How do I plant trees?

[kennedyscochins]

This may be silly, but is there anything special to do to plant fruit trees (apples and pears this year)? I planted a dwarf apple tree two years ago and it hasn't done anything. Is there a certain depth? Any special fertilizer I need to put on them? I just don't want to waste my money again. I am going to get trees that will grow to full size this time, not dwarfs. Thanks in advance!

 

[ducks4you]

There are better tree experts here than I am, but I have successfully planted 4 fruit trees--2 Montmorency cherry, 2 pears, here goes:
First, the hole needs to be 1 1/2 to 2 times as big as the root ball. An auger REALLY helps to dig the holes.
SECOND, work the soil until crumbly or even, till the soil removed to put it back in to fill loose. This will help the roots to spread. Put several inches of manure/fertilizer ONLY at the bottom of the hole.
Third. you can help loosen the roots, but don't overdo it. I didn't even try and all 4 fruit trees have been producing fruit, growing bigger and every year I get more fruit from them.
FOURTH, plant so that the bottom stem isn't buried or sticking up several inches from where IT IS IN THE POT. If it helps you spray paint the line and make that level with the ground when planting.
FIFTH, prune only during the late winter/early spring, which is....NOW. ONLY prune about 10%/year.
SIXTH, ONLY fertiize along the drip line, NOT next to the trunk in the winter like you are blanketing the tree. They don't like this.

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are better tree experts here than I am, but I have successfully planted 4 fruit trees--2 Montmorency cherry, 2 pears, here goes:
First, the hole needs to be 1 1/2 to 2 times as big as the root ball. An auger REALLY helps to dig the holes.
SECOND, work the soil until crumbly or even, till the soil removed to put it back in to fill loose. This will help the roots to spread. Put several inches of manure/fertilizer ONLY at the bottom of the hole.
Third. you can help loosen the roots, but don't overdo it. I didn't even try and all 4 fruit trees have been producing fruit, growing bigger and every year I get more fruit from them.
FOURTH, plant so that the bottom stem isn't buried or sticking up several inches from where IT IS IN THE POT. If it helps you spray paint the line and make that level with the ground when planting.
FIFTH, prune only during the late winter/early spring, which is....NOW. ONLY prune about 10%/year.
SIXTH, ONLY fertiize along the drip line, NOT next to the trunk in the winter like you are blanketing the tree. They don't like this.

This is good advice from my perspective. I'll emphasize a couple of things. Put the same soil in the hole that came out. if you put really rich nice soil in the hole, the roots tend to grow in a ball in that soil. The tree will do really well for a couple of years, but it can actually die after 4 or 5 years because the roots did not spread out.

Plant it the same level that it was in the pot. Just a few inches different can make a big difference. But somethign else to watch carefully for. Most fruit trees are grafted. You can normally see a graft line where the variety you want was grafted onto the root stock. If you plant it where that graft line is touching the soil where it can root, it can grow roots from above the graft line. That rootstock gives the tree certain properties, possibly size or disease resistance. If the top part of the graft roots, you lose that benefit.

Also, do not let any limbs grow below that graft line. Otherwise you get the rootstock, not the variety you wanted. That could be a totally worthless fruit. Also, if you let the rootstock produce limbs, the variety you want may die since it may preferentially provide nutrients to the rooststock. That graft line is important.

I'll add to water it regularly the first two or three years. You don't need to keep it soaking wet, but keep it damp. Don't let it dry out. Eventually it should get its roots deep enough so you don't have to worry about watering it so much, but the first two or three years are important. And when you water , water deep. Give it enough water to soak in, not just get the surface wet.

If had to do it over, I'd get full sized trees instead of the dwarf and semidwarf. The smaller trees start bearing earlier, but the big advantage to me is that the deer here can reach most fo the fruit in the smaller trees. In the full-sized trees, there is a lot more fruit they cannot reach.