Hey Busy Gardener, You also have some great, instructive and inspirational videos on your TH-cam channel and I look forward to your videos, too... though I have to make adjustments for our location differences.
Thank you, Tom!! Thanks to you, I have planted 24 fruit trees in my backyard, all of which I am dwarfing with SIGNIFICANT header cuts and ongoing summer pruning. You have been my inspiration for years and now I have my little dream orchard starting. It was a little scary at first. I prepped the soil a year ago, built 2 raised beds (each 6 ft x 36 ft), and diagonal spacing of about 4 feet between each tree. Very excited to see every tree healthy and leading out now. Thank you, Tom!!!
@@aidegarabedian2073 Wow, you have sandy loam? That's better and easier to work with than my clay soil! First, I did a soil test to find out what my soil had and needed. Then, one year before planting, I added a loads of organic matter to the entire planting are, tilling it in after each application. First, I added a composted mulch called "Nutrimulch." I recall adding about 26 bags to the planting area. Then I added about 26 bales of peat moss and tilled it in. Then, I added about a ton (maybe 2) of cow manure, tilling it in. (Nice to have neighbors with a farm). Then, I added a second batch of manure. Then I did another 26 bags of Nutrimulch and then another batch of peat moss, always tilling it in to improve my clay soil base. My soil test indicated a need for additional phosphorus with a Ph of about 7.5. So, between adding organic matter, I added phosphate and elemental sulfur. Then, I built my raised beds 6 inches high, adding a top layer of mushroom compost... again tilling it in. Finally, I topped the bed areas with wood chips (about 4 inches deep) and let it all do its thing for a year. Because the manure I got was fresh, I wanted it to compost for a year before planting. I planted my bare root, dormant trees in February. Most of the ground in my yard was frozen, but wthe the wood chips and organic matter, I able to easily dig my planting holes. I have learned the best thing to do with fruit trees is be patient. My little trees are now almost one year old. All are healthy and doing very well. I hope this helps. I would think with your soil, the key will be adding loads and loads of organic matter. I strongly recommend getting a soil test before you start. Good luck! Tom Spellman rules!!
Tom, I love watching your videos. Thanks for keeping me inspired - particularly during this difficult lockdown in Melbourne Australia when all I could do was garden in my frontyard orchard.
I’ve been watching your videos for years now and I’ve been inspire to do your stile of heavy pruning for home orchards. I just want to say thank you for that and thank you for awakening my pasión for fruit trees. Hope I get to visit you one day.
glad Tom is back. It interesting how they are 2-3 weeks late and here in Oklahoma we were about 2-3 weeks early. fortunately we didnt have a late freeze.
Hello Tom. Greetings from Afghanistan. Very benefecial and informative videos. I have been watching your videos for almost seven years. Actually Istarted cultivating fruit trees in my garden in 2014 based on your advices and futunately had very good results. Thank you so much for the videos.
I too have missed the videos. Show me the fruit. I would love to see videos on favorite May fruiting varieties. Go through each month of the year and share what you like. Please make more.
I loved being able to see that peach tree after aggressive pruning. I've got three peach trees that needed thinning this year for the first time. I picked over 500 nickel sized peaches off of three trees trying to leave the existing peaches spaced about 4-6 inches apart. The trees are three years old now I believe and this is the first year that we're letting them fruit. I'm super excited for my first fruit tree harvest ever (hopefully)!
@@ube4856 It went great until brown rot decimated the peaches about two weeks before we would have harvested. The couple of peaches not affected were as good as I've ever had. We're in zone 6b.
Thank u tom I was hoping I cold find a book of yours but cant find 1 I have an area of about 10m by 8m and I want to jam pack them in iv had most my fruit trees for about 3 years so it going to b great to finel get them in the ground going with above ground beds got some soil-compost coming but the spacing I'm just not sure about like my walk ways how wide should they b? Ps thank u u keep safe to
Hey Tom, I have a Peace tree that I purchased about two months ago from my local big box store. I believe it has leaf curl for about two weeks now. I was wondering is it too late for me to white wash the trunk of the tree so it doesn't get sunburned? Any info would be helpful thanks.
I have never tried composting immature fruit. I have just disposed of it over the years. Don’t think it would be susceptible to borer, moth or beetle infestation but I’d rather not take any chances. I also pick up and dispose of all dropped fruit.
HELP! We planted fruit trees this spring in the high density method and I have questions about pruning. Is there pics I can uphold somewhere to get some specific instructions?
I almost drove 350 miles just to see this orchard 5 days ago. Today I was in Somis, and Fillmore, CA buying some semi dwarf citrus and roses. Do you think its possible to come see the farm? I just found this page and down the rabbit hole I went. I have never planted anything before, my gardner wont come until Tue next week and my plants are just stuffed in a small area in my backyard. I hope to keep them watered and not kill them by Tue.
I am a first year “planter” and am learning a lot from Dave, but some times I am confused because other gardeners advised different ways to deal with a problem like desease control
Always more ways than one but it can simplify things sticking to recommendations from just one or two people it’s very easy when starting out to go information over load. One beauty is there’s no one way to grow and garden we are the keepers of are land I would recommend keeping it simple trees and plants know how to grow look at what we call weeds they grow great without care I know mine do? Learning from observation keep it simple.
Hi, when I mention that I am going to cut my new fruit tree to the knee at planting this spring I get told I should wait for them to settle into the ground for a year before I prune them because it will shock them and damage the tree. Is it possible to shock the tree too much if I prune at planting ? Should I just shorten slightly when planting then wait till winter to chop to knee? Thanks
@@DaveWilsonTrees Hey really appreciate that. I have just purchased a nectarine and peach that are around 6-7 ft and two large cherry trees over 7 foot with thicker trunks. Would you recommend topping them to knee high? We are early spring, peach has some flowers on. Sorry about the perhaps silly questions, I am a newbie and don't want to damage these beautiful trees but love your results so surely it could happen for me too :)
Sandy P By large, I mean caliper, measured around the tree low, just above the graft. If the trees are more than 3/4 inch its best to top them higher. If planting at or after bloom, only top as low as you can leave some bloom or foliage.
Good to see another video. Keep them coming. Have you all done any videos on solitary bees or any bees? I may have not looked back far enough in your videos to find one.
Thank you for this great info I want to ask you , I have a problem with root suckers with a dwarf Florida Prince peach tree it seems as the root stock is trying to take over I keep removing them but they keep coming out and they are affecting the fruit development and taste as well the tree is 5 years old and I am considering removing . Is there something I can do to help the tree do better ?
Root suckers do not have an adverse effect on fruit flavor but can definitely have an effect on tree growth and development. Unless you get early heat Flordaprince is a difficult variety for flavor development. We recommend it for desert climates with daytime temps in the 90s from March onward. Remove the suckers as close as possible to the root they are growing off of. You may have to dig down below soil grade to make a clean cut from the point of development. If you leave any stem at or below grade it’s just like cutting the lawn. They will come back in a couple of weeks.
Tom Spellman is a genius and I appreciate him tremendously! Thank you.
daniel zaghi i second that, thank you sir
Finally! Tom is here! Thanks for all the great tips Mr. Spellman. 🌞
The man himself, eh Stan??!
These videos are what got me started years ago, and I always look forward to new ones. Good to see Tom on here!
Hey Busy Gardener,
You also have some great, instructive and inspirational videos on your TH-cam channel and I look forward to your videos, too... though I have to make adjustments for our location differences.
Thank you for your information . I really learn a lot from your videos and really enjoyed watching them.
Thank you, Tom!! Thanks to you, I have planted 24 fruit trees in my backyard, all of which I am dwarfing with SIGNIFICANT header cuts and ongoing summer pruning. You have been my inspiration for years and now I have my little dream orchard starting. It was a little scary at first. I prepped the soil a year ago, built 2 raised beds (each 6 ft x 36 ft), and diagonal spacing of about 4 feet between each tree. Very excited to see every tree healthy and leading out now. Thank you, Tom!!!
That sounds great! Share some pictures on our Facebook page sometime.
@@DaveWilsonTrees Hi Tom,
I don't really do Facebook, so I will have my wife post a photo and comments through her account. Thanks again!!
Can you tell me how did you prepare the area? What dirt did you use? I can only by sandy loam in this area.
@@aidegarabedian2073 Wow, you have sandy loam? That's better and easier to work with than my clay soil! First, I did a soil test to find out what my soil had and needed. Then, one year before planting, I added a loads of organic matter to the entire planting are, tilling it in after each application. First, I added a composted mulch called "Nutrimulch." I recall adding about 26 bags to the planting area. Then I added about 26 bales of peat moss and tilled it in. Then, I added about a ton (maybe 2) of cow manure, tilling it in. (Nice to have neighbors with a farm). Then, I added a second batch of manure. Then I did another 26 bags of Nutrimulch and then another batch of peat moss, always tilling it in to improve my clay soil base.
My soil test indicated a need for additional phosphorus with a Ph of about 7.5. So, between adding organic matter, I added phosphate and elemental sulfur. Then, I built my raised beds 6 inches high, adding a top layer of mushroom compost... again tilling it in. Finally, I topped the bed areas with wood chips (about 4 inches deep) and let it all do its thing for a year. Because the manure I got was fresh, I wanted it to compost for a year before planting.
I planted my bare root, dormant trees in February. Most of the ground in my yard was frozen, but wthe the wood chips and organic matter, I able to easily dig my planting holes.
I have learned the best thing to do with fruit trees is be patient. My little trees are now almost one year old. All are healthy and doing very well. I hope this helps. I would think with your soil, the key will be adding loads and loads of organic matter. I strongly recommend getting a soil test before you start.
Good luck! Tom Spellman rules!!
Interestingly, the flower supreme variety is probably already outdated now? What is the maximum weight of the fetus?
Thank You Tom! Always enjoy your videos!
Love your videos Tom. Straightforward, no nonsense, informative.
It's so nice to see Mr. Spellman again. Thank you for ALL you instruction.
Looking good Tom ! I'm spending time with my trees..thanks for the education !
Tom, I love watching your videos. Thanks for keeping me inspired - particularly during this difficult lockdown in Melbourne Australia when all I could do was garden in my frontyard orchard.
I’ve been watching your videos for years now and I’ve been inspire to do your stile of heavy pruning for home orchards. I just want to say thank you for that and thank you for awakening my pasión for fruit trees. Hope I get to visit you one day.
Thank you Tom for the great video!
Hey Tom! I got a new place out here in central ca. Already have about 20 trees a lot of Dave Wilson stuff too. 100% success after bare root plantings
Another great video Tom! Thanks
Shake it, Tom! Shake it! I planted 3 plum trees--Chicasaw, green gage, & elephant heart--in Feb. I hope I can be as fearless for them!
Thank you for a great video, keep them coming!!! We planted our own backyard orchard Feb 2020 in Idyllwild, CA.
Congrats on your new orchard!
Thanks Tom. Time to look at thinning my apricots. Also pruned back a dwarf Asian pear tree that wasn't doing so hot, hope it comes back to life.
I really look forward to these video's.
It's nice seeing a video again
We've been waiting a while for a video thanks.. the best knowledge ever
glad Tom is back. It interesting how they are 2-3 weeks late and here in Oklahoma we were about 2-3 weeks early. fortunately we didnt have a late freeze.
Hello Tom. Greetings from Afghanistan. Very benefecial and informative videos. I have been watching your videos for almost seven years. Actually Istarted cultivating fruit trees in my garden in 2014 based on your advices and futunately had very good results. Thank you so much for the videos.
Excellent! Thanks for watching.
I too have missed the videos. Show me the fruit. I would love to see videos on favorite May fruiting varieties. Go through each month of the year and share what you like.
Please make more.
Love your videos
I loved being able to see that peach tree after aggressive pruning. I've got three peach trees that needed thinning this year for the first time. I picked over 500 nickel sized peaches off of three trees trying to leave the existing peaches spaced about 4-6 inches apart. The trees are three years old now I believe and this is the first year that we're letting them fruit. I'm super excited for my first fruit tree harvest ever (hopefully)!
How did it go? What zone are you in?
@@ube4856 It went great until brown rot decimated the peaches about two weeks before we would have harvested. The couple of peaches not affected were as good as I've ever had. We're in zone 6b.
Thanks Tom
More videos! Pruning, thinning and harvesting!
Welcome back tom spellman
Genius
Welcome back
Tom is always got the beard groomed perfectly.
Thank u tom I was hoping I cold find a book of yours but cant find 1 I have an area of about 10m by 8m and I want to jam pack them in iv had most my fruit trees for about 3 years so it going to b great to finel get them in the ground going with above ground beds got some soil-compost coming but the spacing I'm just not sure about like my walk ways how wide should they b?
Ps thank u u keep safe to
What do you think about interplanting nitrogen fixing trees in an orchard?
Thanks!
Awesome
Thanks Tom. Your clear voice easy for persons not good English like me. Now put that mask on and stay healthy.
Tom’s a cool dude
Hey Tom,
I have a Peace tree that I purchased about two months ago from my local big box store. I believe it has leaf curl for about two weeks now. I was wondering is it too late for me to white wash the trunk of the tree so it doesn't get sunburned? Any info would be helpful thanks.
John Welsh don’t think there’s a right or wrong time to white wash trunk.
Love your videos. Just wondering what you do with the fruit you’ve thinned? Compost it?
I have never tried composting immature fruit. I have just disposed of it over the years. Don’t think it would be susceptible to borer, moth or beetle infestation but I’d rather not take any chances. I also pick up and dispose of all dropped fruit.
@@DaveWilsonTrees Thanks! 🙏🏻
Good information useful video
What’s the pollinator for flavorella??
Question, some of my green peaches look like 1/2 has been eaten. What could have caused this?
Thanks for all you do!
Most likely rats. Could be raccoons also.
Squirrels too. I have a loquat tree that I share with the squirrels 😂
HELP! We planted fruit trees this spring in the high density method and I have questions about pruning. Is there pics I can uphold somewhere to get some specific instructions?
Here is a good place to start- www.davewilson.com/home-gardens/backyard-orchard-culture
I almost drove 350 miles just to see this orchard 5 days ago. Today I was in Somis, and Fillmore, CA buying some semi dwarf citrus and roses. Do you think its possible to come see the farm? I just found this page and down the rabbit hole I went. I have never planted anything before, my gardner wont come until Tue next week and my plants are just stuffed in a small area in my backyard. I hope to keep them watered and not kill them by Tue.
We’re not exactly open to the public, but sometimes people get lucky. Message us on Facebook and maybe this summer will work.
I am a first year “planter” and am learning a lot from Dave, but some times I am confused because other gardeners advised different ways to deal with a problem like desease control
Always more ways than one but it can simplify things sticking to recommendations from just one or two people it’s very easy when starting out to go information over load. One beauty is there’s no one way to grow and garden we are the keepers of are land I would recommend keeping it simple trees and plants know how to grow look at what we call weeds they grow great without care I know mine do? Learning from observation keep it simple.
Hi, when I mention that I am going to cut my new fruit tree to the knee at planting this spring I get told I should wait for them to settle into the ground for a year before I prune them because it will shock them and damage the tree. Is it possible to shock the tree too much if I prune at planting ? Should I just shorten slightly when planting then wait till winter to chop to knee? Thanks
You only need to avoid topping larger caliper peach and nectarine trees that low. Other varieties are fine to top knee high, it won’t shock them.
@@DaveWilsonTrees Hey really appreciate that. I have just purchased a nectarine and peach that are around 6-7 ft and two large cherry trees over 7 foot with thicker trunks. Would you recommend topping them to knee high? We are early spring, peach has some flowers on. Sorry about the perhaps silly questions, I am a newbie and don't want to damage these beautiful trees but love your results so surely it could happen for me too :)
Sandy P By large, I mean caliper, measured around the tree low, just above the graft. If the trees are more than 3/4 inch its best to top them higher. If planting at or after bloom, only top as low as you can leave some bloom or foliage.
Good to see another video. Keep them coming. Have you all done any videos on solitary bees or any bees? I may have not looked back far enough in your videos to find one.
Why They don't want to sale me fruit Trees here in Readley California, at Dave Wilson Nursery?
More videos! By popular demand 😂
Where are you located at? I’m in beautiful sunny Florida. Lake Worth zone, 10.
Thank you for this great info I want to ask you , I have a problem with root suckers with a dwarf Florida Prince peach tree it seems as the root stock is trying to take over I keep removing them but they keep coming out and they are affecting the fruit development and taste as well the tree is 5 years old and I am considering removing . Is there something I can do to help the tree do better ?
Root suckers do not have an adverse effect on fruit flavor but can definitely have an effect on tree growth and development. Unless you get early heat Flordaprince is a difficult variety for flavor development. We recommend it for desert climates with daytime temps in the 90s from March onward. Remove the suckers as close as possible to the root they are growing off of. You may have to dig down below soil grade to make a clean cut from the point of development. If you leave any stem at or below grade it’s just like cutting the lawn.
They will come back in a couple of weeks.
@@DaveWilsonTrees thank you
If you want to do thinning why do you wait until they put on so much weight and take resources from the tree. Do it much earlier.
The early the better. We’re not waiting on purpose.
@@DaveWilsonTrees They looked almost the right size for starting ripening. I would just leave them to ripen instead of such heavy thinning.
M. Karbaschi to each there own that’s one of the beauty’s of growing trees and gardening cheers
I need your email address and tell me about the zaiger breed.