Planting And Caring For A New Tree
Jul 31st, 2009 by admin
By Uchenna Ani-Okoye
When you have decided on which kind of fruit tree you would like, and where you would like it, you can eventually start to plant it. Whenever you buy your tree from a nursery, be especially heedful when you are taking it from the nursery to your house. I once had a friend who put the tree in the backward of his truck, but clipped a sign on the way home. The entire tree snapped in half, and my friend was left a very sad man.
When you have gotten your tree safely rearward to your yard, look at the bottom of it and see how heavy the clump of roots is. It may seem like a lot of work now, but you desire to dig a hole that is twice as wide as the clump, and just a little less deep. Making the hole slightly bigger than the clump of roots allows there to be room for the soil that you dug out to be put rearward in.
Otherwise you would be stuck with a giant heap of unwanted dirt, and nowhere to put it. After you have dug the hole, line the hole with some compost or fertilizer so that the tree will grow better. After you have done this you should set your fruit tree into the hole, and spread the roots out evenly so that the tree will be strong and stable.
If all of this business is done, take the soil that you dug up and fill in the hole completely. Unless you want big piles of dirt everywhere, you should be sure you use all of the dirt even is it is a couple inches higher than the rest of your yard. This is since it will compress when watered. Before you firm up the soil, make sure that the tree is completely vertical and will not fall over. After you have checked that the tree is perfectly vertical you can gently firm up the soil.
Whenever the tree’’s trunk is not yet completely sturdy and can be bent, you need to tie the tree to a stake with a bit of rope. Be sure not to tie the rope tightly to the tree, as you need to allow room for the trunk to grow. Once the tree is sturdy enough to withstand all types of weather, you can take the stakes off of it. Whenever all of this is done you should mulch roughly the base of the tree. If you live in an area where wildlife can access your yard, then you should put a fence approximately your tree, since some animals will eat the bark off of young trees.
Once you have successfully planted your fruit tree it will start to bear fruit after it is three to five years old. Once your tree starts to carry a lot of fruit you should periodically pick some of the fruit so that the branches aren”t weighed down too much. When the fruit gets too thick, the branches can break off. On some years your tree might not bear as much fruit as others, but this should not worry you. Healthy trees often take years on ”vacation” where they produce little or no fruit.
After you”ve planted your tree you might start to have some problems with pests. To aid keep these pests away, always rake away old leaves, brush, or any other decaying matter that could be holding bugs that could be harmful to your tree.
To make sure that your tree always stays healthy in the long run, you should prune it throughout winter or spring. Water your tree every two weeks during dry times, and be sure not to hit your tree with a lawn mower or a weed eater since it could severely damage the growth process. Also just make sure that your tree gets plenty of water and plenty of sun, and your growing experience should be just great.
About The Author
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor
For further reading please check out: http://www.insightempire.com/heirloom-fruit-trees/