Planting fruit/nut trees in poor soils

16 years ago

We dug some holes about 3'x 3'x 3' and filled them with store bought dirt, planted some fruit trees in them and all the trees died. The ground is so hard that water will not penetrate below the holes that we dug to plant the trees. Out of the bunch of trees 2 peach trees are surviving but not growing nor producing. One pecan tree that was planted completely wrong seems to be growing thus far, although it to is in a hole of the same size. When the dirt around it got wet it settled and looked like it had settled to far - apparently not. Even the fig tree died. What do we need to do to make trees grow? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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vetivert8
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The following may be of help:

You could go for dwarf trees and grow them in containers. You can definitely get crops from apples, peaches, apricots, and citrus grown aboveground in suitable tubs.

I'm not sure from your posting what sort of soil you're battling with. I'm guessing some sort of clay which dries out and doesn't let water penetrate very deeply.

A better scheme can be to plant wide and shallow. And make sure the edges of the hole are ragged not smooth.

As far as you can, break up the bottom of your planting hole and mix some of your good soil with it. Do this at a time when the clay works easily. Too wet and you wreck the soil structure. Too dry and you've taken on a tough job.

I'd use a spading fork but a friend uses a long-handled shovel on his sticky clay and gets excellent results.

Next, in the middle of this three foot wide 18" deep saucer make a mound of your better soil. If you can also mix some of the natural soil with it, fine. And any general fertiliser that's suitable for your area. Do the same with the soil you'll be back filling into the hole. Be frugal with the fertiliser. Less is better than more.

If you need to stake trees in your yard put it in now, before the tree goes in.

If your tree is bare rooted - trim off any damaged roots ensuring that the cut faces downward. Prune back surplus branches to growing points. You must have a balance between roots in the ground and branches above ground.

If your tree has come in a container water it thoroughly the day before you plant it. Plunge the container into a bucket of water and leave it there until the bubbles stop. Then leave it a further five minutes. Take it out and let it drain. Prune it while it is still stable in the container.

Next day take it from the container and tease out the roots - especially if they have started to coil around the inside of the container. You need them spread out. Work quickly so the roots have no chance to dry out.

Place the tree on the mound and spread the roots over that mound like sauce over a ball of icecream. Loosely tie it to the stake with the usual figure-eight loop.

Backfill the hole and firm down the soil with gentle foot pressure.

Then water it in and add your mulch to cover a circle at least two feet wide and keep it away from the trunk by about two inches. Aim to keep that circle clear of weeds and grass for at least a couple of years.

If you are safe to plant in autumn you can take advantage of the soil warmth and any winter rains.

If you get severe frosts and frost heave put down a thick mulch to give protection for the roots below. Ice can easily push a young plant from the ground.

Keep the trees watered for at least the first two or three years and be sure to check the ties. Put up wind protection if you find the leaves are being wind-burnt by the prevailing hot or icy winds.

If you mulch with pebbles then water will get through more easily but the soil will not improve. If you use compost, then keep the surface stirred so water can get through more easily and not just lock up in the top couple of inches. It looks watered but the ground below starts to parch.

Be sure you've chosen varieties suitable for your area - even if that means taking on new tastes.

You might find that using a thick groundcover of bark instead of grass gives more protection. For one thing, there's less risk of accidental trunk damage from being hit by a mower.

Check that your water is not too mineralised for the trees you're trying to grow. And, to confuse things, that you're not missing any trace elements in your area. Minerals such as boron and magnesium are vital and plants quite quickly show ill-health if anything vital is missing.

FWIW I'm suspecting that the trees may have either droughted - or drowned.
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Planting fruit/nut trees in poor soils

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vetivert8

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