How To Plant Fruit Trees & Nut Trees

Important - I'm Not Dead or Dying!

Trees bought in late summer will often have tatty or discoloured leaves while those bought in autumn will often have leaves still hanging on, only for them to fall off later. This is nothing to worry about as all deciduous trees tend to look a little the worse for wear in late summer, and naturally shed their leaves in autumn.

Unpacking / Pre-Planting Care

When your tree arrives, if it is a bare root plant, unpack the roots from their polythene and mulch packing; if they are dry stand in a bucket of water for no more than half an hour.

If the tree is pot-grown simply remove the covering polythene bag and ensure the compost is moist.

Prior to dispatch, all field-grown (bare root) trees are root-pruned to encourage fibrous root growth so there should be no need for you to prune them further. Similarly, we 'head back' the trees (potted and bare root) so, unless you are planning to train the tree in a specific style such as espalier or similar, there is no need to do any pruning at planting time.

What If I Can't Plant the Tree Immediately?

Ideally, your tree should be planted out as soon as possible. If this is not possible – i.e. if the ground is frozen or too wet to dig – ‘heel’ the tree into a shallow trench or else wrap the roots up in the bark chip and polythene they were originally packed in and store in a cool, frost-free place. Do not keep in a warm place as this will encourage premature growth. Every few days check that the roots are still moist, and plant out as soon as is practicable.

Container Growing

All of our stock, with the exception of the Walnut, is suitable for growing in patio tubs or containers as well as for planting outside in open ground.

If you are planting in a patio tub or container try to use one at least 18" (45 cm) in diameter. A tree loaded with foliage and fruit, in a small container, can easily become top heavy in high winds. The ideal container for a patio is either one made of plastic or concrete, or a wooden tub or half-barrel.

If your garden soil is not too heavy, this will be fine for filling the container and planting into; alternatively, we would suggest using John Innes compost No.2 or No.3.

We also recommend putting a little brick mortar rubble or coarse gravel in the bottom of the container, to cover the drainage holes and to stop the soil falling through.

Planting Out

As with many things in life, remember that a little extra care and time taken with planting your tree will pay dividends for many years to come!

Dig a hole approximately double the width and double the depth of the size of the tree’s roots, root ball, or the container it was grown in. Now fork over the sides and bottom of the hole to loosen up the surrounding soil before refilling to bring the soil level up to the correct planting depth for your tree; you can refill with either the soil you originally dug out or, ideally, with a mixture of that soil and 25% organic matter such as well-rotted manure (not fresh), leaf mould or compost, to give your tree the best start.

Place the tree in the hole, ensuring its final planting depth is the same or only slightly deeper than it was previously grown at (indicated by the soil or compost mark on the stem). Now refill, either with the previously removed garden soil or your soil/compost mixture. Firm in and water well - even if the soil appears wet.

Under no circumstances should you use any stimulants, fertiliser or bonemeal at planting time as these products will ‘burn’ any new root growth and actually slow your tree’s development!

Whilst it is not always necessary we do advocate the use of a stake and tie, available from us, at planting time. If you have a rabbit problem, we recommend protecting your trees with Tubex Easy-Wrap Tree Guards, available from us.

Aftercare

In the first growing season after planting it is vital to ensure your tree is adequately watered – and this is even more critical in extended dry periods or drought. When watering any newly planted stock 'a bucket a week' is preferable to 'a teacup a day' and will encourage a good, deep root system.

Always keep the area around the base of your tree free from weeds and grass which would otherwise compete for moisture and nutrients.

To further aid moisture retention it is a good idea to mulch around your newly planted tree with chipped bark, well-rotted manure or similar; this will also help with suppressing weed growth.

During the active growing season an occasional feed with our 'Instant Life' or a light top dressing with a base fertiliser will prove beneficial. Under no circumstances be tempted to overfeed, though! With a few exceptions fruit trees prefer a limey soil and an annual liming of the surrounding soil at a rate of 4 ounces per square yard (100 grams per square metre) will help.

Pruning and Training

Many, many books have been written on fruit tree pruning and training – a subject we cannot discuss in detail in these guidance notes; for advice on training and pruning we would recommend Grow Fruit by Alan Buckingham (DK Publishing).

Some Additional Notes On Specific Varieties...

Figs

A well-drained sunny position is essential for figs. Figs can also be grown in a conservatory. Figs are best grown with their roots restricted, either in a large container or a root control bag, or by making a root restriction pit; this will ensure that the tree does not produce an abundance of leafy growth at the expense of heavy crops of fruit.

To make a root restriction pit simply dig a hole 3 x 3 x 3 ft (90 x 90 x 90 cm), line the sides with paving slabs/tanalised timber or similar and the base with a generous layer of hardcore or brick rubble (but ensure good drainage) to discourage roots growing through. Then refill with soil before planting in the normal way.

Hard pruning should be discouraged as fruits are produced on short jointed growths made in the previous year.

Mulberries

Mulberries are easy to prune; all you need to do is trim to shape as you desire. Mulberries tend to suffer a little dieback over the winter months, which should be trimmed off if no leaves appear by early summer.

Mulberries can be very late into growth in the spring but this should not cause concern; known as the 'wise tree', Mulberries do not break into growth until after the last frost. Certainly, our fifty-year-old Mulberry tree here on the nursery has never got it wrong. Similarly, the first autumn frost will almost always cause instant and total leaf fall.

Nectarines and Peaches

Every year, just as the growth buds begin to swell, i.e. in February or March, spray your tree with a copper fungicide to prevent leaf curl (though both 'Darling' and 'Red Haven' are recognised as having good resistance to this). Leaf curl is a waterborne fungus disease known as Exoascus deformans, and the symptoms of red, blistered and swollen leaves may occur if you don't follow this simple tip. If it does occur minor infections can be picked off. Alternatively, spray at 14-day intervals (or as the fungicide instructions direct) until it disappears! It is also good practice to spray in autumn at leaf fall, before the onset of winter. Spraying is rarely necessary if growing under protection.

Flowering and subsequent fruiting occurs on second-year wood, so avoid excessive pruning from mid-summer until flower break. Do not prune in winter. Just after fruit has set is possibly the best and most practicable time to prune.

Almonds

Every year, just as the growth buds begin to swell, i.e. in February or March, spray your tree with a copper fungicide to prevent peach leaf curl. Leaf curl is a waterborne fungus disease known as Exoascus deformans, and the symptoms of red, blistered and swollen leaves may occur if you don't follow this simple tip. If it does occur minor infections can be picked off. Alternatively, spray at 14-day intervals (or as the fungicide instructions direct) until it disappears! It is also good practice to spray in autumn at leaf fall, before the onset of winter. Spraying will not be necessary if growing under protection.

Harvest almonds when the green outer skin on the fruit dries and begins to split. Keep seeds in a cool, dry place until Christmas before eating. If eaten straight from the tree almonds will be bitter and inedible.

Cobnuts and Filberts

Cobnuts and Filberts will grow in most soils that are not waterlogged. The trees will produce a good crop of nuts every year with no attention at all. However, without pruning they will grow up to 20 feet (6.1 metres) in height, making it impossible to pick the fresh green nuts; at that point the only way of harvesting is to wait until the nuts are fully ripe and then shake the tree. Traditionally, cobnut trees are kept at around 7 ft (2.1 m) tall as a single stem or multi-stem bush. Between November and mid-April simply remove anything that is dead, diseased or damaged, and any unwanted suckers at the base, before thinning the top growth to allow good circulation of air (you should have 6-8 main framework branches) - and trim down to around 5-7 ft (1.5-2.1 m).

Sweet Chestnuts

Chestnuts are happiest when allowed to grow to full height; but don't let that put you off as ‘Marron de Lyon’ takes around fifty years to achieve its ultimate height of 30 ft (9 metres). Trees can be kept to a more manageable size by autumn and winter pruning, to maintain a height of 10-12 ft (3-3.5 m); aim to form a wine glass shape with a fairly open centre to allow good air circulation within.

Walnuts

As both the roots and leaves of Walnuts release juglone (a chemical which inhibits nearby plant growth) avoid planting anything under or within a few feet of the eventual canopy of the tree (the roots underneath will spread as far as the tree on top). Walnuts will grow fairly large if they’re not pruned back - up to 50 ft (15 m) in height, with a spread of 30 ft (9 m) – so open space is required. With careful pruning, a fruiting bush with a spread of around 12-15 ft (3.5–4.5 m) can be produced; to achieve this it is important to keep to a regular pruning regime. As soon as the the tree has produced five or six leaves of growth, start cutting back the tips of branches – and continue to do so throughout the growing season.