Guide to Successful Planting and Growing
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A GROWING LEGACY SINCE 1816 GUIDE TO SU*TOCCE ORDER CALLSSFUL 800-325-4 1PL80 ORAN VISITT STARKBROS.COM.ING AND GROWIN1G The rewards of Inside this helpful guide you’ll find the best, time-proven ways to care for your Stark Bro’s trees and plants. gardeningWe want to be sure you know how to grow the biggest, juiciest and tastiest apples, peaches, pears, cherries, nectarines, plums and other fruits. And we want you to harvest them as soon as possible from your own yard. It’s fun and easy to make your yard bountiful and beautiful with fruit trees. Yard size doesn’t limit your ability to grow your own fruit. Miniature and dwarf fruit trees, for example, yield crops of full-size fruit. Nothing tastes better than fresh, fully tree-ripened fruit, unless it’s a homemade pie with a fresh fruit filling. The harvest is just one of the rewards of growing fruit trees. There’s the natural beauty of trees and plants, the knowledge that you created that beauty with your own two hands and the wonderful sense of relaxation that comes with growing something. Your satisfaction is even greater when you can share the bounty of your yard with family and friends. We hope you enjoy all the rewards of gardening year after year. We also want to thank you so much for your purchase. We’re certain you will be glad you decided to grow Stark Bro’s trees and plants. Cameron G. Brown, President 2 MY GROWING CHART ITEM DATE PLANTED gardening POLLINATOR ALSO PLANTED* DATE FIRST HARVEST EXPECTED PRICE NOTES ON CARE** * A second tree planted to assure good cross-pollination and ample fruit. ** When to prune, fertilize, winter protection suggestions, etc. PROMISE OF SATISFACTION (LIMITED WARRANTY) Since 1816, Stark Bro’s has promised to please customers with the very best fruit trees and landscaping products, no matter what. It’s just this simple. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, let us know within a year of delivery and we will send you a free one-time replacement or refund your full purchase price if you don’t want a replacement. To receive your replacement or refund, please call 800-325-4180. This warranty gives you specific rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. 3 FRUIT TREES FRUIT TREES Plants and trees are important parts of the complicated CARBON balance of all life on earth. Just as all other living things, DIOXIDE they require a balanced diet. But unlike animals, plants SUNLIGHT can take their nourishment directly from the soil and the FOOD air ... with some help from the sun. PRODUCTION Their tiny, hairlike roots take in water with dissolved FOOD FOO↑ D NEW nitrogen and minerals. Using small pores in their leaves, GROWTH plants breathe in carbon dioxide (a waste gas from SOIL ELEMENTS animals). With the energy of sunlight and a process called ↑ photosynthesis, they produce basic food elements. This WATER NITROGEN food is used for the plants continued growth and for their AND MINERALS reproductive efforts. About 40 leaves are Remember, what we see as fruit, the tree has intended as needed to bring one a seed pod. This pod is attractive to animals to bribe them fruit to full development into carrying the seeds to new planting locations. Getting Started Plan BEFORE yoU plant Do you know where you want to plant your new tree? Maybe you want to read this booklet first—or maybe you have no choice in the matter. Then, 20’ let us begin by telling you that you can avoid many future problems by considering all aspects of the planting spot. • Sun and good soil. Your tree would love a sunny place with well-drained, fertile soil. But it will be quite satisfied Standard size with six to eight hours of sunlight. Good drainage is required to keep your trees “happy.” If your soil has a high clay content, use our Coco-Fiber Potting Medium* or 15’ add one-third peat to the soil at planting time. We do not recommend planting fruit trees in heavy, pure clay soils. Even if your yard isn’t the most ideal location, take Semi-dwarf heart. Fruit trees are very adaptable and respond well to fertilizers, so they can get along well even where the soil is 10’ nutritionally poor. Just steer clear of sites with extremely heavy soils or very poor drainage. • Check out the surroundings. If you’d like your tree Dwarf to become a landscaping asset, choose the planting place 6’ with this in mind. Imagine it as a full-grown tree and check everything out: Wires overhead? Sidewalk underneath? Does it obstruct something you want to see? Can you keep Miniature an eye on it from the house? Will other trees be in the way, Space needed by mature allowing for their additional growth in the meantime? fruit trees. 4 *TO ORDER CALL 800-325-4180 OR VISIT STARKBROS.COM. FRUIT TREES Even a year or two after planting, your tree will be very difficult to transplant. So take the time to plant it in just the right place. • Space wisely. First-time fruit tree growers often ask about recommended planting distances from patios, sewer lines, water pipes and so on. Ordinarily, patios will not be a problem because the soil beneath them will be dry and compacted. Therefore, the roots will not grow into this area as much. It’s still recommended, however, that you plant at least 8-10’ away from patios, water pipes and sewer pipes since the root size will usually be about one-third larger than the above-ground tree size. You might not expect sewer and water lines to be affected since they are buried so deeply. But, since sewer and water lines tend to be wet, roots will grow to them and around them if the tree is planted too close. However, by planting your trees far enough away from these items, you can avoid this problem. Leave space FOR FUTURE plantings Once you’ve found out about fruit growing goodness firsthand, you’ll want to expand your home orchard. It’s important to plan for tree spacing so that the future growth areas will be ready when you are. One way to help you visualize your exact tree spacing is by staking out the positions of your present and future plantings A. But how do you make sure the hole goes where the stake is? One method is to prepare a planting board that is notched B. The planting board is used to show where the original position was after the hole was dug. To use it, simply put the stake in the tree notch as indicated and then put stakes on each end. Then, remove the board and dig the hole. When the hole is big enough to accommodate the roots, replace the board between the two stakes and place the tree in the tree notch. Use the planting board as a guide, keeping the tree erect. The planting board can be used over and over again. WHEN TO PLANT YOUR TREE The sooner you plant, the better. If you must delay planting your new trees and plants until the weather breaks, you can safely store them for a short period. Open the package and cover the roots with newspaper. Moisten the roots and newspaper to keep them damp. Then rewrap them in their shipping plastic and store in a cool, dark place such as a basement or garage. A temperature of 40˚ F is ideal, but anything under 60˚ will work for a short period of time. If planting must be delayed for more than 10 days, heel in the plant C (see p. 6). Dig a sloping trench long and wide enough to hold the roots. Then lay the plant in the trench, with the roots against the steep side. Cover the roots with soil and soak with water. Please be patient. Bareroot stock will begin root development soon after it is planted, but plants need time to develop before top growth is sizable. Most spring-planted Check your proposed planting site to be sure larger trees won’t block sunlight to your new Stake Tree Notch Stake plantings. A B *TO ORDER CALL 800-325-4180 OR VISIT STARKBROS.COM. 5 FRUIT TREES items need three to six weeks before new sprouts appear. Fall-planted items may Heeling in plants not display new top growth until spring. If you don’t have a cool area that won’t freeze, bareroot berries and other small C plants can be kept in the lower section of your refrigerator, but DO NOT store Soak roots in a tub of them with fruits or vegetables unless water 1-2 hours before COMPLETELY sealed in airtight plastic. planting. Better yet, double seal them in plastic, as fruits in your refrigerator give off gases D that are lethal to plants. Gallon-size resealable bags are ideal. Before planting, soak tree roots in a tub or large trash can of water for one to two hours D. Do not soak more than six hours. Your trees and plants may be planted even when temperatures are quite cool. Generally, as long as your soil is workable, it is fine to plant. If a hard frost is expected, it is advisable to delay planting for a while until temperatures become more moderate. DO NOT expose roots to freezing temperatures while planting. Planting DIGGING A HOLE Old-time gardeners say you need a ten-dollar hole for a five-dollar tree.