Before You Start

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Locate your fruit garden so it receives the maximum amount of sun daily (Afternoon Sun is a must!), has good air circulation, and good soil drainage. Check the table below for proper spacing between trees.

 

Spacing Chart

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Fruit Bushes    12-24 in.

• Cherries    Minimum 20 ft.

Pomme Fruits

• (Apples & Pears, etc)    Minimum 15 ft.

Stone Fruits

• (Peaches & Plums, etc)    Minimum 15 ft.

Genetic Dwarves    Minimum 5 ft.

Espalliers    6-8 ft.

Grape Vines    Minimum 4-5 ft.

 

Step 1

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Start by digging a hole 21/2' wide and 2' deep. Make sure to break through any hard, compacted soil.

Step 2

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Your soil mixture should be approximately a 50/50 mix between native soil and Master Nursery Gold Rush. Adding organic compost into the soil is very important to your tree's early health. Gold Rush provides the raw materials needed for your fruit tree to grow, above and beyond what fertilizer provides. Additionally it helps correct bad soil problems, it loosens heavy soils while at the same time building up soils that are too sandy. We also strongly recommend mixing MasterStart Pre-Plamt fertilizer into the soil mixture as well. The high-phosphorous fertilizer will promote healthy root growth, and get your tree established and growing as soon as possible

Step 3

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Add some loose soil to the bottom of the hole, and build it into a mound. Spread the roots over it and finish filling the hole. Make sure there are no air pockets and that the bud union is 1" above the soil. Firm the soil around the base of the tree.

Step 4

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Mound moist soil, sand, or extra Gold Rush over the top of the bud union. This replaces any moisture lost during transplanting, and protects the tree from drying out before the roots have time to adjust. After the tree has pushed out approximately 1" of growth in the spring, remove the extra soil and allow the tree to grow naturally.

Step 5

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Build a watering basin around the tree large enough to hold around 5-10 gallons of water. (A wall 4" high with a diameter of 3' should be about right.) Water the tree in with a solution containing Vitman B1 and Soil Penetrant to stimulate new root development and proper water penetration.

Finish It Off

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Keep the plants moist, not soppy wet, at all times until they start growing. (A moisture meter can be an invaluable tool when learning how to water properly.)