Planting Instructions
Dig a hole 2-3 times as deep and 2 times as wide (at minimum) as the container that your new tree is in. Create a soil mixture using the following ratio as a basic guideline:
- 50% Native soil
- 50% GreenLife soil (or something similar, that drains well)
- 1 Tablespoon Mycorrhizae
- At a minimum, a couple handfuls of fresh worm castings
Plant your tree approx 3” above grade, so when the dirt settles after the 1st watering, the crown of the rootball will be a bit higher than the ground around it. You want the top roots exposed.
Create a berm at least 4 inches high around the tree’s drip line using your leftover native soil. (A drip line is the farthest points of a tree’s foliage.) Check out our YouTube channel for video demonstrations on this important step!
On top of the soil, apply layers of the following:
- 1 inch of FRESH Worm Castings
- 1 inch of FRESH Compost (approx one bag per tree)
- A shovel full of Azomite
- 12 inches of mulch (wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, pine needles, straw, etc.)
Feeding instructions
- Every 6 weeks in the growing season (Feb-Oct): apply Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed blend (1 ounce per one gallon of water) and granular food (7-5-4 for containers or 8-3-9 for in-ground plants; see package for dosing instructions).
- Every 6 months: apply slow-release granular food (18-6-8 to be for container or in-ground plants; see package for dosing instructions).
Watering
Please Note: Drip irrigation is not a recommended way to water your new fruit trees. Learn to check the soil by testing it with your finger. Check out our YouTube channel for videos on how to appropriately water.
When watering for the first time, provide four times the gallon size of the container your new tree is in. For example, a 3 gallon container would require 12 gallons of water.
when maintenance watering, provide two times the gallon size of the container your tree came in. For example, a 3 gallon container would require 6 gallons of water.
- Winter (below 70 degrees): water once every 7-14 days
- Spring and Fall (70-90 degrees): water once every 5-7 days
- Summer (90-110 degrees): water once every 3-5 days
- Extreme Heat (above 110 degrees): water once every 1-3 days
