👍 Another really good practice when planting grafted trees, is to position the tree in the hole so that the graft bulge faces AWAY from direct sun and strong winds.
Thats a good tip. I like to plant with the graft facing into the prevailing winds and at a slight angle towards that direction. Not much. Another tip I'd add in is not to dig the hole to deep as to where you have to add material back in to get your desired hight for the grapht portion to be stitting. Make sure you plant onto hard pack. If you're more northern and get snow make sure to get trunk protectors to protect against vole, mole, mice and rabbit pressure. They have a tendency to "girdle" trees under the snow and or above. More so rabbits girdle above snow.
@@jacobspranger1267 can you explain this to me like I'm two 😅😬 I don't understand what you mean by "pressure" -- do you mean from these animals trying to eat the tree? And what does that have to do with snow? Thank you!!! I aim to get a nectarine tree soon. And maybe a fig tree too.
@@pbandjelly1311 mice and voles tunnel around under the snow and they like to eat the bark off of the trees and the smaller tender branches. Often they will eat all the way around the tree (girdle the tree). Once they do that the tree will die. You most likely wont see the damage until spring when the snow melts. Rabbits dont typically tunnel around under the snow so you will see the damage that's being done above the snow...
@@jacobspranger1267 I really struggle with the planting depth particularly of bare root fruit trees. I would say that @Melissa planted the tree about 4" below optimum, but if you look at the length of the tree below the root graft, it looks to only be about 5", so what digging process does one do to insert it in the soil? Digging only a 1"-2" deep 24" diameter "hole" does not seem right, even with a mound.
Tip for you. Put some sacking or plastic sheeting down, and put the soil from your hole on it. That way you save the spadework of back filling the hole- you just lift & tilt the sheet.
I’m moving more rural this summer and cannot wait to put in some trees! I also really appreciate you showing the actual work involved and not just talking about it. Thank you ma’am!
We just bought two bare too pluot trees and I just happened to pick up a a power auger for a fence job. Worked nicely for digging the holes for the trees. Three holes per tree and easy to dig out the middle with the post hole digger
That's amazing! Ive been in a panic, cuz my husband brought home a bunch of fruit trees(apple, plum, blueberries, grapes) & every video I've seen talks about treating the soil for at least a wk or 2wks before planting!!!!! THANK YOU!
That’s a myth, and it’s been proven to be false. What causes circling is what she said, adding good soil in the hole which makes the roots not want to disperse
We lost our 80+ yr old apple tree last year. 😢 it was MASSIVE! Blew over due to high winds. We cleared a few trees around it a few years back. Big mistake! Never in my life tasted an apple that good. We just bought some 6-7’ trees to replace it. I’ll be using your planting technique to give them a great start. 🤞 thank you!
We found that purchasing trees from Orschelns, Lowes, Walmart, and Home Depot gave us a head start on our orchard. These trees are already leafed out and you can see how the branches are already set. They come in large pots with much more rooting than barefoot stock. We were careful to watch out for bugs and oddly shaped trunks and branches. We got the same tree types at half the cost of purchasing them, bare root, from mail order nurseries and got trees two and three times as tall since they did not have to fit into mailing boxes.
Good advice here! I like the "compost on top" advice. Only one thing I'd add for folks in dry climates. A good thick layer, like 4-6 inches, of woodchip mulch can really cut down on watering! Just make sure not to cover that graft.
Melissa, I just found you on the web looking for knowledge on Fruit Trees & berry bushes! I was listening to your Podcast. I'm thrilled you have a U Tube channel And Most of all that your a believer in Christ. Yeah! I'm subscribed! 😊✝️🙏❤️🐾
I’ve been binging on these type videos as we have several fruit trees to plant. I think the only thing I’ll do different is add wet cardboard under the mulch to prevent weeds. Thank you very much!!!!
I live in the northwest also and just planted two apples and two peach trees. I did everything with 8 foot T posts and wire that’s 7 foot on each side. What you’re saying is once the tree gets two years older so you don’t have to have any protection around them because we have a lot of elk and deer and I figure they go right after that fruit also.
Good Video Melissa, Makes me so proud to see a young women out doors working like this. instead of doing drugs. Smart girl proud of you. PEACE FROM N.C.
I am a new gardnerer. Ironically, I planted my first grafted orange and lemon tree (15gall) from a nursery this past year. After researching through all the confusing and contratidicting information out there, I decided mix 1/2 earth soil, 1/4 perlite, cocoa peat, and about 1/4 chicken compost. A couple of days later I ran into a video that said to never add chicken compost. I felt terrible, thought for sure my money labor of diggin 4 huge holes (also planted 2 avocado the same way) would be for nothing. Well I cannot believe that a year later my lemon and orange tree are thriving! I mean the fruit is small but growing quick! I live in southern CA by the way.
Great video! Everything I was taught to do too One time I transplanted White pines for a hedge row Early every Spring I cut the top out and sprinkled a handful of 10-10-10 fertilizer around the drip edge Wow in maybe 5-10 years they were huge! Xmas tree growers advice!
I had 100% success at keeping deer out of my orchard by putting up bird suet feeders with a cake of Irish Spring soap in them, original scent. I had one by each tree.
I've heard that's good at keeping cats away, didn't know it works on deer. Just bought some to try it - as the trees look ridiculous with a load of tinsel all over them (which works okay on Scottish deer, but brings up an environmental issue when it starts to disintegrate). Thanks for the suggestion!
Next time, put down a tarp. To put the sawdust on, and one to put the dirt you dug out on. Makes for a neater look. And you do not lose any saw dust into the grass. You can put it all around the tree. Makes it easier to put the dirt back around the tree. Fresh wood chips around the tree will go along way in building soil.
I have always gotten them 3 to 6 feet tall and gotten fruit the same year or the next year. I dig I large wide hole and put in chicken/hog manure which is mixed with hay, straw, and wood chips, I then have mulch, then I put dirt around the plant. This gives the tree a huge boost for many years to get its roots going. I then put some manure around the tree each fall for the winter.
This was very informative, thank you. I’m in the Northeast, and we also have a lot of deer. We built little “cages” around each of our fruit trees at planting time with T posts and the same type of flexible plastic mesh you have. In our local area, it is advised to keep these cages in place until the bottom branch reaches 7 feet off the ground. I also tied bars of unwrapped deodorant soap with florist wire to each cage. We planted them 5 years ago. So far the deer haven’t gone near them. We have apples, cherries, pears, plums, paw paws, and mulberries. What is the variety of nectarine you planted? I wonder if it would grow here. We’re in zone 5a.
Your comment reminds me of a past family camping trip to Yosemite. Our campsite was located near a water spigot on top of which we had a bar of soap. Sometime during the night while we were sleeping, a deer crept up and took a bite out of our soap-or at least tried to. Clearly it didn’t like the soap! So I can readily see how that would make an effective deterrent. 😂
We like to dig a deep hole, about 2'x2'. Lots of dirt comes out of the hole. At the bottom of the hole, the sod is thrown in upside down and broken into clumps. It will slowly compost. Then we add the lighter soil that was nearer the surface when we were digging. We have to backfill a bit before we can then put in the tree. Then we keep filling with the lighter soil until roots are covered, and we end the backfilling process with the heavier clayish soil that came out of the bottom of the hole. That way the roots have an easier medium to expand through, and the heavier soil on the top helps to conserve moisture. That was the advice that came with our first trees from St. Lawrence Nursery and we've just stuck to it. :)
I plant them much the same, if a bare root tree is a bit small in gage I will put it in a container for the summer or a year and then plant, I tend to prune back a tree a lot so that the roots develop more in proportion to the top, as well as keep well fertilized from the grass tea I make from mowing a non herbicide use lawn. what I find when I leave the top with a lot of growth and have not that much roots developed yet it is harder to control several diseases.
I just received both, a self-pollinating peach and cherry tree from Fedco trees that I plan to put in the ground this weekend. I live in southern Maine. I found your video really helpful, I'm going to check out more. Thanks so much.
@@kokadjooutdoors620 they are both doing quite well. So far only the cherry tree has blossoms, but the peach may flower later in the season. They're still quite small but thriving. You will most likely need some kind of protection from deer for the first few years, as we did.
I loved seeing you knock the dirt off of the clumps! I wasn't sure if I was a crazy person, having done the same last year (it was my first year growing)! It looked like some quality soil, so it made sense to me!
I have heard, that turning the grass towards the soil and the dirt towards the "sun" will allow the earthworms to nibble on the decaying grass. Now another "theory" involves putting a 1 1/2" PVC pipe below the roots (Digging goes way deeper) add some gravel, then add the pipe at a 60 deg +/- and fill in the hole (As per her instructions) leaning the tree towards (a wee bit) your prevailing winds. Fill the pvc pipe with water and top water also. The roots will go toward the moisture. Do this a few times a week with the PVC and once a week top watering once a week. I watch way too many TH-cam Videos...lol
I follow you from Iraq In Iraq we growing data palm and Graps in everywhere We love winter so much because the Iraq summer is so hot ( the temperature is between 45-50 C° ) ❤️🇮🇶
That grass helps feed the microbes of that tree and further adds to diversity of exudates. Plants grow well with each other, nature has been that way for, forever
This was so helpful, thank you! We have a couple fruit trees here but are planning on relocating this year and planting fruit trees and bushes are our first priority
Happy to have found your channel as I am in the PNW and most channels I watch are in the East... so different climate zones. Also I just purchased a bunch of bareroot Apple trees and was looking for some advice... THANK YOU!!! :D
I used white craft paint at the urging of my friend who has worked her entire life around Orchards , I just paint the bottom of the trunk because she said rabbits will leave the trees alone and not chew at them.
Have you ever heard of "bone sauce" to paint on the main bottom area of the branch to keep deer away. Some people said it even keep the rabbit away. Lots of people use it and said it definitely works. You can make or buy it. I decided to buy a jar cause it is a LONG process to make. I will be experiment with it as soon as I can find a good "sacrificial" fruit tree that deer loves. Right now, I still have wire fence around my apple and pear trees as I don't want to sacrifice them...LOL.
I mixed my soil with the compost when planting had no problems and put mulch on top and removed all grass three foot from trunk. Tree roots naturally grow down and out searching for water and nutrients. Leaving a apple or two the first year is no big deal. If you have decent soil and water you will have no problems, selecting disease resistant trees are the most important strategic thing you can do.
Been planting trees for years in red oklahoma clay. Always back fill with good mix of of compost dirt. Never put the red clay back in. Trees have done well.
I put compost on top of my bush cherries and some thing decided to come and eat it!! They tried to dig further but not focused on the cherries as it was shallow. I think it was a dog. I did put some Bio-Tone at the root level to hopefully encourage some mycorrhizae development.
Oh to have that much space, we are squeezing in 25 fruits trees into a 6x10m space. Removing the fruit is honestly so hard, especially when your kids don't understand, one of mine, the 3-year-old can't understand why I kept doing it and would get really upset. But then one of my apples went from 3 foot to 9 foot in a single year, so hopefully, fruit next year.
By "removing the fruit", you mean harvesting? I didn't think harvesting fruit was so difficult! Could you please explain what you mean? 😅 I planted some fruit trees last spring and need all the tips I can get!
I just learned you are from Washington state as well 🤩 (I'm from Vancouver WA) It's so helpful to see a similar climate since the PNW blesses us with so much rain 🤪 I sometimes think can we accomplish everything in all this rain but your videos reassure me that we can and will 😁
Word of advice. If you buy a tree from a big box store in a pot before you plant it make sure they took it out of the grow bag they started it in. I work at a big box store and they are leaving those on the plant. It will eventually gurdle the tree. The bag may be biodegradable but the string they use to make is not. So make sure you dont have that issue before you plant
I’d be curious to see how this tree does in two or three years. My two TH-cam interests, bonsai and fruit trees, say there should be some native soil for success
It's soil. And you can side-dress, in other words place fertilizer to the side or more deeply in a much deeper hole; the roots will reach for it and you can use appropriate fertilizer for when the tree has grown a bit.
Hi Melissa. I'm not a critique and I very much appreciate your share. I just want to share my thoughts. I do find your logic valid. Putting in a lot of good stuff in the hole would restrict the roots from spreading out & growing as the roots will find the hole the most fertile. It makes sense to me. Then I came across another video that says the right opposite. (Elen White method) They put all sorts of mixed stuff in that hole and say they get astonishing growth rates and fruiting. I just wanted to know if you have tried this Elen W method? If you did, you would know if it really worked and I'd really like your feedback on this. Value your comments & thoughts and thanks for sharing it Melissa. Pete :")
I'm of the understanding that it's not bad for the tree's growth, initially, to add amendments to the soil at planting, but it does not encourage the roots to grow outward early on in its life. That may inhibit a good solid wide root system to match the massive growth on the top - high winds of bad weather will more easily topple the tree.
Yeah there seems to be two theories just as you said. I would add the good stuff but make the whole wider and put the stuff outside the roots too so it'll keep spreading.
A couple tips... Do not put half a layer of compost to level the hole. It will decompose and create a bowl for water to collect and rot the trunk. Flip the sod upside down and use as the first layer just in top of the roots. Loosen the sod first so it is not a solid chunk. Put real (wide) fences around the trees for 3 to 5 years to protect from deer. Well worth the cost in the long run. Prune the tree to grow high over the years. This will delay fruiting, but you will get a tree that will last decades, even with deer around. Put 2' high hardware cloth around trunk to stop voles and long-eared beavers (aka rabbits) from eating the bark. Keep the native soil highest at the trunk and then mulch around so it is like a mound. Dig a slight depression around the outside of the hole (after planting) for water to collect and feed the ends of the roots. Next year fill it in with soil. Mulching on top with compost or aged manure is fine, as long as the soil is slightly higher than the ground level. Remember; that soil in the hole will settle and you do not want a depression around your trunk. It is advisable to top prune freshly planted bare root trees to balance the roots to the top. If a tree is young and has full roots in a pot, this isn't critical. However, most trees in pots are actually bare root plants shovel into a pot with sand before sale. In a nutshell, you want the soil slightly higher around the tree after one year so the trunk stays dry. Very important. All the best with your orchard!
Hi Melissa, I'm getting ready to plant 36 apple trees. I like the idea of using the "netting technique" to deter the deer. Looks pretty straightforward. Any other tips when netting the trees? You mentioned that they hadn't leafed out yet. Should I make an adjustment to the netting when they leaf out? How often are you adjusting the netting? Thanks so much!
I would have cut back some of the long outward roots and the main root. This way it will grow down and outwards. Then cut back almost the whole tree and top it off at the height you want your branching to start. Or top it off at almost ground level and grow a new central leader. So, i plant "roots" with a stem with only a couple of very small branches. Thus i balance my "tree" with the roots and re-grow them on a new location, as if it never have been moved around. The tree will grow mutch faster, if you start from almost zero and not with a shaped tree that has to adapt it selfs. Also remove the grass more (2m) and put a thick layer of mulch on it. And only water and feed far away at least 1/2 height from the trunk where you want the roots to grow to. You can put a small mash/chicken wire around the trunk for air circulation and animal protection and mulch with some bark or woodchips closer to the trunk. And use some white latex paint with out fangi protection and add 50% water and paint the trunk for sun protection in the first 4 years.
the part where she explained how roots "realize" that one spot is fertile than the other and so they wont spread was mind blowing.
👍 Another really good practice when planting grafted trees, is to position the tree in the hole so that the graft bulge faces AWAY from direct sun and strong winds.
Thats a good tip. I like to plant with the graft facing into the prevailing winds and at a slight angle towards that direction. Not much. Another tip I'd add in is not to dig the hole to deep as to where you have to add material back in to get your desired hight for the grapht portion to be stitting. Make sure you plant onto hard pack. If you're more northern and get snow make sure to get trunk protectors to protect against vole, mole, mice and rabbit pressure. They have a tendency to "girdle" trees under the snow and or above. More so rabbits girdle above snow.
@@jacobspranger1267 can you explain this to me like I'm two 😅😬 I don't understand what you mean by "pressure" -- do you mean from these animals trying to eat the tree? And what does that have to do with snow? Thank you!!! I aim to get a nectarine tree soon. And maybe a fig tree too.
@@pbandjelly1311 mice and voles tunnel around under the snow and they like to eat the bark off of the trees and the smaller tender branches. Often they will eat all the way around the tree (girdle the tree). Once they do that the tree will die. You most likely wont see the damage until spring when the snow melts. Rabbits dont typically tunnel around under the snow so you will see the damage that's being done above the snow...
@@jacobspranger1267 I really struggle with the planting depth particularly of bare root fruit trees. I would say that @Melissa planted the tree about 4" below optimum, but if you look at the length of the tree below the root graft, it looks to only be about 5", so what digging process does one do to insert it in the soil? Digging only a 1"-2" deep 24" diameter "hole" does not seem right, even with a mound.
Good to know! Thank you!
Packed with ton of useful information. Not even a second wasted in your 19 minute video. Thanks for sharing.
Tip for you. Put some sacking or plastic sheeting down, and put the soil from your hole on it. That way you save the spadework of back filling the hole- you just lift & tilt the sheet.
I’m moving more rural this summer and cannot wait to put in some trees! I also really appreciate you showing the actual work involved and not just talking about it. Thank you ma’am!
nothing compares to this method - th-cam.com/video/jV7k64xcZro/w-d-xo.html - blessings to all
sorry, intended this one - th-cam.com/video/zu8KrP6U9fw/w-d-xo.html
We just bought two bare too pluot trees and I just happened to pick up a a power auger for a fence job. Worked nicely for digging the holes for the trees. Three holes per tree and easy to dig out the middle with the post hole digger
That's amazing! Ive been in a panic, cuz my husband brought home a bunch of fruit trees(apple, plum, blueberries, grapes) & every video I've seen talks about treating the soil for at least a wk or 2wks before planting!!!!!
THANK YOU!
I would think 3ft MINIMUM for the circle to keep the sod from taking the nutrition the tree needs.
The best video by far. No nonsense, tips, showing exactly and why, this is perfect. Thank you for taking the time.
I got 15 fruit trees in my suburban backyard. Somebody stop me!
🤣 You’re fiiiine! Totally normal.
😂😂
I’m getting ready for my first one! I’m excited. What did you plant
Send me some fruit. 😊
Whats wrong with 1 more tree 🌳
Try digging a square hole. It will help to keep the roots from circling tin the hole. They grow into the corners and then into the undisturbed soil.
That’s a myth, and it’s been proven to be false. What causes circling is what she said, adding good soil in the hole which makes the roots not want to disperse
@@valeriya105 what is you source? I have used the square hole for years in the hard soil of Phx, Az. with proven success.
I would dig a square hole and get the grass sorted up front into the barrow,
We lost our 80+ yr old apple tree last year. 😢 it was MASSIVE! Blew over due to high winds. We cleared a few trees around it a few years back. Big mistake! Never in my life tasted an apple that good. We just bought some 6-7’ trees to replace it. I’ll be using your planting technique to give them a great start. 🤞 thank you!
I use to live in the Pacific Northwest my husband was in the military so we were at Fort Lewis....beautiful place
I grew up on Whidbey, dad was stationed there!
We found that purchasing trees from Orschelns, Lowes, Walmart, and Home Depot gave us a head start on our orchard. These trees are already leafed out and you can see how the branches are already set. They come in large pots with much more rooting than barefoot stock. We were careful to watch out for bugs and oddly shaped trunks and branches. We got the same tree types at half the cost of purchasing them, bare root, from mail order nurseries and got trees two and three times as tall since they did not have to fit into mailing boxes.
Done the same. Pears and peaches as well some where from tractor supply
Good advice here! I like the "compost on top" advice. Only one thing I'd add for folks in dry climates. A good thick layer, like 4-6 inches, of woodchip mulch can really cut down on watering! Just make sure not to cover that graft.
what is considered the graft?
I have trees ordered to plant this weekend! This video is right on time!
Did you order online?
No, I preordered through a local nursery.
Awesome!
What kind of mulch do you all use for fruit trees
Melissa, I just found you on the web looking for knowledge on Fruit Trees & berry bushes! I was listening to your Podcast.
I'm thrilled you have a U Tube channel And Most of all that your a believer in Christ. Yeah! I'm subscribed! 😊✝️🙏❤️🐾
nothing compares to this method - th-cam.com/video/jV7k64xcZro/w-d-xo.html - blessings to all
sorry, intended this one - th-cam.com/video/zu8KrP6U9fw/w-d-xo.html
Yesss
I’ve been binging on these type videos as we have several fruit trees to plant. I think the only thing I’ll do different is add wet cardboard under the mulch to prevent weeds. Thank you very much!!!!
Does work great and allows water thru or least stay damp
Thanks Melissa! This was very helpful.
I just received 2 of my 3 orders. Will be planting 20+ trees/bushes tomorrow.
I live in the northwest also and just planted two apples and two peach trees. I did everything with 8 foot T posts and wire that’s 7 foot on each side. What you’re saying is once the tree gets two years older so you don’t have to have any protection around them because we have a lot of elk and deer and I figure they go right after that fruit also.
Good Video Melissa, Makes me so proud to see a young women out doors working like this. instead of doing drugs. Smart girl proud of you. PEACE FROM N.C.
Ive been taking a master gardner class and just had a class about planting trees. This was awesome!
Then you have to watch Elen White method of Planting trees
Try planting a fruit tree using the E.G.W. Blueprint tree planting method !
20 times more growth, within 3 years, by weight ! And earlier flowering !
robert satterlee yes Brother Loma linda blue zone The longevity people !!!!
robert satterlee excellent !!!0ptimun !!
I am a new gardnerer. Ironically, I planted my first grafted orange and lemon tree (15gall) from a nursery this past year. After researching through all the confusing and contratidicting information out there, I decided mix 1/2 earth soil, 1/4 perlite, cocoa peat, and about 1/4 chicken compost. A couple of days later I ran into a video that said to never add chicken compost. I felt terrible, thought for sure my money labor of diggin 4 huge holes (also planted 2 avocado the same way) would be for nothing. Well I cannot believe that a year later my lemon and orange tree are thriving! I mean the fruit is small but growing quick! I live in southern CA by the way.
Great video! Everything I was taught to do too One time I transplanted White pines for a hedge row Early every Spring I cut the top out and sprinkled a handful of 10-10-10 fertilizer around the drip edge Wow in maybe 5-10 years they were huge! Xmas tree growers advice!
Any reason you do this?
Remember to only bury the trunk to just past the root crown. I buried one of mine too low and we got a little bit of trunk rot.
I had 100% success at keeping deer out of my orchard by putting up bird suet feeders with a cake of Irish Spring soap in them, original scent. I had one by each tree.
I've heard that's good at keeping cats away, didn't know it works on deer. Just bought some to try it - as the trees look ridiculous with a load of tinsel all over them (which works okay on Scottish deer, but brings up an environmental issue when it starts to disintegrate).
Thanks for the suggestion!
Yeah, but then you get leprechauns! 😂
my orchard is my hunting plot. problem solved lol
I have a tree buying problem lol I bought like 4 cherry trees and 4 blueberry bushes
Yep..u got the bug...its kinda like eating potato chips...
I did the same thing
Write video! Very timely. We just got 8 fruit trees in to expand our orchard.
Next time, put down a tarp. To put the sawdust on, and one to put the dirt you dug out on. Makes for a neater look. And you do not lose any saw dust into the grass. You can put it all around the tree. Makes it easier to put the dirt back around the tree. Fresh wood chips around the tree will go along way in building soil.
I have always gotten them 3 to 6 feet tall and gotten fruit the same year or the next year. I dig I large wide hole and put in chicken/hog manure which is mixed with hay, straw, and wood chips, I then have mulch, then I put dirt around the plant. This gives the tree a huge boost for many years to get its roots going. I then put some manure around the tree each fall for the winter.
We are planting our trees over the next 2 weeks also!
Done it for years in the orchids here, first time I've seen it on TH-cam. Excellent.
Plant young fruit trees to attract deer for easy hunting. Got it !
In Texas we planted peach, apple and persimmon. They really go for them.
Thank you Melissa! This video is so helpful for a novice like me!
Great info about the compost. I didn't know that.
This was very informative, thank you. I’m in the Northeast, and we also have a lot of deer. We built little “cages” around each of our fruit trees at planting time with T posts and the same type of flexible plastic mesh you have. In our local area, it is advised to keep these cages in place until the bottom branch reaches 7 feet off the ground. I also tied bars of unwrapped deodorant soap with florist wire to each cage. We planted them 5 years ago. So far the deer haven’t gone near them. We have apples, cherries, pears, plums, paw paws, and mulberries. What is the variety of nectarine you planted? I wonder if it would grow here. We’re in zone 5a.
Great advice! Thank you!
Your comment reminds me of a past family camping trip to Yosemite. Our campsite was located near a water spigot on top of which we had a bar of soap. Sometime during the night while we were sleeping, a deer crept up and took a bite out of our soap-or at least tried to. Clearly it didn’t like the soap! So I can readily see how that would make an effective deterrent. 😂
We like to dig a deep hole, about 2'x2'. Lots of dirt comes out of the hole. At the bottom of the hole, the sod is thrown in upside down and broken into clumps. It will slowly compost. Then we add the lighter soil that was nearer the surface when we were digging. We have to backfill a bit before we can then put in the tree. Then we keep filling with the lighter soil until roots are covered, and we end the backfilling process with the heavier clayish soil that came out of the bottom of the hole. That way the roots have an easier medium to expand through, and the heavier soil on the top helps to conserve moisture. That was the advice that came with our first trees from St. Lawrence Nursery and we've just stuck to it. :)
Melissa thank you for sharing, the description is very detailed, you let me learn how to grow fruit trees. thanks again🙏
Just looking at these fruits makes my mouth water! 😋
I plant them much the same, if a bare root tree is a bit small in gage I will put it in a container for the summer or a year and then plant, I tend to prune back a tree a lot so that the roots develop more in proportion to the top, as well as keep well fertilized from the grass tea I make from mowing a non herbicide use lawn. what I find when I leave the top with a lot of growth and have not that much roots developed yet it is harder to control several diseases.
You are just a joy to watch and good imfo too. I just bought 4 apple trees.
The root flare should be always above the soil level and even more when you have a root stock. Your is totally inside of the hole.
I just received both, a self-pollinating peach and cherry tree from Fedco trees that I plan to put in the ground this weekend. I live in southern Maine. I found your video really helpful, I'm going to check out more. Thanks so much.
Me too!! Mid coast Maine 😊
Hi did they do? Also In southern maine. Looking to add more next year may check them out
@@kokadjooutdoors620 they are both doing quite well. So far only the cherry tree has blossoms, but the peach may flower later in the season. They're still quite small but thriving. You will most likely need some kind of protection from deer for the first few years, as we did.
I loved seeing you knock the dirt off of the clumps! I wasn't sure if I was a crazy person, having done the same last year (it was my first year growing)! It looked like some quality soil, so it made sense to me!
I have heard, that turning the grass towards the soil and the dirt towards the "sun" will allow the earthworms to nibble on the decaying grass.
Now another "theory" involves putting a 1 1/2" PVC pipe below the roots (Digging goes way deeper) add some gravel, then add the pipe at a 60 deg +/- and fill in the hole (As per her instructions) leaning the tree towards (a wee bit) your prevailing winds. Fill the pvc pipe with water and top water also. The roots will go toward the moisture. Do this a few times a week with the PVC and once a week top watering once a week.
I watch way too many TH-cam Videos...lol
I have just gotten my 1st flowers on my peach tree, im so excited.
Use a 2x2 long enough to span the hole to keep the tree at the proper depth--it makes planting so much easier!
Woohoo! Ordered my trees this was helpful, in the east coast can't wait to use what I learned from you! Thanks for sharing!
I have apple trees in my backyard (2 years old) can I just let the grass grow or how long do I keep removing the grass around the tree?
Excellent video. You prevented me from taking some bad advice.
I will be sharing the information with my sister who bought trees with me.
Thanks
Melissa you have a great looking property. Living in Australia looks a bit cold to me. I can't even imagine what it is like when it begins to snow.
I follow you from Iraq
In Iraq we growing data palm and Graps in everywhere
We love winter so much because the Iraq summer is so hot ( the temperature is between 45-50 C° ) ❤️🇮🇶
Very good. I’ve planted many fruit and nut trees. Was taught to dig a $10. hole for a $5. tree
I fell deeply in love when she stuck the shovel in the ground and stomped it to keep it standing when she was done digging the hole. What a woman !
Never planted a fruit tree, this was very informative! Thanks!
That grass helps feed the microbes of that tree and further adds to diversity of exudates. Plants grow well with each other, nature has been that way for, forever
I love Your videos. Even though I live in Florida I always get "some" information that I can use! God Bless
1) bang your stake in before you back fill
2)use microryzal fungi on the roots.
This was so helpful, thank you! We have a couple fruit trees here but are planning on relocating this year and planting fruit trees and bushes are our first priority
nothing compares to this method - th-cam.com/video/jV7k64xcZro/w-d-xo.html - blessings to all
sorry, intended this one - th-cam.com/video/zu8KrP6U9fw/w-d-xo.html
Happy to have found your channel as I am in the PNW and most channels I watch are in the East... so different climate zones. Also I just purchased a bunch of bareroot Apple trees and was looking for some advice... THANK YOU!!! :D
nothing compares to this method - th-cam.com/video/jV7k64xcZro/w-d-xo.html - blessings to all
sorry, intended this one - th-cam.com/video/zu8KrP6U9fw/w-d-xo.html
I used white craft paint at the urging of my friend who has worked her entire life around Orchards , I just paint the bottom of the trunk because she said rabbits will leave the trees alone and not chew at them.
Have you ever heard of "bone sauce" to paint on the main bottom area of the branch to keep deer away. Some people said it even keep the rabbit away. Lots of people use it and said it definitely works. You can make or buy it. I decided to buy a jar cause it is a LONG process to make. I will be experiment with it as soon as I can find a good "sacrificial" fruit tree that deer loves. Right now, I still have wire fence around my apple and pear trees as I don't want to sacrifice them...LOL.
Thank you for sharing this video, we all love fruit planting.
I love this misty weather
I found this to be an excellent video! We are in the inland northwest and getting ready to plant out first fruit trees on the property.
The content of your videos is very good love your videos. Lots of useful information thanks for sharing 👍
Thank you!
@@MelissaKNorris that's true
Such great info here! Thanks for taking the time to lay this all out for us!
I mixed my soil with the compost when planting had no problems and put mulch on top and removed all grass three foot from trunk. Tree roots naturally grow down and out searching for water and nutrients. Leaving a apple or two the first year is no big deal.
If you have decent soil and water you will have no problems, selecting disease resistant trees are the most important strategic thing you can do.
Been planting trees for years in red oklahoma clay. Always back fill with good mix of of compost dirt. Never put the red clay back in. Trees have done well.
I put compost on top of my bush cherries and some thing decided to come and eat it!! They tried to dig further but not focused on the cherries as it was shallow. I think it was a dog. I did put some Bio-Tone at the root level to hopefully encourage some mycorrhizae development.
Oh to have that much space, we are squeezing in 25 fruits trees into a 6x10m space.
Removing the fruit is honestly so hard, especially when your kids don't understand, one of mine, the 3-year-old can't understand why I kept doing it and would get really upset. But then one of my apples went from 3 foot to 9 foot in a single year, so hopefully, fruit next year.
By "removing the fruit", you mean harvesting? I didn't think harvesting fruit was so difficult! Could you please explain what you mean? 😅 I planted some fruit trees last spring and need all the tips I can get!
Blossoms become fruit. Remove the blossoms the first year
I just learned you are from Washington state as well 🤩 (I'm from Vancouver WA) It's so helpful to see a similar climate since the PNW blesses us with so much rain 🤪 I sometimes think can we accomplish everything in all this rain but your videos reassure me that we can and will 😁
Thank you Melissa. That are a lot nice tipps for me. You have so much experience, that's fantastic. all the best for you and your family💚
Thank you and you too!
Word of advice. If you buy a tree from a big box store in a pot before you plant it make sure they took it out of the grow bag they started it in. I work at a big box store and they are leaving those on the plant. It will eventually gurdle the tree. The bag may be biodegradable but the string they use to make is not. So make sure you dont have that issue before you plant
I’d be curious to see how this tree does in two or three years. My two TH-cam interests, bonsai and fruit trees, say there should be some native soil for success
Thank you, you’ve been very helpful, for toward understanding how to started. God Bless❤😊🎉🙏
It's soil. And you can side-dress, in other words place fertilizer to the side or more deeply in a much deeper hole; the roots will reach for it and you can use appropriate fertilizer for when the tree has grown a bit.
Thank you. I was thinking that something like this would work.
Thanks so much for the info! We have killed several bare root trees but we are trying again in a few weeks!
Your soil is so gorgeous I can't wait until I get mine like that.
The way you jump on the shovel is cute
My trees just came in. Great timing!
🤩
Very good and interesting Melissa. Another educated video I’ll have to try it when it gets warmer..Thank you
Glad you think so!
Information rich! Thank you for being you!
Hi Melissa. I'm not a critique and I very much appreciate your share. I just want to share my thoughts. I do find your logic valid. Putting in a lot of good stuff in the hole would restrict the roots from spreading out & growing as the roots will find the hole the most fertile. It makes sense to me. Then I came across another video that says the right opposite. (Elen White method) They put all sorts of mixed stuff in that hole and say they get astonishing growth rates and fruiting. I just wanted to know if you have tried this Elen W method? If you did, you would know if it really worked and I'd really like your feedback on this. Value your comments & thoughts and thanks for sharing it Melissa.
Pete :")
I'm of the understanding that it's not bad for the tree's growth, initially, to add amendments to the soil at planting, but it does not encourage the roots to grow outward early on in its life. That may inhibit a good solid wide root system to match the massive growth on the top - high winds of bad weather will more easily topple the tree.
Wow Lisa! Good point about hostile weather conditions. I didn’t think of that.
Pete :”)
Yeah there seems to be two theories just as you said. I would add the good stuff but make the whole wider and put the stuff outside the roots too so it'll keep spreading.
@@humanman
Yeah! That’s a good idea too! Thanks for your share.
Pete :”)
Thx for the video. You have a great climate for fruit trees there. If I lived there I would stick the thing in the ground and walk away. 😀
Where does she live?
Thanks for sharing my husband and i are planning on getting some fruit trees great information.
Thank you! this video will really help me with gardening classes.
About to dive into my 1st fruit tree. Thank you for the tips!
Tulle is the best and most cost effective💐😊. Thank you for sharing🙂
Hi Melissa! Thank you! Have a beautiful day! 👍
Melissa-this video is outstanding!!! Many thanks and blessings❤
I want a nectarine tree so badly. Helpful video.
Thank you for a great video. Very informative! We are going to plant today!
I have 21 ‘ of sand here in northern Saskatchewan. I got two apples last year after 17 years lol. Haskap does good here though as well as saskatoon.
A couple tips...
Do not put half a layer of compost to level the hole. It will decompose and create a bowl for water to collect and rot the trunk.
Flip the sod upside down and use as the first layer just in top of the roots. Loosen the sod first so it is not a solid chunk.
Put real (wide) fences around the trees for 3 to 5 years to protect from deer. Well worth the cost in the long run. Prune the tree to grow high over the years. This will delay fruiting, but you will get a tree that will last decades, even with deer around.
Put 2' high hardware cloth around trunk to stop voles and long-eared beavers (aka rabbits) from eating the bark.
Keep the native soil highest at the trunk and then mulch around so it is like a mound.
Dig a slight depression around the outside of the hole (after planting) for water to collect and feed the ends of the roots. Next year fill it in with soil.
Mulching on top with compost or aged manure is fine, as long as the soil is slightly higher than the ground level. Remember; that soil in the hole will settle and you do not want a depression around your trunk.
It is advisable to top prune freshly planted bare root trees to balance the roots to the top. If a tree is young and has full roots in a pot, this isn't critical. However, most trees in pots are actually bare root plants shovel into a pot with sand before sale.
In a nutshell, you want the soil slightly higher around the tree after one year so the trunk stays dry. Very important.
All the best with your orchard!
I do really like Your attitude toward Your job and Your idea. -Thank You
@Melissa K Norris Your husband is blessed to have such hardworking, motivated, intelligent and beautiful wife.
I sure enjoyed this. Thank y'all so much. Use Billy's bone sauce, from Perma Pasture. No deer ivation at all and not poison. Blessings, julie
Hi Melissa, I'm getting ready to plant 36 apple trees. I like the idea of using the "netting technique" to deter the deer. Looks pretty straightforward. Any other tips when netting the trees? You mentioned that they hadn't leafed out yet. Should I make an adjustment to the netting when they leaf out? How often are you adjusting the netting? Thanks so much!
We use human hair in bags, keeps the deer off the trees
What do u mean...do you hang bags of human hair off the branches....what kind of bags and how much hair.....and how many bags per tree ??
I would have cut back some of the long outward roots and the main root. This way it will grow down and outwards. Then cut back almost the whole tree and top it off at the height you want your branching to start. Or top it off at almost ground level and grow a new central leader. So, i plant "roots" with a stem with only a couple of very small branches. Thus i balance my "tree" with the roots and re-grow them on a new location, as if it never have been moved around. The tree will grow mutch faster, if you start from almost zero and not with a shaped tree that has to adapt it selfs. Also remove the grass more (2m) and put a thick layer of mulch on it. And only water and feed far away at least 1/2 height from the trunk where you want the roots to grow to. You can put a small mash/chicken wire around the trunk for air circulation and animal protection and mulch with some bark or woodchips closer to the trunk. And use some white latex paint with out fangi protection and add 50% water and paint the trunk for sun protection in the first 4 years.
Thank you!! So much golden information in one video.
It can be beneficial to bury the tree deeper to grow more roots off of the original base. Giving the tree more nutrients and moisture.
No, this will cause rot issues.
I added a crabapple, another plum tree and a few blackberries this year.
Wow!
Crabapples are almost a forgotten tree, IMO. I hope you have a productive garden.
I’m hoping to add a plum this summer.