In general, fruit trees should be planted in the fall. All of the garden centers will have ordered fruit trees ahead of time and they should be arriving soon. Trees begin to go dormant in the fall. They prepare for the winter by drawing much of their sap to the trunk to prevent freezing, leaving the feeder roots without the need for pulling up much water and the leaves without enough sap to keep them from drying up and falling off. And of course, that is what gives the season it’s name.
In the fall, a tree can be jerked out of it’s pot by the trunk and unceremoniously deposited into a well prepared hole in the ground without harm. The feeder roots may break off, but they aren’t doing a whole lot of work at that time of year anyway. If it were spring, great care would have to be taken in removing the tree from the pot without damaging the delicate web of tiny roots that must support the foliage. This is why many trees planted in the spring die. It is possible to transplant trees in the spring, but it requires so much care that it is not worth doing, since it is much simpler and safer to transplant trees at the right time of year for their systems.
In the spring, the tree will begin to put out new feeder roots. It will begin to establish itself in it’s new home and put on new leaves. With proper care and feeding, fruit trees can provide an abundance of fresh fruit in their season.
We managed to plant a few fruit trees last fall. Unfortunately, it did not rain at all through the winter and in the spring, it rained nearly everyday in April. This set all of the trees up for a bad time. Because there was so much water in the spring, the trees allowed their roots to grow very deep. Once April ended and the temperatures in May shot up to 100+ degrees with no rain, the trees all began to suffer. Watering was ineffective. The water could not penetrate deeply enough to reach the roots. The trees became stressed in this region and many have died all over South Texas. Fruit trees were not the only victims. Live Oak, Pine, Crepe Myrtles, and many other species have died. Everywhere we go, we see dead trees in unusually high numbers. It is very sad.
Our wonderful orange tree was among the casualties, our peach trees, the nectarines, and several pears. We have only one pear tree left. It is a true survivor.
So, this year, we will be planting fruit trees. I also hope to plant blueberry bushes since there are now some very hardy ones that will tolerate our heat and drought reasonably well. If we have another summer of drought and extremely high temperatures, those blueberry bushes will be the first to go, I know, but I’m an optimist. I believe we will see an end to the drought this winter and hopefully, next summer, our climate will be more cooperative.
When we are ready to plant the fruit trees, we will explain why we choose the varieties we buy. We will take photographs of soil preparation and planting. We will compare the different characteristics of trees that yield the same fruit and discuss the special requirements of each tree. We will explain the schedule for feeding and reasons why it is necessary in order to get an abundant crop. Harvesting fruit is one of the most rewarding experiences in traditional farming.
More on this subject in the fall…
