Skills books › Growing Fruit Trees in South Africa

How to plant a fruit tree

Most young fruit trees that die in their first year were planted too deep, planted in a hole that held water, or left to dry out. Plant at the same depth the tree grew in its bag, with the graft union above the soil, in soil that drains.

Choose the spot

• Full sun: at least six hours a day in summer.
• Shelter from strong wind and, for tender trees, from frost.
• Drainage: no water standing for long after heavy rain.
• Space for the tree's full size.

Keep at least two to three metres from walls and foundations, and well away from drains, pipes, cables and overhead power lines. Fig roots in particular spread far. Keep a mulched circle about a metre across free of lawn, because grass competes hard with a young tree.

Test the drainage first

1. Dig a hole about 40 cm deep and 40 cm wide.
2. Fill it with water and let it drain completely.
3. Fill it again and note the time.

• Drains in a few hours: good. Plant normally.
• Takes most of a day: slow. Dig compost into a wide area and plant a little high.
• More than a day: poor. Choose another spot, or plant on a mound about 40 cm high and 1.5 m across.

Avocados and citrus are especially sensitive to wet soil.

When to plant

• In frosty areas, plant evergreen and subtropical trees in spring, after the last frost.
• Plant deciduous trees from late winter to spring.
• In the winter-rainfall Cape, autumn and early winter planting lets the rain settle the tree in.
• Avoid the hottest and coldest weeks.

Planting a bagged tree

1. Water the tree in its bag an hour or two beforehand.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the bag and no deeper than the soil in the bag. Loosen the sides.
3. Mix the soil you dug out with compost, about one part compost to three parts soil. Put no strong fertiliser or fresh manure in the hole.
4. Slit the bag and peel it away, keeping the soil round the roots in one piece.
5. Set the tree so that the top of its soil is level with the ground, and the graft union is a hand's width above the soil.
6. Fill in and firm gently. Do not pile soil against the trunk.
7. Make a low ring of soil to hold water over the roots.
8. Water slowly with two or three full buckets.
9. Mulch 5 to 10 cm deep, a hand's width away from the trunk.

Staking

A young tree in a windy spot needs a stake for a year or two.

• Put the stake on the windward side.
• Use a soft, wide tie in a figure of eight. Never use wire or thin string.
• Tie it low, about a third of the way up the trunk.
• Loosen the ties as the trunk grows.

The first season

The first year is about roots.

• Water deeply: a bucket or two, two or three times a week in hot, dry weather. Feel the soil a finger deep and water when it is dry.
• Keep the mulch topped up and the circle free of grass.
• Do not feed heavily in the first few months.
• Protect thin young bark from sunburn with thinned white water-based paint.
• Cover frost-tender trees on frosty nights.
• Remove most of the fruit in the first year or two, so that the tree puts its strength into roots and branches.

Signs of trouble

• Wilting with wet soil: too much water or poor drainage.
• Wilting with dry soil: water deeply at once.
• Yellow leaves on a new tree: usually water or roots, not hunger. Check the drainage and planting depth before you feed.

This guide is based on Chapter 3 of Growing Fruit Trees in South Africa, which also covers bare-root trees.