long-spined sand bur, hedgehog grass, and bur grass . Sand Bur is an annual grass usually growing with a prostrate growth form. It is similar in appearance to other grasses prior to seed formation. Individual plants may be 3’ in diameter, sometimes larger. Sand Bur is a common weed of sandy soils but also grows well elsewhere. Sand Bur will often root at stem nodes that are touching the ground. The root system of Sand Bur is shallow and fibrous making them easily pulled (when immature). Sand Bur produces a flowering spike. As seeds begin to form Sand Bur is easily recognized by its numerous sharp or burred seeds or long spines. As the burred seeds mature they are easily separated from the mother plant and their sharp spines stick to virtually anything. Sand Bur can disseminate its seeds long distances because its sharp spines will hitch a ride on skin, animal hides,
5 comments
Read more

Weed Identification: Silver-Leaf Nightshade

Silver-Leaf Nightshade ( Solanum elaeagnifolium ) is a perennial plant usually growing 8” to 20” tall. It is easily recognized by its silver green wavy leaves and stem color,   often thorny stems, and violet colored, star shaped flowers with protruding yellow stamens. Other common names for Silver-Leaf Nightshade are Prairie Berry, Silver-Leaf Nettle, and Satan’s Bush. Silver-Leaf Nightshade flowers from late spring into fall and is native to the Southwestern United States and into Mexico. It is considered a noxious weed in many states. Silver-Leaf Nightshade is poisonous and toxic to livestock. Silver-Leaf Nightshade propagates from both rhizomes and seed found in berries. Green striped berries turn yellow or orange at maturity and then dry to brown.   Silver-Leaf Nightshade has an extensive root system     and can form colonies, which makes it difficult to eradicate.   If you have time and patience, Silver-Leaf Nightshade can be e
2 comments
Read more