I planted both my apple trees in 42” wide 17” high raised beds haha. I control everything now :)

We just planted 24 varieties of fruit trees this spring. I agree we prefer to plant in fall but we just moved to our homestead here late summer...we have clay too and our garden soil had to be mixed with sand and a mixture of similar things you mixed yours with. The deer here are very aggressive so we did plan that extra mile and wrapped the tree with ten feet of 7 ft fencing with chicken wire around the bottom to keep rabbits out as well. We learned the hard way at our other place we lost about 8 out of our 12 fruit trees deers munching them down. It was a lot of work but worth it. We tamped three t bars into the ground and wrapped the wire fencing around the t bars. Some of our trees may need burlap wrapped around the fencing in winter we get -35 f at times. There is a method called 'Hugelkultur' from Germany in the mountainous regions (we used this method to amazing results). The hole is dug a little deeper and wider. Soak roots of tree for an hour. Pour couple gallons water into hole. We gather rotted tree branches and small stumps and that becomes first layer on bottom, then composted soil mix on top, then layer of soaked cardboard, then soil, then tree. Wouldn't hurt to add composted manure in between the soil. We learned that its the organisms in the soil that are alive and seeking starches from the tree roots in exchange for predigested minerals, that create the condition of strong immunity of the tree. When a tree is strong and healthy, pests and their larvae are not attracted to this tree, but they are drawn to a distressed and struggling tree especially those tree never pruned.

Unfortunately you created an in ground “pot” for the tree. In the future you should put 50% of the soil back into the hole with your soil recipe. The roots will grow extremely well for the first 5 years and when the roots hit that clay soil they will start to choke itself out because it’s used to “stress free soil.” It’s never had to grow into thick tough clay and will take the path of least resistant and turn on its self. Also I’d recommend making the hole 3x the root ball size (for areas of clay soil) in width as well. Hope that’s helps and happy growing. (Just want ya to get the most from your trees)

Im really loving my soil right now. Im in Massachusetts, i have big rocks that i usually have to dig out. BUT my soil is super dark. Looks like compost and every time I dig i hit tons of earthworms. I went to fertilize my fruit trees and so i moved the mulch to get to the top of the roots and soon as i move the mulch wow. It was like a worm farm. Very happy.

So one of the problems with doing the hole this way, is that the roots grow easily in the compost but won't penetrate the hard clay. In five or so years the tree is totally root bound. Often when they die and you pull them up, there is a very tight root ball the exact size of the original hole just like when they come out of a pot that they have been in to long. At least, rough up the sides of the hole.

"Great Channel, Instruction, Instructor !" Thank You Great Shepherd !"❤ 😁👍

I assure you that clay rich soils contain plenty of nutrients. All I have is clay and sedimentary rock and everything I have planted (that is indigenous) thrives very well.

Excellent information. Thank you

Great video! I learned a lot sir! Keep making videos!

Great video. I'm going to try this with my new fruit trees

❤❤thanks a bunch, I am growing apple trees

I just bought a couple fruit trees and I'm excited to get them in the ground. Thanks for the tips!

Thanks so much. I’ve lost several because I didn’t know what I was doing! I so appreciate your time and sharing. You’re a wise dude!

Ive grown fruit trees for 20 years all ages, as expanding the orchard through time. Always fertilize under the tree, then add a bit of dirt so it doesnt touch the roots and the new roots grow into it. . That rootball was fine, lots of feeder roots that he destroyed,without and large roots circling the bottom. If you do see circiling roots at the bottom, cut them by 1/2. My career was growing fruit trees.

I have hard clay soil as well in south Texas and follow the exact same steps with great results (fruit in second year mostly). It helps the tree get established faster instead of fighting for its life. Great video!

Thank you allways learning

THANKS FOR THE INFO,,, MANY BLESSINGS ❤❤❤❤

I really like your idea of planting. Thank you this is very smart

Excellent information.....truly appreciate your video....The common sense approach, your speaking and sound levels are excellent. Thank you.

May you be blessed from all yer hard work. I just got 8 fruit trees put in, just heard of permaculture orchard...trying that route. Nitrogen fixer then 2 trees & another nitrogen fixer, & so on. 2 shrubs between trees, on treeline, also 10-15 edible perennials around @ tree. Working on shrubs & perennials now. Stefan out of Southern Quebec is a great teacher on subject. I'm excited to get my hands back in the dirt !

I'm happy fir you😊

Thank you I have 2 peach 2 apples and a plumb I need to get planted so thank you for this vid

Nothing better than southern Illinois clay

For watering your trees and making it less intensive, you might consider trying Remiawy 20 gallon watering bags for trees. They slow drip and water your trees, and they can help protect them from deer 🦌 as they wrap around the tree trunks. Thanks for sharing 👍 ❤

Good content. Thank you.

I definitely learned first hand about air pockets. Had leaves keep dying till i got that corrected

Wow learned a lot. Subscribed. Thanks. I was amazed over the angle of the branches and that you mentioned how you could use weights to make the branches 90 degrees. Made sense. Thanks. I want to buy a plum tree next month and was very interested in this.

Very good info. I have some apple trees

Thank you

Just found your channel. Southern illinois here also. Union county. Thanks for the info.

Should be square hole so roots break through corners and don't spiral. Should also plant them high because you don't want them to settle low which can lead to trouble. Thanks for sharing.

❤❤❤❤❤love your video from Gardening with kirk

Good info! Thx!

Thks fo great advise putting manure in the hole with potting soil is very healthy fo trees becos rain washed them away if put around plants.

Super Cool video! Loved the content and just subscribed!

Nice video. I suggest one thing. Before putting soil, make small holes in the bottom with crow bar or some iron rod. At the cent make a big hole with rod and rotate the rod so that it makes a canonical hole then put the soil. Roots will pernitrate into those holes and holds tight. It will give extra strength to the plant. I do with my plants like Mangos, Guava etc. Also it is better to put some stones. Roots will catch the stones and become strong. Plant will stand still for high winds.

Thanks!

think i need to do that with my next trees

That’s exactly how I planted my fruit trees because my yard has very hard clay and you have to make it easier for the roots to grow strong and then they can go through the clay

Very informative,,thanks for shring,I'm planing tohelp my young friend and i mentioned he should planting fruit tree's and berry bush's thanks

Thanks

I honestly see trees and plants as life. I actually feel sad when i see a plant fell in the store & is laying on the floor. Also ill go around like an employee and just lossen the dam tags because every time i check out fruit trees, the tags are all choking the tree and ill losen them all & i apologize to the trees for others not fixing it lmao. I do though

I would have mixed up all of it with som of that clay so no to get heavy light soil problem . looking like your doing well with it good for you.

I have hard red clay soil . I used weathered bales of straw and alfalfa and added it to the whole to help weather retention through our dry late spring through fall

I like to add a 4 inch layer of mulch in the spring before i plant in winter. The worms start breaking down the whole area making for easier planting. After planting i add 4 inches of mulch as well. I also mulch about a 6' square so the roots will grow wide.

you can strategically use some gypsum in your land if you have clay soil.

When I plant my trees I leave the root ball one to two inches above ground in December about 4 months in April i have a few small fruits starting to show I'm in mid Mississippi red clay soil

You should dig your holes square to help prevent being root bound. The roots are just going to go around and around in the easy soil. With square walls the roots are better able to punch through and spread out more. You also should have included more of the native soil. I think you will run into issues in a few years with trees being too root bound.

I have soil very similiar to yours. Two things that I also do in addition to everything shown is to take a pitch fork and stab the sides of the hole, otherwise the tree can become pot bound in the hole. I also mix about 40% of the native soil in with the added "good soil" to ensure soil capillary action brings water in from the surrounding ground.

kinda feel sorry for it. < -- Love that!

Learned that if you will pop off a few firecrackers you won't have time worry about the deer

what location is this in? we are in zone 8 b down in NC.. I am very piqued by what you have done. thank you for the detailed video !! congrats on working this on horse pasture .. we have to take what our developoers and builders have done - basically strip everything before they dumped sheet rock bits and shards and nails and stuff - sift through and rejuvenate our yard ..

👍

Really nice peach bud's started, will frost hurt already started tiny peach starts?

Miracle grow and water is the easiest way

, N. How do you plant a cherry tree a black tartan cherry? What do you need to put in with its roots? I got the title up but I don’t know what to do next.

That is cool the way you plant you apples. But have and Idea for the first time you any tree. Use a pvc pipe. You find more information in " youtube." 👏👍🇺🇲

For the deer find a companion nitrogen fixer plant that the deer don’t like so much whether it’s by smell or thorns. Some do exist but it varies depending upon your area

I use chicken manure worm castings perlite top soil mix.

Hi just found your channel Thank you for sharing What kind of grass is that you was saving to ues some were elsewhere Thank

Will the roots of the tree actually grow through the clay? I've heard that the clay will work like a pot and the tree can end up root bound even though it's in the ground. I have clay here in TN that's been heavily compacted because the house/subdivision is new.

Hint he didn’t mention; always buy trees & shrubs in containers with real root. Bare root trees will barely survive summer.

Well crap I been planting trees the wrong way all my life here in red clay in Tennessee!I do have right around 16 fruit trees and put in 5 paw paw trees 2 years ago!have plenty of blueberries blackberries and all still living and will picking fruit this year good lord willing.i dig a hole set the tree or bush in put compost on top and pick fruit off in several years..who knew

Unless the tree has been grafted the tree needs to only be planted as deep as the graft in fact just under the graft ….. ❤

Your soil is very much like mine but I'm on an island in the PNW with massive amounts of glacier rocks. My planting holes were done much like yours but the outer areas were jackhammered out to allow root growth expansion. So many of my neighbors put their trees and bushes in holes just like this and they go root bound. They literally choke the life out of themselves.

Hi , i recently bought persian lime tree from home depot its foot or more in height, should i plant it ground or wait n potted up bigger pot as scale till it gets bigger? I live in Houston tx.

How do you keep the bugs/insects and wasps off the fruit to keep it healthy and edible? We had fruit on our tree the second year but it was eaten by wasps. Peach tree in west Texas. Thanks

what state are you in to give us more background, SW Florida here, alot of sand, small amount soil

I am retired in California. Now I am looking for modest home in suburban, where I can grow my own fruit garden and keep chickens. May I ask is there any affordable homes with space for garden in were you live?

careful with a round hole, and too much foreign stuff in hole , first let tree establish then feed

Every body does it differently.

Week How do you plant a sweet cherry tree a tartan, sweet cherry? How do you handle it?

what town you located in

How far south are you? Started building my home orchard and vineyard in southern IL also. Upto 25 or so planted and 15 personal grafts il plant next year if they take.

Do I have to have more than 1 apple trree to produce fruit. I'm not sure what Strain, it is but I picked it up at homedepot. Any insite would be appreciated.

I have started an apple tree from seed. When should the first pruning be?

We have new barefoot apples coming in a month or two… I need to find a way to protect them from voles! I am in southeast Idaho… high desert mountains Have been told to wrap the deep holes 6-12 inches deep with 1/8” hard wire And then wrap the tree in hardwire as well…

What do you use to keep the squrls from eating the fruit or all other animals from eating or damaging the trees? Mabe bugs too?

Hello I have fruit apples but they became rotten do you spray them with some

I live in California I have fertilizer 999 in my shed. Can I use that for fertilizing my plants?

Too bad Iowa farmers didn't think about topsoil instead of money and chemicals, oh and the check in the mailbox(no tax)

may I suggest you plant apple trees in the forest for deer to eat so you don't have the problem

How many years of growth do you have for reference with this method?

I mix my native soil with rabbit manure and compost. What’s your though

you need to dig much wider. don't know how much rain you get but the drainage on our land is really poor. you are going to have problems as the trees mature. how deep does that clay go? if you have a backhoe, dig a test hole deep and see if you can get to better soil a bit lower. as for plants to break up your soil, one of the best is great mullein. it has a very deep taproot that goes way deep on the first year, then flower stalk up on the 2nd year. i recommend you start spreading it all over that field. it will not hurt your trees at all and if you do this for a few years, your soil will loosen up and drain much better. they also attract earth worms. when they are in flower all 2nd summer, they attract pollinators as well. they are the best plant to help you with your problem and you are likely to find wild seed heads in the fall that you can take with thousands of seeds. i do not have your problem at my orchard but i grow them anyway. the seed heads left over winter are a great help with birds as they stick out of snow and provide food for birds too. it is the most useful plant and my favorite. odd that most people kill them as weeds. pure stupidity.

That is the same that I have found, no longer are they using soil in potted trees or rose bushes, or berry bushes

My golden delicious apple keeps getting yellow leaves, ive fertilized, watered im about to give up on it this is second year, i have clay soil also i did amend it at planting. Mine was horse pasture too.

What about squrls or other animals might try to devour the fruit from the trees?

I have a question. During the winter. How do you keep these trees from freezing. Especially the citrus 🍋🍊

I don’t have rabbits but I do have cows. Can I do the same with cow manure?

I’ve given up on growing anything, the bloody squirrels are stripping everything bare before they are ripe.

When bying fruit trees the tag stated not to add amy fertilizer until next season. Im confused now.

I’m in Midwest Georgia and I can’t find a way to keep worms out of my plums 🤬🤦🏻‍♂️ Lots of plums this year but worms in all of them. I sprayed them 2 times, help me please

Should I water my fruit trees every day?

The problem i have is squirrels lol

I was at Lowe's yesterday. All of their berry bushes were dead! They let them just dry up and die. How is that cost effective to anyone?

watched a video on young apple trees....guy said, first 5 years pick off all the blossoms, so you don't have ANY apples.....It lets the tree get taller & stronger....then at year 6, let it take off....it makes a better tree long term...

❓ No cardboard on top for weed suppression?

Greetings, I bought two dormant trees from Tractor Supply last year (2023 spring) An apple and a peach tree with the roots inside a plastic bag. The trees are about five feet tall. Due to family illness I never got around to planting them. : ( I still have them on my porch and am wondering if they are still viable and should I bother with planting them. I live in Zone 7.

will chicken droppings work or to hot ?