How to plant a fruit tree
Fruit trees are a long-term investment and it is important to get them off to a good start by planting them carefully. Our sister website, Orange Pippin Fruit Trees, has a comprehensive guide on how to plant fruit trees - click here for US or UK versions. In summary it is a simple process:
- Dig the hole
- Plant the tree in the hole and re-fill with ordinary soil.
- Support the tree with a temporary or permanent stake (depending on the rootstock).
- Apply a mulch, and protect from animals if necessary.
However there are many nuances which the instructions explain, such as whether to use a permanent or a temporary stake, and the differences between planting bare-root trees and container-grown trees.
In many cases the newly-planted tree will also need some initial pruning, the following articles advise how to do this - US and UK.