Dwarf nectarine tree planted too deep? Animals stealing fruit?
I planted a dwarf nectarine tree 3 years ago. I can't remember exactly how I did it but I believe I just followed the instructions that came with it. Well, although it's a dwarf tree, I'm thinking it should be taller now after 3 years. Right now, it's 4 feet tall at its highest point. I'm wondering if I might have planted it too deeply. Looking into this issue, I see some signs that this might be the case. Early on, I noticed what looked like some root shoots growing UP and coming out of the soil. The trunk itself also just looks like it's too deep in the soil. I've attached a couple of photos. Does it look like I planted it too deeply? If so, what can I do about it at this point?
We didn't get any fruit on it until last spring when it grew maybe 4 or 6 smallish nectarines. I believe it might have been attacked by thrips, as the fruit's appearance looked similar to examples I saw online. It had peach leaf curl that year as well. This winter, I treated it with some anti-fungal spray so I'm hoping that at least takes care of the leaf curl problem.
But then there's another problem. Last year, all the fruit on the tree was eaten by some kind of animal. I'd find half-eaten nectarines under the tree. After the first couple were eaten, I put some chicken wire around the tree and some netting over it but somehow the rest of the fruit was still eaten. Any tips on how can I best protect the fruit on the tree this year?
So to sum up, my questions are:
1) Should the tree be taller after 3 years?
2) Did I plant the tree too deep? Could its shortness be a result of that?
3) If so, what can I do to fix this? When should I do it?
4) What can I do about the thrips this year?
5) What can I do to prevent the fruit from being stolen this year?
Comments (11)
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cjgw
7 years agocjgw
7 years agoSo it looks like the root flare is only 1-2 inches down. The soil drainage is pretty good, I think. Would be OK to lower the soil a couple inches now or should I wait until the dormant season? Any general advice on lowering the soil?
I also just notice a few leaves that have peach leaf curl which is a real bummer because I sprayed the tree last month hoping that would prevent it. Maybe I did it too late, though, as a few of the bud were almost getting ready to open. Is it possible it will be restricted to only a small portion of leaves or is this something that will spread, if present at all?
cjgw
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoThanks again for all the helpful advice, guys. I just raked back a bit of the soil around the trunk and put down some straw, hoping that will prevent water from pooling in the middle. When I raked the soil I did run into a few VERY thin roots that I'm not sure were even connected to the tree. I hope my roughing them up didn't cause any damage. Overall, the tree looks a lot better and happier now. My next step is fencing it in to keep the critters out. It probably is opossums. I've seen them climbing over our fence at night in the past. I'd rather just make a cage/fence for the tree than try to catch them.
I've also had a real problem with ants climbing up the tree and farming aphids that feed on the new leaves. I had to remove the Tanglefoot when I was working on the tree and will reapply it. It keeps the ants away but getting it on is a real pain. I have to crawl under this tiny tree and the usual method of wrapping the paper strip around the trunk doesn't work because the bark is not smooth and creates gaps under the paper that the ants just crawl through. So what I've been doing is putting a piece of duct tape around the trunk and putting the Tanglefoot on that. I don't really like taping the tree, though. I considered putting the goo directly on the trunk but I've heard that's not good either. Any other possible advice on that? Blocking up the gaps under the paper with cotton and what not is difficult as I have do do all of this while practically lying on the ground and straining my body. Ugh.
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX