Planting a Bare Root Fruit Tree 

Glad it was helpful!

Agreed. All the right knowledge just flows from this guy. I watched so many videos about pruning and never found what I really needed to understand each cut I was making. Within 30 minutes of watching Orin, I felt far more confident and could actually understand what might happen with the growth in the future of the tree to suit the needs of my placement.

I concur as well this gentleman knows what he's talking about. Everything he suggests will work at home or farm. I just watched Dave Wilson's videos MAN! talk about an abortion! Unbelievable! No comparison between the 2... I have been involved in in landscaping my entire life and am constantly searching for information especially now that I am small farmer everything this man says is correct plain and simple and don't over do it and you'll be fine. We're not talking about rocket science here... lol

Aaaa

A better one is planting by the blueprint. I can't list the actual site.

Yer welcome. Glad it was helpful.

Hi Tim - great to hear that the video was helpful. Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid And here’s the playlist for all of the tree care videos: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9ioGcl7gHgc&list=PLdNOdHei9NV0QjOJDbUTx6wgD-qkiNGah

You are so welcome! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

Sounds great!

Our pleasure! Glad it was helpful. Best of luck with your trees.

Thanks for watching!

@@ucscagroecology ​​⁠Thanks Orin and UCSC for your excellent guide videos! Do you have any guides on whitewashing/painting? What about amending/remediating clayish soils? We live in Napa and our soil seems fertile, but we definitely have some clay under our topsoil.

You're very welcome!

Yer welcome! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

Awesome! Thank you!

me too, such a great delivery of bags and bags of useful information. Keep em coming!

Glad it was helpful! Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/agy9YpI

Below is a link to several more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”. You'll several more videos on pruning fruit trees: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was helpful! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

Glad it was helpful! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

Have fun!

Glad the book and videos have been helpful. Best of luck with your trees!

I feel your pain because I just planted my two plum trees before watching this video! I made the mistake of not facing the graph union to the north. I didn't fertilize either directions that came with the tree said not to. I'm going to rethink that now & may go back and top dress with some composted manure & granular fertilizer as he did in the video. Good luck with your peach tree!

Below is a link to several more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

Yer welcome!

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful.

Bulldog is still our favorite toolmaker!

Glad it was helpful! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

@@ucscagroecology Thank you 😊!

@@ucscagroecology do you have any data/research on whitewashing fruit trees? I am thinking of using Kilz primer to make a whitewash by thinning it 50% with water. Kilz apparently has a fungus/mold inhibitor or fungicide in it, which seems like it would be beneficial.

.

Hi Liz, if you have good, fertile soil your tree should do ok without fertilizing. Adding compost and fertilizer to soil that is already fertile is a more aggressive approach that will help your tree grow faster and produce fruit sooner. This is the approach used by staff at the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden and it has worked well for us. If your soil is not great then adding compost and fertilizer is even more important. You can learn more at agroecology.ucsc.edu/documents/for-the-fruit-grower/planting_fruit_trees.pdf.

I had this same question you asked, I'm grateful to see the answer from UC Santa Cruz. My plum trees came with instructions 'not' to fertilize for the first few years. Their reasoning was that the tree needs to 'get used to' the native soil and by fertilizing I would not be encouraging the roots to expand out into native soil if I was to add the fertilizer.

Thanks for watching. There are lots more fruit tree care videos on our channel. Check it out!

Glad it was helpful. Google "ramial wood chips" and you'll find a lot of helpful information on wood chips.

@@ucscagroecology Awesome! Thanks - I didn't even know that ramial wood chips were a thing!

Orin is a real treasure! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

Thanks for the kudos. We have a mild enough climate that we don't have to use protection to stop sunburn on the tree branches. Sorry, can't help with that. For improving soils, cover cropping is most excellent search across this channel for cover crop and you'll about 10 videos on the topic.

Orin has a prodigious library of poems and quotes ready at his lips. You never know what will come out next. He's a delight to work with. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jWsoLptvZWM.html Thanks Mr Orin Mangus

Yer welcome! You can soak the roots, but it's not necessary. But, you do want to plant into soil at a good moisture level and soak the planting hole with water after planting the tree as shown in the video. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

@@ucscagroecology thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I really appreciate the advice!!

How often do you have to water your fruit trees near Tucson? I was thinking about sending my son a bare root fruit tree.

@@momlikesmemore well I am about 75-80 miles from Tucson border in the high desert 4800 feet. Tucson is about 5-8 degrees hotter than us here in Sierra Vista, AZ. Our fruit trees were not bare root but you can plant bare root trees. Should wait until early spring or fall. My fuji apple is watered with our regular native trees every 2 weeks in intense summer and every 3-4 weeks in winter because our weather is very dry and it gets very windy at times. Since Fuji is on irrigation with native/desert adapted trees I may give more water during budding and when fruit is set. Newer nectarine, plum and apricot fruit trees are with some berries so different situation not ideal and we just planted them last spring. Planting with a nice berm around the tree and deep soaking down to three feet for trees is the going philosophy in the desert so if you can’t put tree on drip then berm and deep watering is what is done.

Thanks for the tip!

We use mostly softwood chips because they are easily available to us. Chips, both hard and soft will remove nitrogen from the soil if turned into the soil. When placed on top of the soil as a mulch, the chips decompose without removing nitrogen from the soil, even when several inches thick. Wood chips make a great top mulch and work wonders with improving soil quality. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

Since we have 35 acres of land to grow fruit trees, we haven''t explored planting apple trees in a container. A quick search of the web on "growing apple trees in a container" finds lots of videos and other instruction on how to plant fruit trees in pots. So, we'll defer to these other resources. But, one tip, make sure your tree is on dwarfing rootstock. Hope your tree does well!

With ornamental trees, there's no need to create a form that promotes "sunlight channels" into the center of the tree to make for good fruit production. So, you can just prune to the shape that pleases your eye. Yes, you can top the central leader to stimulate lateral branching. Good luck with your tree.

Yer welcome! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

Glad it was helpful! Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/agy9YpI

Basic potting soil would be fine. Just make sure the pot shape is wider at the top than the bottom to make it easy to slide the root ball out of the container when yer ready to transplant. Do it in the winter when the tree is full dormant - no leaves or active buds.

Best to leave 3 feet or so, but the most important thing is to leave at least 8-10 vegetative buds that can grow into branches. To find out about buds, both vegetative and fruit buds, watch this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p_-f610rFEU.html And don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid

How often a trees needs to be watered is influenced by weather, soil type, size and type of the tree. As you said the initial watering right after planting should soak the soil completely until water puddles arounhd the tree and remains on the surface of the soil. From then on, best to water when the tree needs it. One method to determine when to water is by grabbing a handful of soil about 12 inches from the trunk, every other day or so. Squeeze the soil into a ball in your hand. If it falls apart and won't "stick" together, it's time to water. If the ball is wet and sticky, wait for the soil to dry down. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

You've got some tough soil to work with. Can't suggest much other than to dig a big hole and bring in good topsoil to fill it. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

Yes, you can get them to root, but you'll wind up with a tree without good rootstock. Almost all fruit trees are grafted onto a rootstock that helps to control the size of the tree, resist disease, and produce better fruit. Here's an article by Orin that explains the importance of good rootstock: agroecology.ucsc.edu/documents/for-the-fruit-grower/rootstock-basics.pdf

Good question. If the roots a re still bare and out of the soil...yes, plant it right away. Make sure you give a deep watering, "mud it in" like demonstrates in the video. If the tree is in a pot and has started to show signs of breaking dormancy such as: swelling buds, leaves appearing - then don't transplant it into the ground. Best to leave it in the pot, water and fertilize, don't need to prune it. Come this winter when all or most of the leaves have dropped off, plant per the instructions that Orin gives in the video. Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid Best of luck with you tree.

Better to make the hole big enough to accommodate the roots than trim them. If you can't make the hole big enough, try curling the roots around so they fit in the hole. Trim them as the last resort. Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid

We can only find Bulldog tools online: bulldogtoolsusa.com/collections/digging-tools For Sustane, "The Garden Center" on Mission St in SC carries it along with the San Lorenzo Garden Center located next to San Lorenzo Lumber at 235 River St in SC.

San Lorenzo Lumber Garden Center in Santa Cruz, CA.

Yes, you can prune a peach tree to espalier form. Search on RU-vid with this phrase and you'll find lots of videos on the topic: "pruning a peach tree to espalier form". Good luck with your tree.

Good question. The root flare can be put a soil level and that works fine, but as you saw in the video, the root flare is well below the top of the soil. We've been using this method for more than 50 years with nearly 1,000 fruit trees and it works fine. Sometimes people can become quite dogmatic about all kinds of things about trees. Truth be told, there are many many different methods of fruit tree care that produce strong, healthy trees that bear lots of sweet tasty fruit. Best of luck with your trees!

Depends on the form you want the tree to have. With an "open center" form, yes, you remove the central leader. With a "modified central leader" form, you leave the central leader. Here's a video on how to form a leader tree: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-J8gQ1ZRse0g.html

Soaking the roots is fine, but we don't find it's necessary because we always plant into moist soil and throughly soak the soil with water immediately after planting, as shown in the video. We've planted more than a thousand trees over the past 50 years in this manner and have a near 100% success rate on the tree growing healthy and strong. Like most fruit trees, the Blenheim apricot needs to be grafted onto a compatible rootstock (usually dwarfing to keep the tree small) to control the tree size and make it resistant to common diseases. Air layering would give you the same rootstock as the scion (the fruiting part of the tree, in this case a Blenheim variety) and you'd wind up with "too tall" of a tree that would likely suffer from diseases.

San Lorenzo nursery in Santa Cruz had probably close to 1000 bare root fruit trees a few months ago and very few of them had leaves on them. They have been selling Dave Wilson trees for a few decades And they’ve always been bare root and bare of leaves.

@@jimclark6605 I read it end of 2020 on Dave Wilson's website that they are now moving towards selling their bare roots in pots, and when I went to buy bare root fruit trees in January the following year, our nursery (Louie's nursery in Riverside) said they are waiting until March to sell those potted trees until they leaf out based on the directive from Dave Wilson; I don't know for sure if that was mandatory by Dave wilson or just a recommendation. But since last year our nursery here in Riverside sells fruit trees in March not in January as they used to. I don't like that at all. It was even in a video by Tom Spellman.

@@omaimaali5969 I think that many people are scared off by a bare root tree, so I can understand people wanting to buy them in pots. Irony is, the trees are dug up with machines and all of the dirt falls off as they are pulled from the ground. Then they get shipped bare root to the nursery (no pot/dirt reduces the bulk and weight for shipping. It arrives at the nursery and gets potted up. But an important part of the tree is then hidden, THE ROOTS, and you really need to see the roots in order to select a good tree. Well...maybe more people will plant fruit trees if they come in pots.

Not sure what you're asking. Do you mean, "how do you graft rootstock to scion on stone fruit"? That's the standard method for making "new" fruit trees. In about 6 weeks, we'll have a very complete video on how to bench graft fruit trees.

There are lots of different ways to plant and care for fruit trees. Orin's guidance is based on his nearly 50 years in the orchard and will likely work for you if you are located in a Mediterranean climate.

As a top mulch, wood chips are great. Incorporate them into the soil and it can cause a host of problems, including nitrogen loss. Here's some good info on ramial wood chips and their benefits in fruit orchards: www.groworganicapples.com/organic-orcharding-articles/ramial-wood-chip-primer.php

You're welcome!

@@ucscagroecology u r the best !Respected Sir.🙏🏻

Welcome aboard! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

You can, but it's not necessary if the roots have been kept properly moistened in sand or sawdust. If the tree roots have been allowed to dry out, then it would probably best to soak the roots for a few hours. Soaking the roots for more than 24 hours may suffocate the roots and kill the tree. Also, it's important that the soil be properly moistened at the time of planting, as described in this video. Below is a link to several more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

Not really. At the UCSC Chadwick garden, they had similar clay and rocks to start with back in 1967. With deep digging, cover cropping, and compost, they had decent soil in about 3 years. That process continues today and they now have 3-4 feet of the richest soil you could imagine.

The comment makes sense if you watch the entire video. Soil amendments are discussed starting at 16:50 - 22:40. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

Hi Richo, good root-to-soil contact is an important concept. Over a period of more than 50 years we have planted hundreds of bare root fruit trees at the UCSC Farm using this same method and have achieved nearly 100% success in the trees taking root and thriving. We water the tree heavily right after planting and the high quality soil we have settles snugly against the roots providing good contact with the soil. If you use a different method and find that it works, great.

Yer right. The cut on the central leader should have been at an angle. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html