Starting a home orchard is something people consider at one point in their lives. Apart from the pleasure of picking out and getting to eat fresh fruits at the comfort of your home, fruit trees can also produce high yields while requiring very little maintenance. Its year’s worth of plentiful fruits is perfect for people who are budget conscious. Nothing also beats the feeling of having to offer your family loads of fresh and home grown fruits you can enjoy all together. Unsurprisingly, fruit trees also help the ecosystem by producing oxygen, hence more fresh and clean air for your family to breathe. To top it all off, planting fruit trees in the backyard also encourages wildlife to flourish. I can go all day about its numerous benefits and you might want to take action already, but before you learn how to plant fruit trees, here are some top tips:
What to Know Before Planting Fruit Trees
- Choose the Right Tree and the Right Location
Try to imagine your fruit tree at its full size. Consider its width and its roots which will stretch out as far as its branches. This way, you can avoid buying a fruit tree that’s going to take over your yard. You should also plant them at an open and sunny spot in your place as they need at least six hours of sunlight in order to grow healthily.
- Prepare the Ground
You can choose to either move or remove the plants or lawn 2-3 feet around the planting hole.
- Prune Your Fruit Tree
Pruning includes the removal of fruits after a year of producing a crop and cutting off dead and broken branches. This is necessary to allow the tree to develop a healthy root system in its first year.
- Water It Right
Fruit trees need one to two inches of water a week. You can increase it for a bit if it is extremely hot, but you might not want to overwater it. You can always skip watering if the rain is there to save your day.
METHODS OF PLANTING FRUIT TREES
Cuttings
A piece of stem from the parent plant is cut off to be put in the soil. It should be removed with a sharp and clean knife, and the stem should be at least 15-30 centimeters. This method’s success rate however is still too low to be used for commercial purposes.
Layering
A refined version of rooting, layering includes planting a piece of wood still attached to its parent plant wherein the new plant will be removed once it has grown roots already. This method is popular with clonal apple rootstocks.
Grafting
The most common method for creating fruit trees, and is nearly suitable for every species. It involves the fusion of the scion of one plant to a host plant’s roots, so that the two can grow together as one plant.
There are many other ways for tree propagation, but these are the three most common methods of planting fruit trees. With these, you do not have to visit the nursery to buy young fruit trees anymore, as these methods help you save money by encouraging you to explore planting, an exciting and totally doable activity.
If you are willing to keep these tips and methods in mind, you’re on your way to developing your new orchard. Let’s now cut to the chase! Here’s how to plant fruit trees in 5 easy steps:
1. Dig a Hole and Add Compost
To begin planting fruit trees in the backyard, you need to dig the perfect hole first. It needs to be twice as wide and deep as the roots of the tree. Replace the removed soil with the same amount of compost which will provide better drainage.
2. Plant the Tree
A helping hand would be great on this step. Hold the tree in soil level and have someone else throw loose soil into the hole to build a solid foundation. Place your fruit tree at the top of the center of this mound and ensure that the graft line is above ground level. Make sure that no roots are exposed and lightly step on the soil to remove air pockets.
3. Prune and Water It Well
Cut the tree by one-third and remove any dead branches. It might come out as harsh but this will actually benefit the tree more as this will allow room for prolific growth. Water the area around the roots thoroughly and add more soil, and then tamp it down gently and water again. Be careful not to overwater as waterlogged roots can rot.
4. Mulch It Up
Measure a circle around the tree, marking it with sticks up to the perimeter of its expected width when it is fully grown. Then, cover the area with organic mulch. Doing this can ensure your success as this lets you focus on the health of the soil inside that particular area.
5. Bring Back Ups
Plant other species that can support the growth of your fruit tree. These support plants can drive away pests and bring beneficial insects to the group instead.
Now that you have a significant knowledge on how to plant fruit trees along with the methods you can use and now that you do not have to ask yourself what to know before planting fruit trees anymore, do you think they are a hassle? I don’t know about you, but I have a resounding no as an answer. If you are a seasonal or hobby gardener, it might seem like too much hassle. But if you pay close attention to choosing the right plants and flourishing them, many trees will nourish with little maintenance. Many of these will yield years’ worth of fresh fruits and will save you lots of money in the long run. With a little effort and lots of research, the sheer joy of having to pluck baskets of fresh fruits and being able to share them with your family can be right within your reach.
