How to Plant and Prune Fruit Trees 

I'm loving the Bob Ross Intro!

I've done a lot of gardening. One of my favorite refeences for fruit trees is the book "Grow a Little Fruit Tree" in that book, the author talks about using pruning techniques the Japanese have been using for centuries to keep fruit trees short enough to harvest in the fall without the use of a crane or ladder.

Incredibly helpful

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.. the second best time, is NOW.

When I pruned my Moringa trees, they were bending way over... almost 180 degrees toward the ground, and ugly and spindly. So, I cut all of them but 1 at eye-level, cutting away every green part, leaving just the main trunks. I was hoping I would not kill them. Now they are the prettiest Moringas I have ever seen, full, bushy and covered with leaves. It pays to prune!

I’ve got Grow A Little Fruit Tree. It’s a great book.

I truly appreciate what I have learned from this project, thanks alot 🙏

"Wherever the branche is today it will be that same height ..." is the best take away for me. Thank you.

You do a great video. Everything clearly explained. Thanks, Scot.

You’re an amazing teacher. I’m pretty sure I share your passion for gardening. ♥️ Plus, I love learning. You are the one source that I will be reaching out to for help with my ornamental Prairie Fire Crabapple that I planted a few years ago…in honor of my first granddaughter. With all of the info you’ve given, I am looking forward to assessing it once again and will get back to you. Thank you!!

Trees looking good there.

Soooo helpful!! thanks Gardner Scott! You've given me a much better understanding!

I’ve learnt much about pruning . Thank you

Great information on planting and pruning trees. Very easy video to fallow and understand. Great video my gardening friend!

Loved the video. Getting around 10 fruit trees next week. Can't wait to plant them! Thank you

Where I live the rabbits and hares also dig at the soil and eat the roots of the trees so I need to make a ring of chicken wire around the tree (extending about a foot and a half from the trunk). It's a bit fiddly but well worth the effort as it will protect the tree trunk and roots for a long time.

Thank you sir, really enjoyed watching and learning. God Bless

Very clear advice - thanks for sharing the budding direction tip!

Thank you! I was a bit afraid to start pruning, but now I know what to do. I will get into it. Thanks a lot.

Scott, only came across your channel but really enjoy your delivery, approach and knowledge. Thanks for all the time you put into producing them. Very valuable. 👍

Great video!!! Especially the part where you pruned the “confused” tree. That was tricky. I’ve planted a number of trees in my life but was always shy of pruning at the very start. Used to wait one or two years. I’ve just learnt a valuable lesson. Thank you as always.

Congratulations on the 100k subscribers! I remember a couple of weeks ago you were around 75k, very impressive growth! Keep up the good work!

Very detailed and helpful thanks 👍🏻

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago .. the second best time is at that tree's next dormant period 😊 The nursery grafted that scion mighty high up on that root stock!

This "Buds" for you. I'm trying to grow a peach and apple nearing a year. I needed your expertise. Stay Blessed- The Peacher Lady.

Nice job on this video!

Nice Job

Great video! I have a small urban lot. For maximum number of semi-dwarf trees in my south facing front yard with a sidewalk, I think I’m going to “modified central leader” them all as a compromise between fit and production. Low bush edibles and strawberries planned below them for a dense permaculture.

"Happy little trees", reminds me of Bob Ross!

Great video, very informative, Thanks for sharing👍

You are a gem :)

Congrats on getting over 100k subscribers. Great info, hoping to plant more trees this fall in our fedge (food hedge) and thank you for sharing. When planting I usually add liquid vitamin B1 to encourage root growth and deeply water to help get rid of air pockets prior to adding more soil, making berms (ring of soil) and mulching heavily with 2-3"'s of space between the trunk and the mulch.

Great timing, I've got three apple trees and a peach coming! I'm always jealous when I see someone digging in to real dirt! I had to rent a backhoe to dig the holes for the trees! (The 4 fruit trees and 6 arborvitae.) Lots of rocky soil in my area of SW Missouri. Thanks again for your great videos!!!

Had to laugh at that confused tree 😵‍💫😂. You got it straightened out tho 👍. 👵🏻👩‍🌾❣️

thank you Scott

Great lesson Scott, thank you. I just purchased a home on six acres in North Carolina. I plan to start a homestead; with a garden, fruit and nut orchard, and livestock. I am learning a lot from your videos. There is so much to learn, that it is a little daunting; but it is exciting at the same time.

Great timing Scott. I have a small batch of fruit trees and bushes arriving in just a few days. Thanks as always for the advice

Very informative, thank you!

What a great video with lots of info. Really appreciate the explanation of the logic behind the what / why / how of pruning. If I can add my two cents: I mix the soil (lots of clay here in TX) really well at the root and add compost to encourage roots growth.

HAHAHA... Bob Ross lives on!!! Just need a few happy rocks. LOL

thank you so much !! very informative

Brilliant.

Good tips

Such perfect timing! I literally just put a cherry tree into my car!

Good video, very helpful!!

As a kid I helped my mom plant trees, ect. She would fill the hole with water as we backfilled the sandy loam soil. This allowed the soil to fill in the air pockets and at the same time soak the whole root zone. 😄I also build a moat around all my plantings as it keeps the water put and not running away from where it's needed. It really assists in getting a deep soaking and without it it wouldn't be possible unless you use a soaker hose--even then the water could runoff. I'm still training my husband to water plants thoroughly--it may take another 30 odd years, but we're getting there🤣🤣

Amending the soil in 5 foot radius from the trunk can really promote fast growth...especially if you have dense clay soil.

Just great information. I sometimes wonder if I can hold onto all of it. 🤯 I am in the process of choosing my varieties and preparing my space. I’m excited to grow fruit trees. I grew up in south Texas and picked oranges almost every day of my life. Not sure if they’ll grow well here but my limited research says it will, so….

You're a Jeff Bridges lookalike 😯

Great info. I have an apple tree to plant. Thanks!

I cringed when he cut the peach tree top. Ouch, but it’s necessary and there is a reason behind it. Wonderful gardener, bar none.

23:45 Revenge of the peachtree, it grew back its central leader :)

I buy all my fruit trees from a garden center so I can pick trees that suit my garden and stile.

The planting is the easy part of fruit trees, the pests and deseases as the tree grows is the hard part , i hate to be negative ,i love fruit trees but the spraying is the hard part and to keep pests and deases under control you must spray and often.

👍

👍👍👍👌☺️

Great video! Thanks. Could you give me any advice about new bare fruit PLUM trees?

Thank you for another interesting and educational video. Watching from UK. We are at the end of Autumn heading into winter with day time temp around 4-6 degrees. Spring time around April usually.I am planting a few barefoot trees ( Apple, Pear, Cherry and plum, Peach)I also have some fruit trees planted last winter. When is the best time to make winter pruning cuts please for different fruits? Thanks

What do you recommend for a Vietnam Cherry tree?

Hi Scott, great video as always. Just a small comment, in my case the soil is heavy clay, when dry it turns like stone. My method of planting is making a big hole (2 feet wide and 2 o 3 feet deep) and then mixing the removed soil with compost, to add organic matter and help with compaction. I understand that a rich planting hole compared to a poor surrounding soil may lead to lazy root development but maybe in some cases we need to make some modifications to the original soil in order to give a chance to the tree to survive the first period and get strong.

Got grief for merely saying poor. So here goes: First compost. In a windy area compost is advised but not directly around the root. Dig the hole much larger- 2’6” radius minimum. (5’ diameter) On the outer edge of this hole dig a a ring a foot deeper- fill this foot with compost. The root system is then attracted equally in all directions (of importance) to what will be a moist rich area which creates a stable well spread root system supporting the tree. Here note that if one is to plant closer to a building than ideal this method can be used to have some basic control over the direction of the root growth away from the building) This also minimises the risk of flooding the trunk base root should heavy rains come. Nitrogen base can also be added to the surface. Mulch 2-4 inch deep but *NOT* against the trunk, leave 2” radius free space. Straighten your trunk. Use the shovel handle laid flat over the hole to determine depth. Ideally in what looks like poor, stony arid soil you are well advised to add mycorrhizal fungi to assist the root system. Oh and another point. As stated it’s a windy area so these trees would need staked. There are various methods but never stake parallel down against the trunk. Diagonal or a triple (triangle) straight with ties is much more effective. And as for time of year. Not quite. Apple best planted November to April as are most trees in the NH. As for hard heading cuts. Seal the cut, even if it’s just honey or wax to prevent disease and over leakage of sap. On the note of disease. I advise treating the root system of any new tree/ shrub with a mild solution of copper sulphate prior to planting, this will kill off all unwanted fungal agents. It’s one thing that this new tree may be diseased but you run the risk of contaminating what may be an entire orchard. Edge on the side of caution folks and here note that copper sulphate is approved for organic growing.

Another great video Sir. With regards to senior apple trees not taken care of for years. I acquired a piece of land with at least 4-5 apple trees on it and they did produced apples last year but are in dire need of pruning. What would you suggest on how I should approach pruning them?

thanks for this video. What is the best advice for pruning a pomegranate and mango tree?. I lived in the tropical climate.

I just planted my first Apple Tree, a Cosmic Crisp Apple Tree. I can't lie, pruning scares me. Watching this video has helped me get over that a little. 1 question I have, I know with Peach Trees you have to worry about leaf curl. Is that something to worry about with Nectarine Trees?

Thank you for that helpful step-by-step demo with explanations. I ordered a mulberry bear root sapling and want to be able to get to the berries without climbing and to protect them from birds. I was thinking that the vase shape would be best, but is it better to have a central leader with a mulberry tree?

Would a Quince fruit tree produce better with a central leader training since the fruit is in the Pome family? Thank you for your very informative videos and for sharing your knowledge/experiences!

.I live in central Florida in which case the weather is mainly hot and humidity is in variation I would like to plant some avocadoes and orange trees which methods should I use to have my plants or trees yield more crop and which fertilizers would you recommend since weather is a factor and chills sometimes dry out and freeze in winter time as is now.

Vanakam 🦚🌦🌾

I live on very hard, rocky, clay soil. It's all fill from when my housing development was built. I was thinking about digging out a large trench and amending the soil to help increase drainage before planting my belgian fence espalier row of fruit trees, but I'm not sure if that soil amendment will help or hurt. Do you have any advice for my situation?

Do you have any advice for pruning and training them into a low hedge?

Would you make any changes if your soil was clay? Any amendments or advice on how to help the roots extend into the clay?

What are your thoughts on intentionally whipping a newly planted tart cherry tree if there are no good candidate branches to work with? I would really like to establish the vase shape starting at just around 18 inches or so. Should this whipping take place right away at planting time or wait a year? What time of year is best to do this? I live in West Michigan (near Grand Rapids).

Oh goodness, thank you for this video. I wish i had seen this 1-1 1/2 months ago. I planted 4 dwarf fruit tree's and 2 other fruit tree's and didn't put to much thought into it. Is it to late to prune them?

When I plant in an established lawn, I cut out all the grass a little past the drilling and keep it grass-free and mulched for at least three years. Is this a best practice or is some other way better? Thanks!

Gardener Scott I have an apple tree that I planted in the fall of 2021. Last month my young dog broke off all four branches that were perfectly placed for a vase shape tree. Now I am left with just a trunk. If I make a heading cut, will the tree grow new branches? I’m worried without branches the tree may die since it won’t have any leaves when it comes out of dormancy. PLEASE help!!!! Thanks in advance Edit: will I need to do notching for new branches to grow or would making a heading cut alone work?

I planted a bare root Goji berry bush about 4 weeks ago, and I'm seeing what look like new shoots coming from the roots, but there's still no sign of leaves on the main stem. Should I be concerned?

I read about experiments with growing fruit trees on their own roots by burying scion under the ground level. Trees size could be controled by prunning and bending branches. Trees grow healthier and fruits taste slightly different.

Gardener Scott, I have a question. As a neighbor of yours, I have the same soil and climate as you. With that in mind, do you think back to eden gardening qualifies fruit trees for "minimal watering"? Is it a legitimate excuse to water very little? Also, do you think it's necessary to water over the winter here? Thanks.

How to prune apple trees that had significant damage to the buds caused by deer and tips to control bugs infestation such as Japanese beetles.

What is the best cut for a plum and a pear tree. Thanks.

Hey Gardener Scott, I love your work. When you are planting your trees it appears you mulch them, but pretty lightly, just filling the pit you made with your soil. On another video you said to encourage a fungal environment around your trees, using mulch. Others have advised me to mulch heavily around fruit trees, and to make a sort of high circle of mulch, like you did with your soil. It also appears you mulch right up to the trunk, which I have heard isn't wise. I am sure you have good reasons, can you explain them to me please?

I take it that the way the trees were planted is pretty much how you would plant other bare root plants like rose bushes? I hope so because while I am not going to plant trees, my wife wants some roses.

I’m planting some citrus trees into high clay soil. Horrible soil in my yard. Should I back fill with native clay/soil? Or should I use a garden soil or something similar? Thank you

I wonder if the County Ext has someone who'll come out and advise on pruning. Worrying about doing something wrong keeps me from doing anything.

Hi Scott! In the past, I’ve heard not to put the mulch directly against the tree because it will keep the trunk wet and cause issues. I see you put the mulch all around and all the way to the tree. Is there a time when you don’t do that? Or did I get some bad info? Thanks so much! Looking forward to adding fruit trees to my garden!

So if my fruit trees already have leaves on them its too late to do any of those cuts? Some have more than others

What brand of wood chip mulch do you recommend? The normal wood mulch has color and unnatural at all?

Hi..I'm expecting a plum tree from Starkbros in November can I put it in ground that late in the year? I'm in zone 7

Gardener Scott, I have some fruit tree saplings that I have started from the fruit that I have eaten (except for the peach), I sprouted them in the fridge in 2018 winter and potted them in spring of 2019. My question is... My Honeycrisp tree/saplings are about 3 foot tall now and do not have side branches, it is currently April 27th of 2019, Is it to late to cut the branch about half way down to encourage branches on the sides? I am very new at fruit trees and really want them to do well. Your help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Is it ok to plant trees in the fall...also what about spruce trees?

Hi, Scott! Brandon Garrett from Fountain, CO here... We received a three-year-old Kafir Lime tree, and the trunk was damaged in shipment (snapped in two and dangling by a thread) about 18.5" from the growing tip. Is a trunk able to repair itself with a splint and some electrical tape? If I prune it at a 45 degree angle just above the highest branch below the break, will the tree resume growth, or is the tree essentially destroyed once the growing tip is gone? The nursery is sending a replacement tree, but I hate to see something as valuable as a Kafir Lime tree be destroyed. Thank you in advance! P.S. I'd love to be able to send you pictures from my garden, and I'm sure other subscribers would, too. Please consider opening a Gardener Scott Twitter account so that we can communicate with you in that way. You can also post tweets letting us know when a new RU-vid video goes live. It's a great way to communicate! I so appreciate your content. If you are ever in the Fountain area, I'd love to show you my garden!

I have an Asian Pear tree which has been in the ground for 2 years. I have noticed it get a lot of sprouts on the tree low to the ground which I cut off. They keep coming back and I cut them off again. What is going on ?

How soon should you fertilize a tree after planting?

Scott, I have 6 self pollinating grafted standard Bing cherries whips that are 6 or 7 years old in containers. They are 7 to 8 feet tall with no laterals but about 20 1 foot long leaves shoots coming out of the tree. The leader diameter is around 1.5 inches, they are super healthy from a college nursery, 20 $ each. The Nursery could not find a buyer when they were younger because I am in Spokane, WA and everybody likes dwarfs for their homes because of size limits. I, too, do have the proper size for the standards, but we are 60 years old, and we are thinking that we will be dead when the size takes over, and then it will be someone else's problem. Do we need to heading cut them to 3 feet, or can we use the super slender axe SSA or TALL SPINDLE AXE TSA to keep all of that impressive 8 foot leader growth? We have 10 to 15 feet for growth, and I am reading head it low for strong laterals to come in. Thanks, Andrea

Can I prune my fruit trees (pear, plum and cherry) that have been put from bare root into pots since January? They have leaves and have budded. I didn't realise how much pruning was actually needed.

I'm having a hard time finding the information I'm looking for online. I'm hoping you can help. I purchased and planted a bare root apple tree a couple months ago. It's doing beautifully and even budding. I've heard that you should remove the blossoms that appear after planting trees/bushes during the first year to make the plant put its focus on a good root system so it will survive the winter (I'm in WI, zone 4B). Is removing the blooms a myth? Or does it really help? I planted blueberries at the same time and a couple of those are also blooming. Do you recommend removing the blooms the first year? Or just leave them be? I look forward to your guiding words wisdom. Thank you.

I have heavy clay soil and I’ve heard many contradictory things about amending the soil. I did not and I hope that was the right decision

For planting trees, you said that down part should be toward south, why is that? After you planted, you spread mulch? It isn't better spread compost instead of mulch?

Scott, I saw another tree planting video in which it is recommended to plant the graft point north to protect it from the sun. I suppose this depends where you are located. This video was from someone in California. Are you in an area where the sun is stronger in the south? I’m in zone 7A and expecting my tree delivery any day, I want to make sure the graft point is pointing the safest direction.

Why central leader over open/vase shape?