How to Plant Fruit Trees
Plant Guide

Planting Process

1. Consider your site location's needs and plan accordingly. Map out where you want to place your trees, and make sure there will be ample growing room for when they are mature. 
2. Test the pH of your soil before you receive your trees so you have ample time to retrieve any necessary soil amendment materials you may need.
3. When you receive your plant, unbox, place it outdoors in the shade and water thoroughly. You do not need to take it out of the nursery pot yet, let your tree acclimate to this new area briefly.
4. Choose your location based on light requirements and mature size. Make sure you plant far enough from your property line and away from power lines to account for mature growth.
5. Prepare the soil and dig a hole as deep as your pot or rootball and twice as wide. Do so the day before you plan to plant your tree. Amend your soil at the bottom of the hole to add nutrition or increase drainage. 
6. Place tree in center of hole and backfill pit around root ball with 50% existing soils from planting pit and 50% enriched topsoil for best results.
7. Brace your tree with a pair of wooden stakes on either side of the tree. Tie the trunk to the stakes to keep it safe from strong wind gusts. Your sapling should be strong enough to remove the stakes in about two years. Protect the young trunk from the staking ties by covering the ropes with peices of cut garden hose. 
8. Water again thoroughly saturating rootball, and follow up water every other day for first two weeks, then 2 times per week thereafter during 60 day period of establishment.
9. Apply a starter fertilizer at specified label rate.
10. Topdress with 1 to 2 inches of shredded hardwood mulch or pine fines. Mound the mulch like a donut under the dripline, and leave 1 inch of space around the trunk.

Planting Fruit Trees

Planting fruit trees can be surprisingly simple if you follow a few basic principles. Choosing the right tree for your planting site, checking soil drainage, and preparing the ground will get you far in ensuring the success of your orchard.

As you choose your location in the early spring, it is a good idea to check your soil composition before planting. If you have heavy clay soil, till the soil and add in peat moss to encourage better drainage. We also recommend performing a pH test on the soil , in case you need to add an acidifier or make the soil more alkaline - check the care recommendations for your specific tree to see what they prefer. Planning your layout early is also the perfect time to map out any walkways or other hardscape elements, so that you can sit and enjoy your orchard for years to come.

When the tree arrives, unbox and place it in a shady spot and water if needed so it can acclimate to its new area while you prepare. Dig your hole twice the width of the rootball but no deeper. When you tree is in position and you have backfilled the hole, the top of the soil from your existing pot should remain visible so that the base of the tree can stay dry and get the air circulation it needs. Once planted, thoroughly water the site and add more soil if necessary. You want the roots to get a good, deep soaking but do not want to overwater and risk root rot. 

After staking your sapling and adding mulch, your next consideration is monitoring watering and deciding how to prune your fruit tree. Monitoring how much you water will entirely depend on the weather in your area, and on how quickly or slowly water drains in your local soil. A good rule of thumb is to water once the top 2 to 3 inches have become dry to the touch, and then water for a 5 second count for every gallon size your tree arrived in. A 5 gallon pot needs 25 seconds of water, a 10 gallon pot 50 seconds, etc. Pruning should not be necessary until the following year, unless there are any branches that block airflow or cross against another branch. 

The age a tree begins to produce fruit depends entirely on the type of tree. Some trees will have a small yield the very first year you have them, others will take up to 5 years before you see your return on investment. With time and patience you are now well on your way to enjoying your own food for 20 to 50 years or more. 

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