Fruit trees perform better by far when grown in native soil – ie soil that’s original to your site. Deciduous fruit trees don’t need compost + fert around their roots – the original soil is perfect especially if you’ve matched your rootstocks to it. What they need is a fungal environment – one created by woody mulches. Lots of compost tips the balance towards bacterial dominance – an environment best suited to annual vegies, not trees.
Plant
Dig a hole that matches the size of the tree roots – it doesnt need to be any bigger. Be sure the graft is sitting well above the soil line and any young roots on top aren’t buried too deep.
If you’re planting bare root trees, create a hump of soil to rest the roots on and spread them out and around. Trim off any that are too long and backfill with the original soil. I like to use my fingers to push the soil in around the roots. Give it a good tug after planting, to be sure its secure, and then a slow, gentle water to further settle any air pockets around the roots. Top up with soil if need be.
A tree in a PB (planter bag), benefits from sitting in a bucket of water before planting, until bubbles no longer appear. Plant it into a hole the same size as the PB. It needs no watering afterwards, unless the soil is parched and dry in which case watering the bottom of the hole before planting is of more use, encouraging roots downward and outward.
- Where soil is poor (sand, rotten rock, alpine types), you’ll do well to mix a little compost in with the original soil.
- Where drainage is poor and there is no opportunity to improve it, create a half in, half out scenario so the tree is a little above the ground on a mound.
Mulch + Stake
Once the tree is planted, that’s when the feeding happens. Rich, loamy soils can jump straight to mulch, but most other soils will need a spade or two’s worth of homemade compost or cheats compost or good soil from beneath established trees. A sprinkle of gypsum is a good idea if heavy clay is your lot.
Then comes the most important bit – the mulch. Use chipped wood. Broken down, lignin rich woody stuff drives the beneficial fungi that are at the heart of your trees wellness. The best chips are a mixture, ideally the slim branches and twigs from the outside edges of the trees – these are called Ramial chips and they’re the ultimate. If you cannot source these, then scrounge as good of a mixture of woodsy debris as you can. Scatter this around the base of the tree and then set to and begin your herbal ley plantings, the perennial companions around who’s root systems the fungal allies will latch. This is the trees disease/ pest resistance + nutrient capture system, and its as old as time. Easy orcharding ahoy!
Staking is about support. For the end goal of an independent, resilient tree – your tree needs to move about in the wind. This inspires it to send out more roots and is especially important if your tree is in a windy spot. As well as a bit of support while they establish, stakes are useful for identification where young trees may get lost in the grass or reversed over. Not all trees, however, need a stake.
Bang the stake about 200mm away from the trunk and firmly, but not rigidly tie with a (as in one!) soft stocking tie.
Remove the ties + labels that came from the nursery. If left on, these cut into the bark as the annual growth rings fatten the trunk.
Prune It
Pruning, at planting, is about establishing the first layer (scaffold) of branches – they will shoot out from this cut. If the tree is at the perfect height already, then leave it be. I usually start the first branches off about hip height – therefore I cut back to a bud that’s about 1m from the ground. But much depends – make your tree work in the space you have. You may wish for a taller tree and the first set of branches to begin quite high if, for example, its on the edge of the driveway. Or you may need a shorter tree if your garden is really windy. You’ll want it to grow low so as to easily tuck it inside shelter.
- Espalier: Cut your tree to a bud, just below the first wire.
- Fan trained: Cut your tree back to somewhere in the range of 60cm – 100cm, at a place where there are a few buds to create the side arms.
Your new tree will either be a maiden whip – a trunk with no branches, or a feathered whip which has some branches.
Maidens are easy, simply leave them as is, or cut back to a bud at the height you wish the branches to spring from. A feathered whip, is a little trickier. If its a big size, its too much to chop it back to 1m. You can keep well placed feathers (branches) or remove them – up to you. If you remove them, the new ones that grow will all be of the same age and have good balance.
Really appreciate your posts.
Thanks
Your welcome Andy!
Hi Kath,
I’ve been meaning for ages to drop by your blog and leave a comment thanking you for your articles. Your website has been an excellent source of aid as I get our little property underway producing fruit and vegetables for our young family. Whenever I have a specific vege or fruit question, or need a refresher, I check here first, and most often you have a great article on the topic. This has been our second year of gardening our little place – a flogged out corner of an old farm – pretty rough paddock which we are slowly taming – and we had a great harvest of 60kg of spuds, 6kg of yams, probably 50kg of tomatoes, heaps and heaps of other greens, beans, zucchini, herbs and fruit. I put that down not as a brag, but as a thank you – you’re making a real difference and helping people have confidence to steward the land and grow healthy food. Thanks heaps! 🙂 🙂
Oh Sam! You made my day! Helping you, being the whole reason I blog away.
kind regards Kath
Dear Kath, I second everything in the comment from Sam above! I’ve been meaning to send you a thank you for months as I’ve absorbed so much of your knowledge and wisdom from this site and your books. We moved into a new house in urban Wellington last December and are extremely fortunate to have acquired an established and well planned garden with apples, pears, plums, feijoas, a slope of happy citrus, a sunny vege bed, and still some space left that is both sheltered and sunny. A rare thing in Wellington. I had never been a gardener but have seriously caught the bug after a friend recommended your book last Christmas. My husband and I both read it cover to cover and then bought the pruning one as well. I can honestly say you’ve taught me everything I know about gardening! I love your natural approach and your simple, clear guidance. Several months and 21 new fruit and nut trees on (thanks to Evergrow Bags allowing us to fit them closer together!), we both refer to you as if you’re an old friend whenever we’re talking about the garden: “What should we do about [XYZ]?” “Kath would say [ABC]…” I feel so privileged that we have this opportunity to raise our 3 kids in an environment where they can learn about growing food and experience the delight of harvesting fresh edibles from our own backyard, almost year round. And it’s largely thanks to you, and the inspiration and teaching you have shared with us – what a gift. Thanks again!
Thanks so much Anna, for sharing your story and appreciation! It made my night, imagining your garden. Your little organic backyard is another step towards clean water + clean air, another family staying strong -eating fresh picked organic kai and your children soaking up the learning….too much!, all the warm fuzzies. Love K x
Thanks for your lovely reply Kath! I have a question if you don’t mind. I received a bundle of bare rooted trees this week so have a busy weekend ahead of me – 4 trees planted so far, 6 to go! They are bigger than I expected, some of the leaders are probably 3cm diameter. I wonder how old they are. My question is about the initial prune of dual grafted trees. I have two of these (one cherry, one pear) and in both cases the graft of the second variety is quite high up the main trunk, probably around where I would expect to cut it if it was a single variety – or even higher, as we’re planting them in Evergrow bags so aiming for smaller trees. Obviously I don’t want to cut off the second variety altogether so I can’t head back the leader in the ordinary way, but should I be heading back the main leader on each side above that point (and if so, how much – perhaps to 2 or 3 buds above the union?), and/or taking off the small feathers on each side above the graft point? Or am I best to just leave it be and have another look next year once they’ve settled in? I’d be so grateful for any guidance as I know the cut on planting is important, but can’t see how to play it in this case. Yours in confusion, Anna
Hey Anna, yes its normal for the grafts to be high up like with double grafts, and also pears on quince. Super tricky to answer in this way – my garden coach is set up for these kind of detailed q’s! Best I can do is to say yes prune them at planting and yes retain both grafts. Look for balance regards the amount of roots to tops and a balanced shape all over. Otherwise carefully read my pruning book and my blogs. Turn to someone local for help. The trees will be fine either way! K
Ok thanks Kath, I’ll continue to ponder. Your pruning book is gold, I think I’ve almost memorised it for how often I’ve read it. It saved me from my panic earlier today after I planted and pruned my apricot then worried I had cut off too much – the book reassured me it should all turn out ok in the end. Phew – it’s a stressful business, cutting new trees!
I understand 🙂 Make sure when you cut them you give them confident, encouraging vibes!
Hi Kath,
Thanks for making all the work in the garden sound nice and easy. It gives me confidence when i see things I need to be doing.
One question that your pruning book hasn’t answered is what to do with a 2.5m tall Tamarillo tree (more of a stalk) at this point in the year. It has a crown of leaves that I would love to cut down to a more accessible height. How can I do this? – I feel like just chopping the top off so we can reach the new fruit more readily.
I hope there is an easy answer!
Rob Hannah
Yes! Lop it off at your chosen height. This blog may help https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/how-to-prune-tamarillos/