12 Planting MISTAKES Killing Your Fruit Trees

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Check out Daniel’s YouTube Channel HERE! @BeYourOwnArborist

0:00 Intro
0:54 Planting too deep
1:29 Circular roots
3:34 Stomping the roots
4:40 Death by sun/invaders
7:09 Mulch volcanos
9:38 Permanent cages
10:16 Pot planting issues
12:13 Timing issues
12:51 Planting from pots
17:16 Staking the tree
18:51 Choking staked trees
19:41 Leaving tags on
20:51 Frequent shallow watering
24:22 Damaging the tree
25:01 Tree root surgery
29:10 A word from our sponsor
30:31 We covered a lot of ground

MORE ABOUT ME

I'm Anne of All Trades. In NASHVILLE, I have a woodworking, blacksmithing and fabrication shop, a selection of furry friends, and an organic farm. Whether you've got the knowledge, tools, time or space to do the things you've always wanted to do, everything is "figureoutable."

I became "Anne of All Trades" out of necessity. With no background in farming or making things, I wanted to learn to raise my own food, fix things when they break and build the things I need.

8 years ago I got my first pet, planted my first seed and picked up my first tool.

My goal is to learn and share traditional techniques and skills while showing my peers how to get from where they are to where they want to go, how to do the things they are passionate about, and what can be done TODAY to engage their own community and grow deep roots.

Whether it's carving spoons, making my own hand tools, restoring my antique truck or growing heirloom tomatoes, the farm and workshop definitely keep me busy and support - whether financially through Patreon, through shopping my affiliate links, through buying merchandise, plans or project videos, or even just liking, commenting, and sharing my content with others helps me GREATLY to keep producing quality content to share.

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[MichaelDavis-xi]

30 years ago I purchased my fruit trees by Mail Order to Stark Bros in Missouri. These were bare-root trees, 2 different varieties of each for cross-pollination: Apple, Pear, Plum, Apricot, Peach, Pear, and 6 Blueberry bare-root plants. When the trees arrived I was stunned because they were at least 1" in diameter on the central leader, far larger than my local nurseries offered but at a fraction of the price through Stark Bros. What was hard for me was to take a leap of faith with the planting instructions Stark provided. These instructions thankfully were very detailed. First, the planting holes had to be 4 feet in diameter. This required me to rent a two-man gas power auger with a 7" screw drilled to about 2.5 feet depth. The clay soil was broken up and thoroughly mixed with compost, nitrolized Redwood chips, Jersey Greensand, Rock Phosphate, and some soil Sulphur. The bare root plants were hydrated for 24 hours in water with B1 vitamin. The instruction said to clip off the ends of some of the roots and cull any bad ones entirely. The depth of planting is critical as pointed out in this video. Each tree was staked to allow the wind to vibrate and strengthen the lower part of the tree especially the point where it exits the soil. The rubber guy wires are placed at a point about 1/2 way up the central leader. Then the instructions said to remove all branches from the central leader leaving only it. This would allow the tree roots to be forced to develop. The bark of the central leader gets enough sun to photosynthesize. Stark explained there are three parts of the tree using energy: the Roots, The Branches, and the Fruit. Each one represents 33% of the plant where you must create BALANCE. The sun's energy is 100% and divided into those three parts. Taking off the branches allows the root to use 100% of the sun's energy to develop a very strong root system. I read that I should not expect fruit or allow fruit on the tree for the first three years. Allow it to bear in the fourth year. In year one, two, and three, Stark has instructions how to "Train" the branches into the best for bearing and also to increase the branch strength knot of the central leader. This is necessary because when these fruit up they are so heavy, if not strengthened, they can break off and strip the cambium from the central leader severely wounding the plant. These first three years are critical to the heavy bearing and health of the tree. In the first year, you will see new branches. You will need to select branch exits approximately 120 degrees from each other on the central leader as viewed from the top of the tree. These small diameter branches are flexible and you will train them to become GRADUALLY more PERPENDICULAR to the central leader eliminating all but these three at this level. To train them you use notched sticks of different lengths between the central leader and each branch forcing the branch to about 60 to 70-degree angle from the central leader. These will be replaced with longer sticks in the second year to achieve an angle of 75 to 80 degrees then in the third year about 85 degrees. By this time the branch will be much larger in diameter, like 2 1/2" TO 3", Stark Bros sells these spacers. When looking at your tree you can allow branches at mid-level and up but keep them at three main branches at 120 degrees and stake as explained above. On some trees, like plums, you will in the the third year cut off the central leader above the first three branches to form a "Vase" shape. These and other types of fruit (but not all) love this shape and will be much healthier overall. My fruit trees are pruned annually to maintain a balance of energy to the roots, branches, and fruit. I trim back to reduce the fruit to do this. If you neglect to trim them you will have one year they will bear heavy then the next year you won't have any fruit. You will be doing yourself and the plant a favor by trimming them every year as they bud out. Don't worry the ones you leave on the branches will be incredible and you will have enough of them that's guaranteed! As a final note. my trees are mature now and in excellent health with 8 to 10" diameter central leader and bearing way more than I can eat with very large and delicious fruit. I hope this helps someone. And thanks for your video! It is excellent!

[shapiemau]

This has been perfect information Anne. Folk have got to study nature more because the answers are already there.
Take for example a peach tree, the peach will fall to the ground, it will remain on top of the ground and the flesh will rot around it. Come autumn and the peach tree will lose its foliage, these leaves will fall onto the pip and protect it from the frosts. Eventually spring comes around again and the seed starts to break out - nothing is compacting anything else. Nature has been doing this for years! Thank you both for showing this - we all continue to learn :)

[rachelmunoz]

“Especially when they’re really young…” “so if you scratch the bark or damage the roots, that can be present in the tree for its entire life.”

Wow. That hit deep! Seems like a reflection of how we are as humans too. If we are hurt when we are young, those wounds appear to be present throughout the rest of our lives too. Thankful for healing that can be had!

[kjones]

Anne and Daniel … how timely. Many thanks!

[angelas]

Anne, I absolutely love the humor you bring to everything. Informative and hilarious.

[janiceh]

Im in the UK and have just got my first ever allotment. There is sooo much rubbish, weeds, etc on it but once ive sorted it out, the first thing im going to do is plant my six fruit trees that have been in pots for a year or so now. This was a great video and it was just in time for my planting !

[NinaHansen]

I bought a house that had a very large tree that had been supported by a tomato cage. By the time I came there the metal of the cage was deeply embedded in the bark; there was no way to get it out. One day during a windstorm, the tree gently toppled over. The roots were shallow and I could tell that that the poor thing never had a chance!

[Ishiisan]

I was about to leave to get some fruit trees and Anne had to release a new video. 😂
Thanks for this awesome video!

[bluwtr]

When I've planted my trees I dig a large deep hole in a square shape. My local soil has a clay pan anywhere from 6-18" down. I backfill the hole with compost I make, then clean the roots and splay them out at the correct depth. I DO gently step on the soil to firm it up though. I mulch the top without the "volcano". I ❤ the cardboard idea. Thanks for a great video.

[jonas]

This video alone has changed everything for me and will be saving me so much time & money!!!

[franktobar]

Hello Anne, I appreciate your videos and the enthusiastic energy and approach for subject, topic and content. keep up the good work. Love from Texas

[kirstypollock]

Awesome video. I could watch Daniel all day. So knowledgeable and such a lovely manner.

[rachelmunoz]

Oof! This also makes me ask myself… What are the girdling roots in my own life? 😮

I’m learning that so much spiritual depth is displayed in nature and gardening! God knew exactly what he was doing when he created all of this. Whoa.

[deboz]

Great information. I’m battling with deer eating the apples and the peach branches. And it doesn’t help that a buck decided to rub his antlers on the peach trunk and broke a branch off. 😢

[NatalieClewley]

This video was extremely helpful, thanks Anne & Daniel! I'm getting ready to plant a few apple trees in Maine and I feel more confident now! Just found your videos and I'm enjoying watching you and how you shed light on so many innocent gardening faux pas. You're funny and sweet . . . don't change . . . and don't work yourself to death. 💚

[jtf]

Thank you. Gophers ate the fig tree i grew from a stick. My mulberry tree is gone. Im finally ready to try again... but do gophers like other fruit trees. I don’t expect to get fruit in my foggy cooler area but i was hoping for a pretty spring blossom show each spring.

[Ishiisan]

Went out and checked on my Fuy Persimmon that wasn't look too great. It was rootbound. I did my first chiseling of a tree root. I hope she makes it 🤞

UPDATE: IT’S ALIVE! it's looking so much healthier!

[thetexianpatriot]

I’m getting prepared to plant 15 King Mulberry trees. I propagated them from a bare root tree that I planted 3yrs ago.

[karenturner]

Incredible video thanks - everyone should watch this before planting any kind of tree. I knew some of this but awesome!!!

[dominickfiorenza]

at the end of the year around fall time start colecting ur cow pies, a.k.a cow poops and put a bunch in ur garden and till it in before the winter, ur victory garden will flurish ... my gram made me doo it every fall and we had the best biggest vegges and other small crops... peppers were great .. GOD BLESS GOOD LUCK WIT UR FARM.. FROM A OLD FARM HAND IN PA. 😇😇