How to Succeed Planting Dwarf Fruit Trees

Learn the easy steps for getting your new dwarf fruit trees into permanent containers (or the ground). Master potting in a few simple steps. Create an environment of care and vitality for you and your fruit trees.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pot
• Some Small Rocks or Gravel
• Compost
• Peet (if planting citrus)
• Potting Soil
• Water

1. 
   Organic Compost, Organic Potting Soil, Peat

   Planting your Dwarf Fruit Trees is simple and easy. Have a winning game plan: Gather your materials, Fill the pot with the mix of your soil ingredients, Get the tree out of it's nursery container, Gently free roots, Put in soil, Water, and Give it some positive verbal encouragement. Yes talk to your tree.

2. 
   Rocks or Gravel for Drainage

   Gather You Materials: Select your pot - it must have a drain hole in the bottom. Biggest pot possible for space and budget. Gather some river rocks, gravel, or any other small stones no bigger than palm of your hand. Collect these from a local stream bed etc. Make a layer of rocks about 2 to 3 inches deep covering the bottom of your pot. Set aside a bucket of compost, a bucket of potting soil, and a bucket of peat (if the tree is an acid soil loving plant like most citrus). Watering can.

3. 
   Fill 2/3 Full of Soil Mix

   Fill the pot with mix of soil ingredients. Most fruit trees need a well draining soil that is all rich in organic matter. A mixture of compost and potting soil on top of the river rocks does the trick. Leave the pot at most 3/4 full so you have room to put the trees existing soil in the pot.

4. Take your tree out of the plastic bag wrap or plastic pot that it came in from the nursery. Gently squeeze the sides to break the soil and roots free of the pot. Hold the tree over your new container and slide all the soil and tree with roots out. Carefully - Lovingly - Tenderly free up the roots around the root ball if the roots overgrew the pot and are "root bound". If you see tons of white roots instead of black soil at the outside surface of the root ball then your tree was "root bound" Carefully place the tree in the scooped out hole of your 2/3 full pot. Removing soil if necessary. Tenderly spread any roots into the soil that are not contained in the root ball. Cover all roots with new soil mix. Press soil gently to firm the tree up in its pot.

5. 
   Watering In

   Water. Give the pot a good soaking until a quarter of the amount of water you put on the tree runs out the bottom of the pot. It's important to thoroughly water in the tree's roots. Water causes the soil to settle in around the roots so they can take up nutrients. Wait a few hours and water again - add a bit more soil if settling has exposed any roots at the surface.

6. Give your tree some happy talk. Plants are living entities. They respond to your energy. Tell your tree you are happy with it. Tell it you appreciate it's beauty. Ask it to put down good roots and bear yummy fruit. Talking to your trees is good for them and good for you.

Tips & Warnings

• A few weeks into spring and then every couple of weeks through the summer growing season feed your tree. Compost tea is the real miracle grow. There are many non-organic commercial fertilizers for every kind of tree as well.
• Place heat loving trees against a sunny wall so the wall gives them more warmth.
• Shelter young trees from heavy winds
• Citrus trees like a more acidic soil - add peat (coconut husk peat is superb) to the soil mix.
• Talk to your trees
• It is good to let fruit trees breath. This is done by watering them well then leaving until the soil is just slightly damp to the touch an inch or two into the pot. The water saturating and then evaporating from the soil allows air to be driven in and out of the soil. Which is a good thing. However; Do Not let fruit tree soil dry out completely. Air is of no use to plant that is dying of thirst. The soil should still be slightly damp. In very hot and dry areas you may need to water a smaller pot everyday.

Resources

• The Dwarf Fruit Trees Blog