Fruit tree planting the Ellen White method 

If you place a tarp down before digging, then put the dirt on it, then mix in your ingredients, you won’t waste any of it, and you’ll have a tidy area when you’re done.

*THIS IS THE DUTCH METHOD :* Ellen White is using the dutch method for fruit trees. Dutch farmers would augment their soil to increase nutrition, and then layer the ground beneath the trees to encourage roots to "seek out food" they need. High leaching nutrients were used near the top, and harder, slower leaching, sources were used closer to the bottom. Rocks were added in a layer deep down to encourage roots to "grab anchor" as the Dutch use to say. The roots would grow around the rocks, and the rocks would anchor the tree roots much better than without.....providing much better wind resistance, and the rocks were sources of sea minerals. Furthermore....the Dutch would bury fish, and poultry carcases deep down to enrich the soil. They did not mention knowledge of iodine, but the Dutch mentioned that "fish preferred, but poultry raised near the coast could be an alternative in resisting deformity of the youth".......pointing to an understanding that the sea was connected with good healthy offspring.

A friend of mine did a tes a few years back. He planted a few trees using this method an some using the conventional composting method. The "blueprint method" trees have outgrown the others by a metre in 2 years. Much bigger and much more leafier. So this method definitely works best.

You can also keep it natural and use sticks and twigs to create the air pocket - it will break down over time, but by that stage the roots will create more air flow too :)

Great info. I always bury fish heads and leftovers from filleting then at the bottom of the hole. If you don’t have any fish then you can put a couple of raw eggs. It’s amazing how those two things will give your fruit trees or any tree a big boost when you first plant them.

Hi Pete, Great video, if you mix your soil in the bucket of your tractor then you can just dump your mixture into the hole. Seems like it would save you a bunch of shoveling...

I don't think I have the right words for Pete, a man of trust. Imagine our world is filled with people who joyfully share, the Eden project could have made our planet a paradise. The 3 by 3 by 3ft hole works for one tree. A trench would be good for a row of trees, and field done this way would be a farm of trees and everything. Can you imagine, an expert asking me what good are stones in farming? Conclusion, truly there's hope for planetary afforestation. My lesson for the day is: I don't know the science behind, but it works. Thanks and stay alive for many years.

I usually put the water in the hole before adding the soil. This allows me to see how fast/slow the water is draining, and it trains the tree to grow the roots downward toward the water.

Great how-to for each fruit tree. I can't help but suggest that since you have twenty or so to do, and the tractor with bucket, create a centralized batching area to do all that soil and amendment mixing using the tractor. Then do the three layers building in each hole using the bucket to shuttle in the mixture from the batch pile. Think "economy of scale" and leverage your availability of equipment. Thanks for the video!

Thanks. I saw the thumbnail and had to see if it was Ellen White the author. It Is! I have read some of her work on nutrition. I used to live near Keene. Amazing woman!

You are so right about electricity running everything. The reason they add wet lime to hard clay soil when preparing for a road bed is because the lime makes the clay not absorb water anymore because it thinks it's already saturated because the lime puts the electrons on the flat face of the clay particles just like water otherwise would. Everything is electrical man, it's amazing!

This Ellen white lady must have had a huge property…and lots of gardeners to help out…

I would love to see an update on how your trees are doing… Two years on they should be beautiful and healthy.

I watched several videos on this Ellen White method. I have most of her books, very inspired woman by the Lord, very humble, and this is a divine method. You did a great job of explaining it what I really like, because you gave the measurements for the phosphate and calcium and the salt water and I really appreciate that.

Suggest you stake the newly planted tree to stop wind damage to root system as it sends out new roots, and don't forget to water the tree with one bucket every day for three weeks.

Great video. I planted trees using this method, or at least a similar one, before. Haven’t done it for a while, and I was much younger then. I will soon be getting back into it again, however, and I do remember how much work is involved. At 67 yrs.old, I’m glad I purchased a DIY-sized cement mixer (about 2 or 3 cu. ft.) a while back. After watching your video, I hope the darn thing still works. It’ll surely help my already aching back (knees, elbows, etc.). Thanks for posting. I’m glad I’m a subscriber.

My husband and I just planted three trees yesterday, and I watching this two years later, thinking only halfway in that somebody needs to bring you a sandwich and a bottle of water! Please post an update for your fellow Texans.

I just tried the EGW method 4 months ago, and I'm getting awesome results!

I think the thing that is missing with this method is a decent amount of biochar. After digging the hole and before filling it in with everything I'd probably throw all the dry brush I have around into the hole and light it up. Burn it until the big flames disappear and the sticks start to fall to bits and douse it with water (you don't want it to burn completely or you'll burn all the char to ash). Alternatively you can make biochar in another method and toss it in with your soil.

Can you make an update on the progress of your tree in the video?

I want to plant 3-4 fruit trees. Appears to be a lot of work. I think I’ll do one at time.... FYI, I’m 69 years old.

I would love to see an update on how this worked. Please let us know!

Pete, mix all the soil and ingredients in the wagon you have. Use a flat nose shovel-"coal shovel".

In a year or 2? Last fall 2020, my friend planted about a dozen trees upstate NY., And this year this spring she found most of them loaded with blossom She was so excited to see her hard work paying off so soon!!!

I chuckle every time someone says they have hard clay and it just looks like loose red dirt. I'm in Oklahoma and our red clay comes out in big hard clumps. It's compacted hard red clumps.

There are two things that I do a little differently to you. 1/ I groove the edge of the hole with a spade as it will allow the roots to spread a little easier. 2/ I use a cement mixer to mix the soil mix.Once mixed, you just empty it straight into to hole... I'm 73 and anything that saves my back, I'll try ;) lol

Looks like the wife had to conveniently leave and get the kids at school!!🤣 Thanks for your time and expertise!🙏🏻

Just a little fruitful advice: Collect as much used coffee grounds you can get from coffee shops and place around top of your planting. Worms absolutely thrive and multiply by the thousands in used coffee grounds. It really helps.

That's a big hole to dig by hand. U got the machine to help. I would too. I would need a machine to mix the soil, I am too old to hand mix them. :).

Pete, I'm up there in age and with you mixing all those different ingredients I'd be tuckered out just from the first tree and would have to take a week long rest before I would tackle the second tree so I was thinking of using one of those portable cement mixers to mix them for me, but your young enough to do your way, nice job !!! But just watching you has got me breathing hard lol. Larry

Another note. The orchard you buy from will also recommend that you do not add manure. Your fruit tree will not spread out it will keep a tight root system within your manurepit. lol. True though. They will be large but easily pushed over.

I live in a very dense clay soil area. This method is a game changer

i dig with my hand into the soil a bit, desoil the tree... sit it there, mound up with loam, spread compost, water in real good a few times, then shes on auto no plastic or bulldozers needed, the native way :)

Excellent demonstration. Have three fruit trees planted 3 years ago and not growing. at all. I will sure try this method with my persimmons fruit free first.

I've never done this so I can only provide expert RU-vid observation keyboard advice :). I think mixing the dirt in the hole with one of those weed eater attachment mini cultivators they use in flower beds might be a back saver. One thing I have done is....I turn the pot on its side and roll it before removing the plant. Last RU-vid observation keyboard advice is .... Maybe substitute a chunk of wood for the rock to spread the roots. Hopefully you think these awesome observations are worthy and I got them to you before you planted the last tree!!! Gotta love summer time in Texas!!!

Thank you. Did you do a follow up of the video in 2020? I would so love to see how your trees fared? Best wishes from Australia.

The reason it works, is that Ellen White believed in God and was given this method specifically by God along with lots of health and well-being gems. Not because of her, but because God is awesome.

Great job buddy great info I've always said from experience that shoveling and moving dirt's one of the hardest jobs there is

Damn with that much work and ingredients those fruit trees better make fruit pies

Here's what you need Pete, a cement mixer put the ingredients in and mix

God-given knowledge always works. That's botany, and soil science from God Himself. Doing this also on our veggies, but on a downscaled way.

Hi Pete, I used Ellen White method for my plants because my lot has hard clay, so far I made 7 holds and planted 6 plants. I need to dig 3-4 more hold. I believe rock and pot in the 1st lay very important for the plant ( it creates electric and magnetic fields ). When I was little, I used to hear they said about dig hold put container and rock to help fruit tree healthy and produce a lot of fruits, now I am 74 years old. Another thing cookware from clay the food tastes better than metalware.

I have to agree with my Oklahoma friend. I live in Kansas and our place is nothing but clay and it comes up in big hard clumps. When it is dry it is as hard as rock...when it is wet, it is like walking in silly putty and climbs up over your shoes. It is a mess.

Thank you so much for sharing this information, I will be giving the amendments you added a try. As far as a rock under the roots, I wish I had thought of it before planting my apple/peach trees a decade ago. We have very wet soil and when the trees bare fruit we have to anchor them with ties or they lean precariously. This year we are adding several large rocks around the tree perimeters to anchor to, would have been better to have only 1 underground.

You also need a bottle of Johnny Walker. It will make your fruit taste better.

Hola, excelente, el método es seguro y tiene mucho sentido, felicidades. Más vídeos así.

How about using a small cement mixer to mix up the soil and amendments. Then is can be poured from the mixer into the hole. Or shoveled in, however you like.

Great video. I am planting several apple trees this spring and will use it. I suspect that the inverted pot or ABS airspace is to prevent excessive rain from causing localized root rot. I think your mixing amendments and soil together would go easier if you did it on a small thick tarp and used as square pointed shovel. Once mixed, you slide the tarp to the edge of the hole and lift it up which pours the mixture into the hole, and then smooth . This also saves material because the tarp prevents the mixture from intertwining with the grass at the hole's edge. Kind regards. Craig

Use a cement mixer, to mix your soil.

brother you look strong as an Ox still man. im going to be 41 and got Fat and out of shape after college sports. Im a shall of what I once was.

If you have a bunch of trees to do that with, rent you a trailer drawn cement mixer, it beats shovel mixing any day!!

Amazing EGW planting method.

Boy! That's a lot of work, man! I bought a dying cherry tree at Lowe's. Just dig a 12 inc hole 12 inch wide dump my tree in there, after a year still alive! No sweat.

Using a backhoe to dig a big hole isn't cheating, it is smart! Especially in clay. Your soil looks like mine though you are spared the rock ledge and random rocks left by retreating glaciers.

Hey Pete, I'm in Eastern Az. Trade ya 1 truck load of that red clay for as much sand as you'd like. I have 40 acres of beautiful almost beach-like sand. 🙂

Sure like the idea of a terra-cotta pipe rather than plastic. I'm building a site in an old-school backyard full of nutrition via no-dig and wood-chips and cardboard and chop and drop and grow anything that works for my climate. And plastic or other inorganics just don't work for me as doing things correctly and mimicking nature. But power to you for having a wife that decided that it was time for a back-hoe. Luck or choice - You done good.

Appreciate the video Pete. I hadn't seen this one earlier and will try this method the next time we plant a tree. Looks like lots of work, but if it make the tree grow faster and produce more, well worth the effort. Thanks for sharing.

concerning gravel, the only reason iv'e heard of is in places that have hard clay it helps with the compacting and breaking the clay soil helping the roots spread our long in the years a head.

I bury all my food scraps in a mound. I also shread cardboard in a large paper sheader and add that. I have hundreds of worms and castings to add to my plants.

Very nice tractor! Love your videos. All the way from West Texas.

Thank you for that info.you look tired but u dida great job but did you forget to add a pc pipe in there all the way t the rocks so water can be added threw there and the roots will go down there as well.

My concern with this method is the leching of the plastiseals, (plastic contamination) that the tree will soak up more and more over time. Thus the fruit becomes contaminated. I recommend you listen to The Back to Eden Gardening by Paul Gouchey (sp) on RU-vid. I thank you for your patience in reading this.

Can you give us a 2021 update on how these trees are doing now?

At least you have dirt because Florida is sandy crap. We buy so much manure and miracle grow or have to pay quite a bit for soil. What I do is at bottom of hole is to fill it full of water, let that soak in then add dirt and plant then re water

Great job, great info, mate. Cheers from Australia.

Adding some charcoal that has been soaked in a biologically active solution would be good. Charcoal is full of millions of airways, it does not get compressed and is thought to provide an environment in which soil bacteria thrives.

That’s a mighty fine tractor.

we just plant 2 trees following your tips.

I make my own compost! My husband bought dirt! I’d have never bought dirt b4

Bud, mix in the bucket, dump her, i enjoy watching a tractor, watching its owner dig by hand till he cant catch a breath lol, great i dea tha air pouch H culture

Highly informative. Thank you. Is it possible to update how this particular tree has done?

It is very interesting way to plantings! Thanks 🙏

I like your video, I learn a lot from you. You live in area very green and big property ( it is my dream ) but no luck to me. I live in Lakewood, California.

loved your video, recorded your breathing - phoned my wife and played it to her, she phoned the police hahaha....

I always heard that you need to remove large air pockets.

Nice video, Pete. Man that's a lot of stuff added to the tree. think your tree will bear some nice fruit. One thing you didn't mention is water, water, water the tree daily. Almost 5 gallons since your hole is 3 foot deep. Great work on your tree plant. Thumbs up and I had no idea you made the video. Have a fine week. I'm now prepping for hurricane Florence. We're directly in her path. Later. Enjoyed the full watch of your video.

I'm definitely doing this thanks

You should buy one of those plastic kitty pools to mix everything .

Happy Sabbath

Great video

I live very close to Cooranbong were Ellen w christen group purchased the land with bad soil and had the dream after the hole group prayed on buying the land records were taken on how large the fruit was and how the taste was so good. I was wondering how your trees are going after 4 year I saw your video please could you let me know

I watched this one twice, I love your RU-vid and maybe almost of your video. You are cool! . I learn a lot, I wish I live in 20 acres like you. City in Southern Ca. I got a old drawing detail of Ellen White from Yannick Van Doorne yuotube? (Yannick Van Doorne, Agronome Engeneer, Ph D., Belgian. He speak French, English,...

That how we always done it in Asia but with a shovel and some times with that and pick and crowbar.

This is a method best fit for those that are not on native farm land or Mollisols/Entisols soil. If you are on either one of those the orchard you buy the starters from will recommend that you do not touch the soil. Dig a hole drop it in and move on. Any other soil then I would do this and good luck.

Great Info!!

This whole video should be edited to speed up past stuff we don't need to see and present the whole process of planting this tree and each step and tip in condensed way.

Great job

Update please!!!

If you bring a tarp out and put mixture on it, easier to mix. 6:46 6:48

I used to do this. I don't think it works. You just made a giant clay pot and if you get too much water then you can get root rot. My neighbor told me don't even dog a hole. Bring in some dirt, make a mound ant plant on top of that.

thank you for the video. I want to try this method

I should of watched this video before I got my apple trees planted !

I took a drill and drilled hole in the walls of my holes so water can loosen it so the roots won't ball up

Hi Pete after I watched your RU-vid twice, I started digging a hole 3x3x3’ and planted a mango. My back yard has problem, most of plants won’t work. Lately I found out Yannick Van Doorne use that method plus antenna to inprouve the grow. Most of time his RU-vid in French but I understand. You have a descend tractor I think made in India because of name. One more think I live in Lakewood, Ca. small back yard how about you, big back yard. Good luck to your hobby and project!

I would love to see an update, with a side by side comparison.

Only clicked because I saw Ellen White

one thing you have to watch, top soil and most soil amendments you buy from a store is sterile (no micro organisms) ... i found this out the hard way when I built raised bed gardens using only store bought soil + compost ... my plants didn't do worth 10 cents the first couple of years. I've been having horrible issues with fruit trees also planted in a high density raised bed method due to my clay soil, out of 40 trees only about 12 of them are still alive their second year so I am looking for alternative ways. I am also curious of your follow up to this method.

You could try a small electric cement mixer to mix it up make it easier for you then you can just pour rain and if you mix it up

I would be interested in a follow up on how these trees are doing.

at least i found a use for my old logs :D