Small Fruit Article
Caring for Your New Fruit Tree
Once you have made the decision to buy and plant a new fruit tree, and have decided what type of tree you want, you have to figure out where you want to plant it at. Once that decision is made, it is time to go to the nursery to get your tree. When shopping for your tree, remember to inspect it to make certain it appears strong and healthy, and then make certain that you take care when moving it from the nursery into your vehicle, as it can easily be damaged. If you don’t have a truck that the tree can be placed in, it might fit into the trunk of your car, but you must be extremely careful not to damage the tree when taking it home. You don’t want to know the feeling of spending a lot of money on the perfect fruit tree, only to find that it has been damaged and can’t be planted when you get it home.
Once you have successfully gotten your tree to your home, you should look at the bottom, to visualize the roots and decide how large the hole needs to be for your tree. It is a good idea to make the hole at least twice as large as the bottom of the tree, which will make sure the tree has adequate room to grow and for the roots to expand. This will also allow you to fill in the remaining space with the extra dirt that you remove, providing some extra cushion for the new tree. Before you plant the tree into it’s new space, you will need to put down a layer of fertilizer in the bottom of the hole, which will provide your new tree with the nutrients needed to grow well and thrive.
Once you have the tree successfully placed into it’s new home, you will use the dirt to fill in and build up the surrounding area, which will provide the young tree with extra support, until the roots are able to take hold.
To provide some extra support for the trunk of the tree, you can tie it with some rope to a post or stake, which will help keep the trunk straight, and help prevent damage to the tree. You will need to leave this support system in place until the tree is strong enough to stand on it’s own. You don’t want the wind to break it in half during your next thunderstorm, so this is something that you shouldn’t forget to do. It is also important to spread fresh mulch around the bottom of the tree, and to put a fence around it if you can, which will keep animals from chewing on the bark, which could potentially damage or kill your young tree.
Most fruit trees need about three to five years to mature and start to actually give fruit. It is important that you pick the fruit from the tree as soon as possible, which will keep the branches from becoming too heavy, which could cause them to bend and break, damaging your tree. You may have one year where your tree will produce more fruit than you can keep picked, and then another year where you barely get any fruit, and this is normal.
You will need to keep an eye on your tree, and look for signs of pests of disease. Make sure your tree gets the right amount of water and nutrients, and that you protect it while it is fragile, and soon, you will have your very own fruit bearing tree right in your back yard!
