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I planted 2 last week. They were in 1 gallon pots. Trunk on each is about 3/4" diameter. How soon can I fertilize, and with what? and what's the best method? I dug the holes twice as wide as the pot diameter and backfilled with garden soil. If it's relevant, one got blown over in a storm and I had to cut most of it off due to damage. It's cut back to about 13" tall. We moved it from the old house, it has sentimental value. It's growing new shoots so I'd like to try and rescue it. Should I seal the cut end? If so, with what?
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Speaking only as a part time backyard fruit-tree grower, you shouldn't need fertilizer until the tree is established. Once established, I use those fertilizer spikes made for fruit trees. Follow the package's labelling for application.
For your damaged tree, google pruning cuts for apple trees. I expect the guidance will be to prune back to good wood now using appropriate cuts. No need to seal the cuts.
Hopefully you have staked your trees (now).
Come by next month and you can have some peaches off my yard tree.
-Mark
If I had a signature, this wouldn't be it.
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I haven't staked them. I did some reading 2 years ago on why you shouldn't stake them. The main idea is staking the tree you end up with a weaker trunk that grows more slowly because the tree doesn't have to fight the wind. If it has to fight the wind it adds more to the trunk faster and you get a stronger trunk. The tree that broke did so because the pot got blown over. Having it behind the shed evidently wasn't enough of a wind shelter.
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crokett™ said:
I planted 2 last week. They were in 1 gallon pots. Trunk on each is about 3/4" diameter. How soon can I fertilize, and with what? and what's the best method? I dug the holes twice as wide as the pot diameter and backfilled with garden soil. If it's relevant, one got blown over in a storm and I had to cut most of it off due to damage. It's cut back to about 13" tall. We moved it from the old house, it has sentimental value. It's growing new shoots so I'd like to try and rescue it. Should I seal the cut end? If so, with what?
I don't think garden soil is going to support the tree well. Staking it won't hurt it the first 18 months to 2 years while the roots take off. It will be spindly or have a thin trunk if it doesn't get enough sun and it tries to grow up and not out, searching for more light. The use of bone meal when planting and you shouldn't fertilize the first year or two. There's a lot more to it like pruning properly before planting and not pruning until it has established afterwords. You might find that the one that broke off may grow to be a better one. I have a lime tree that just wouldn't go until I accidentally broke part of it off. It is now taking off like crazy. I'm not an apple expert, but have done many a peach and plum trees. Our clay soil stinks at growing these and they don't live longer than a few years without extensive care. I also won't use poisons. I do remember one peach tree at my moms house- a volunteer. It started behind an old outhouse and was never cared for. Never fertilized or pruned or watered other than rain and it always had more peaches on it than we could eat. Go figure.
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Which varieties did you plant? The same variety won't pollinate itself.
Personally I wouldn't worry much about fertilizer until it starts bearing fruit. Too much fertilizer could make it sprout too many branches/leaves before the roots are anchored. The wind could blow it right over.
Matt
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
-Jack Handy
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At our first house we had a Gala apple tree, My buddy Cocoa liked to lie under it and watch the world go by. Only had one tree so never got any fruit. The one I moved is another Gala. it's a remembrance of him. A friend of ours remembered he liked that tree and gave us one at the house we sold when he died. My mom gave me the other one because I only had one apple tree. I don't know what kind it is, it's unlikely it's another Gala. I'm not sure I care all that much if I get apples or not anyway.
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*Soil test before fertilizing (yeah...I'm always going to say that before fertilizing) Generally, don't fertilize new trees...certainly not with a high nitrogen fertilizer. It is water under the bridge now, but I don't amend the backfill. It has to be able to grow in the soil where you planted it as you aren't going to amend the entire root zone. If that is not good enough, you have the wrong tree for the site. Apple will grow about anywhere... Don't use anything to treat the pruning cuts. If all of your trees are the same variety and you don't want more fruit, consider an ornamental crabapple in the landscape. Sometimes trees need staked. I only stake them if they need them as like you said, it needs to develop trunk strength (and anchoring roots) and a crutch 'teaches' the tree that it doesn't need to grow this support. Like Daddo said, you can stake it for a year or two and not hurt that much. I like the Tree Mate O support systems as they allow the tree to move a bit and develop that taper. Again...ask Extension what they have for home fruit production.
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I was told when I took a class that freshly planted trees doe not need fertilizer because it will burn them. It is best to wait at least a year or until the tree starts to bear fruit. Also, too much fertilizer and one gets branches and leaves, and not as much fruit, so it is a tricky thing to get right. Bottom line skip the fertilizer and make sure it stays perfectly watered first and foremost.
Also always stake a tree with 3 supports. Any movement by the wind, even a tiny rocking back and forth will cause the new tiny baby roots that are forming to break off. The instructor of the class I took said they leave trees staked for 2 years. By then the freshly dug soil has settled and the tree should have good solid new roots.
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I can see that being a reason to stake it. One can be staked, the other that got damaged the remaining trunk is only about 14" tall, so there's nothing to stake. I do have rabbit wire around both of them, as much to keep the dogs from messing with them as anything. For now I will plan on keeping them well-watered and stake the taller one.
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crokett™ said:
I can see that being a reason to stake it. One can be staked, the other that got damaged the remaining trunk is only about 14" tall, so there's nothing to stake. I do have rabbit wire around both of them, as much to keep the dogs from messing with them as anything. For now I will plan on keeping them well-watered and stake the taller one.
I think planting/fertizling/pruning etc. topics are like discussions about septic systems. Depends on who you talk to. I had to re-stake a 3 YO mountain laurel a few weeks ago because it was way leaned over and loose. Originally staked it for probably 6 months.
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