Need help with planting trees

[Chuckt]

I need help with planting trees.

I bought some trees from one store and whoever potted them cut the roots off so when I went to plant them, there were no roots and the trees died. I don't know anything about giving them root hormone to get their roots to grow.

I tried growing Apple trees from seeds and I tried growing plum trees from pit seeds. I'm not sure what grew but I didn't get trees from them.

I go to the local hardware store which has a garden section and they don't always have trees in stock.

What is the best time of year to plant them?

I would like to plant an Apple tree, a pear tree and a plum tree on my property.

 

[Politico]

depends on the tree you are planting and where you live.

 

[Mertex]

I need help with planting trees.

I bought some trees from one store and whoever potted them cut the roots off so when I went to plant them, there were no roots and the trees died. I don't know anything about giving them root hormone to get their roots to grow.

I tried growing Apple trees from seeds and I tried growing plum trees from pit seeds. I'm not sure what grew but I didn't get trees from them.

I go to the local hardware store which has a garden section and they don't always have trees in stock.

What is the best time of year to plant them?

I would like to plant an Apple tree, a pear tree and a plum tree on my property.

It depends on where you live....

Here's a link for finding out your geographical gardening zone....most nurseries have their plants/trees tagged for the zones in which they do best. I'm in "zone 8" - so right now it is ideal for me to plant, as the threat of frost is gone. September is usually better for my area, because it allows the tree/plant to get established before winter, as long as it is a tree that will do well in my zone's winters.

How to Find Your Own Garden Growing Zone | eHow

 

[ozro]

In addition to dealing with the local climate, think hybrid trees. Modern fruit trees come in all varieties. Planting seeds from apples or other fruits will not give you a good tree. Hybrids make great food, but yield terrible seeds.
There is a reason trees are so expensive from a reputable nursery.

Most fruits take at least two trees to produce fruit, one polonizes the other. You can find trees in a nursery that have been grafted to yield 2 to 4 different kinds of apples, or pears or plums, and it will polonize itself.
All good apple trees are grafted, that is the best way to assure the type of apple you get.
Expect to wait 2 to 5 years to get apples from a nursery tree (some take longer), depending on your local climate and the kind of fruit you plant.
As an aside I planted a pair of hazelnut trees when I was twelve years old. They gave their first nuts when I was 26 years old.

 

[Dekster]

I need help with planting trees.

I bought some trees from one store and whoever potted them cut the roots off so when I went to plant them, there were no roots and the trees died. I don't know anything about giving them root hormone to get their roots to grow.

I tried growing Apple trees from seeds and I tried growing plum trees from pit seeds. I'm not sure what grew but I didn't get trees from them.

I go to the local hardware store which has a garden section and they don't always have trees in stock.

What is the best time of year to plant them?

I would like to plant an Apple tree, a pear tree and a plum tree on my property.

Fall is the best time to plant most trees. It gives them the winter to put on roots, but you need to also make sure they get moisture through the winter.

Most common apple varieties will not grow from seed because the seed wasn't fertilized. They are propagated by growers that graft branches from an existing tree onto different root stocks like is the case with most roses. Depending on which kind you plant, you might need 1 or 2 more of a different variety in order to get them to produce fruit like when you need a china boy and a china girl holly to get the red berries on the holly bushes. I recently purchased and planted some apple trees. There was a very specific variety of a heritage apple I wanted. I discussed it with a grower over the internet in several back and forths who helped me decide which other apples to plant with it. If I had purchased just all the same tree, the fruit would have been sterile so he helped me select some kinds that were also heritage trees but worked well with the ones I really wanted. This grower starts all his trees on whips he gets from other trees grafted onto root stock.

If you want actual fruit, make sure you do not buy ornamental pears (like bradford pears) or ornamental plums (like some of the purple plum trees) as they might produce some fruit but not really what you are looking for. You really need to do research on fruit trees before you put your money into them. Some have specific requirements a novice planter might no realize. Like there are some peaches that will self-pollinate so you only need one, but most are not that way.

 

[Mr. H.]

Soil preparation is a critical component. Make sure the hole is of adequate size, use sand and manure and a compost mix that is rich in nutrients.

 

[Dekster]

Soil preparation is a critical component. Make sure the hole is of adequate size, use sand and manure and a compost mix that is rich in nutrients.

I also plant mine so that the base is above the surrounding ground level and then mulch up to the base when starting them out. Helps keep them drained. I did learn from the grower an interesting trick. If you want your apple to reach full 25+ foot height, you have to keep the graft union above soil when you plant it, but if you want to keep your trees smaller and more compact, then you should plant them with the graft union below the soil line.

 

[Mr. H.]

Soil preparation is a critical component. Make sure the hole is of adequate size, use sand and manure and a compost mix that is rich in nutrients.

I also plant mine so that the base is above the surrounding ground level and then mulch up to the base when starting them out. Helps keep them drained. I did learn from the grower an interesting trick. If you want your apple to reach full 25+ foot height, you have to keep the graft union above soil when you plant it, but if you want to keep your trees smaller and more compact, then you should plant them with the graft union below the soil line.

That is all well and good. But as the OP has expressed, the roots have been torn asunder. I would mix a high sand component allowing for free growth. Incorporating surrounding earth as well as manure and loam (clay) are also critical. The clay would provide for a sturdy support of the compromised root system.

 

[Dekster]

Soil preparation is a critical component. Make sure the hole is of adequate size, use sand and manure and a compost mix that is rich in nutrients.

I also plant mine so that the base is above the surrounding ground level and then mulch up to the base when starting them out. Helps keep them drained. I did learn from the grower an interesting trick. If you want your apple to reach full 25+ foot height, you have to keep the graft union above soil when you plant it, but if you want to keep your trees smaller and more compact, then you should plant them with the graft union below the soil line.

That is all well and good. But as the OP has expressed, the roots have been torn asunder. I would mix a high sand component allowing for free growth. Incorporating surrounding earth, manure, and loam (clay) are also critical. The clay would provide for a sturdy support of the compromised root system.

I doubt you can save a tree with no roots if you plant in the spring. Maybe if you stake the thing from ever possible direction and flood it all summer. It would probably be stunted and die even if you could nurse it through the first year or two. It is one of my beefs with retailers. They do not have fall inventories of trees and shrubs because they have cleared that out to make room for cut Christmas trees. I also wonder how many people get turned off because they buy violets in April and they are dead in June and they think it is their fault when Lowe's shouldn't be selling the things in the spring at all. Anyway, whenever possible, I try to buy field grown trees instead of container grown ones.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Soil preparation is a critical component. Make sure the hole is of adequate size, use sand and manure and a compost mix that is rich in nutrients.

I also plant mine so that the base is above the surrounding ground level and then mulch up to the base when starting them out. Helps keep them drained. I did learn from the grower an interesting trick. If you want your apple to reach full 25+ foot height, you have to keep the graft union above soil when you plant it, but if you want to keep your trees smaller and more compact, then you should plant them with the graft union below the soil line.

That is all well and good. But as the OP has expressed, the roots have been torn asunder. I would mix a high sand component allowing for free growth. Incorporating surrounding earth as well as manure and loam (clay) are also critical. The clay would provide for a sturdy support of the compromised root system.

The photo of the blue birds is lovely, Mr. H.!

 

[FuzzyCat]

Actually, it is best to not put any manures or compost into a tree planting hole. This will cause the new roots to stay close where the additions have been applied and not "reach" out for nutrients in the soil.
Also when planting, make a hole like a bowl....big around with sloping sides and deeper in the middle. When you take the tree from the pot or root ball, separate/spread the roots in the bowl and then back fill. I've seen many trees either die or not reach their full potential due to no one getting those roots out of that ball.
Root pruning is not unusual when transplanting trees, but cutting ALL the roots off is really strange. Some small trees come with very few if any feeder roots and those need to develop.....one reason for keeping moisture in the soil of a newly planted tree.
Dekster is correct, fall is the best time to plant most trees. This allows the tree time to develop a good root system before it has to struggle to also put out leaves and flowers!

For the OP, do your research prior to planting fruit trees. Find out what you area requirements are for "chill hours", varieties that suit that and your needs and whether or not another variety is required for pollination.....just some of the things to look at.

I have started many trees from seeds. Most that are started from seeds from a hybrid will revert to one of the parents when it produces fruit, so what you get will be different than the fruit you took the seed from.

 

[Dekster]

Actually, it is best to not put any manures or compost into a tree planting hole. This will cause the new roots to stay close where the additions have been applied and not "reach" out for nutrients in the soil.

I go back and forth on this. My general rule is to mix it in with dirt from the hole when planting because we have heavy clay soil in my area generally. I think it helps get the air pockets out down around the tap root and helps get water down to the roots in the following summer when the clay would otherwise by hydrophobic in the summer heat. I don't usually do it when I am planting in the more loamy spots in my property. I usually chop into the sides of the hole before planting to try to break up any horizontal compaction caused by the dig as well.

I do score the roots of container grown plants that show signs of girdling but that seems more common in greenhouse landscaping stock than fruit trees.

 

[Treeshepherd]

I need help with planting trees.

I bought some trees from one store and whoever potted them cut the roots off so when I went to plant them, there were no roots and the trees died. I don't know anything about giving them root hormone to get their roots to grow.

I tried growing Apple trees from seeds and I tried growing plum trees from pit seeds. I'm not sure what grew but I didn't get trees from them.

I go to the local hardware store which has a garden section and they don't always have trees in stock.

What is the best time of year to plant them?

I would like to plant an Apple tree, a pear tree and a plum tree on my property.

A common mistake is planting the tree too deep, above the graft line (causing the trunk to rot). Conversely, planting the tree too shallow is also harmful.

Mix compost into the hole. Soak the hole. After planting, slow drip for deep watering. If you're hand watering, lay the hose on a slight trickle for an hour or more. That's better than broadcasting a wave of water for a few minutes. It often seems like you're adequately watering that way, but then you dig down and find that the root zone is still dry. Of course, my experience is with dry summers. Some parts of the country get rain all year round.

 

[GLASNOST]

I bought some trees from one store and whoever potted them cut the roots off so when I went to plant them, there were no roots and the trees died.

You didn't return them to the shop?