Out Of The Box Into The Soil
What to do when you get yourDwarf Fruit Treeshome or out of the box in which they were shipped to you:
First steps are preparing the container or hole in the ground into which your tree will go.
Dwarf Fruit Trees like a fairly sandy soil that sheds water nicely and doesn’t hold excess water. Standard practice to insure properly draining soil in your containers is to insure the bottom of the container has at least one hole to release water and then line the bottom with a couple inch layer of rocks. any kind of rocks will do – even right out of your garden as you work the soil there. Rocks are not necessary for planting in the ground as your ground is likely self-draining anywhere that is suitable for placing a fruit tree.
Layer in enough of your mix of new soil into the bottom of your hole or container so that when you place the tree into it the base of the tree will be even with the level of the ground or an inch or so from the top of the container.
Top soil mixed with a little bit of compost is ideal for this or potting soil- not too much compost directly in the hole as fruit trees like only a moderately fertilized soil. Too much compost or over heavily commercially fertilized soil can “burn” roots. A modest amount of compost mixed thoroughly in a rich soil or potting soil will do nicely. If your soil is heavy you may need to mix in some sand or use a potting soil or top soil from the garden center.
Next we set about getting the roots and tree and soil out of the plastic pot or plastic bag it was shipped in. if wrapped in burlap, it’s OK to go into ground, but be sure to free the bottom root ball a bit so that they have some space to grow down and out from.
Spread your fingers and thumb out around the base of the trunk to hold as much soil in as you can while tipping the tree on it’s side (not necessary to go completely upright as you’ll lose more soil that way). Gently knead the sides of the plastic pot to break the seal of compacted soil against the wall of the pot.
Once the roots and soil pop out of the shipping pot release any of the “root bind”. Root bound plants have roots that grew too much for the small container of soil they were living in up to the time you got them to your home. Release the roots by gently separating the roots all around the perimeter of the root ball of the plant so that they have room to grow out from and become strong with strong properly feeding roots all around.
Fill your holding pot, container or hole with your potting soil, and gently place the tree down into it. I use 50/50 mix because it includes some slow release fertilizer. At this time I add some water to the soil and add a couple drops of liquid fertilizer as I stand the tree up and immerse it in the water about one half of the way.
Then I maintain about 2 inches of water in the container daily and continue to water daily for at least 3 weeks, until it’s time to place it under the grow light. When placing under the grow light, make sure the roots are totally covered by the light source. The leaves are most sensitive to the sunlight they receive so your needs to make sure that the tree is getting both.
You will find that fluorescent grow lighting is a great way to generate a generous amount of artificial light that will stimulate your tree’s growth. Some of the fluorescent brands try to mimic the natural sunlight, so you might want to investigate those brands carefully.
In a few months time the tree will be ready for transplant into a larger container or you can decide to move it to a larger container. I never put my trees in hold or tiny pots because the roots would be shoved into the smallest holes possible and eventually the whole tree could be matted if it wasn’t transferred to a pot. bigger pots are for bigger trees, obviously.
So check it periodically if you maintain it indoors, otherwise it’s really easy to find a place for it. As you can see, growing fruit trees is not that difficult. You just need to temperaturate the soil and provide some humidity and sunlight, and you will eventually have a healthy flourishing tree.
