Good point to keep people aware of. Also because the feeder/adventitious horizontal roots will more easily find the top soil being higher vs being lower and running into high clay or sand content soil.
Not just planting aggressively in the understory but near to the house like that is an inspiration to plant more and find that "extra space " for that one last tree. Keep the vids coming, Pete
You are awesome! Can't thank you enough for all your informative videos. On my to-do list today is dig up and replant an avocado I planted too low. Just checked it out yesterday after watching the video and the graft was below the soil line. Fingers crossed it survives the transplant. I planted it in may and it's really just started to take off.
I bought a bunch of fruit trees and am learning. What I did is find the highest root on the rootstock and I cover that with 1-2" of soil and stake the tree. On some of my trees that puts the root ball maybe 3 or 4" deep. I dont think it'll be a problem because the way I see it the tree grew that root so it was living happily enough that deep in the pot.
This is timely, Pete. I am about to plant around a dozen new trees (in 3-gallon pots) and think I need to "pop up" and replant some that are not planted as they should be, particularly a little mango tree (a Mother's day gift in 2016) that is not doing well. I am in Pasco County too, closer to the Gulf coast. Thank you for the content so relevant to our area, specifically.
Hey Pete, thanks for sharing those nuggets of wisdom. We have heavy clay soil...live in Mediterranean climate ...what trees do you recommend? And what tree will be absolutely no go? Thank you so much in advance and greetings from the beautiful southwest of western Australia
Jeff it's really the key to success! I've also ran into consultants that say double dig and plant at ground level, I'd like to see those trees in 5 years.
Thanks for the feedback Jeff! Sorry to hear the misinformation being spread, even the county extension agents tell you to plant at ground level in a pit. #faceplam
Agree...Jay Barringer ("Yes, It Can Grow Here" --latest youtube site) is actually pretty successful doing it but he also greatly amends the hole, often with his own compost soil mixture...he does quite a few consultations that way (which I would dispute, though I know & like Jay) ...Normally, amending the soil, of course, for native plants disrupts the interface...but for non-native tropicals, amending seems to work reasonably well....he also waters extensively (I promote more sustainability)...it works for him for at least a few yrs but who knows long-term. I would NEVER plant low; I have had great success planting just "slightly" higher so if the root ball sinks slightly, it is still at or above ground level. Too much higher allows water to drain off (though we mulch well, we have more of a clay soil here). So--believe me--I am on board ! I would love to show him this video :) :)
Thank you for the advice it was really helpful when I was planting my fruit trees but I wanted to ask you this I have a Jaboticaba in a 25 gallon pot and I was thinking to put it in the ground I’m in sw Florida but I’m not sure if that is a bad idea, any advice.
Yes! It's not too late to dig them up and replant. It does depend on species, location and time of year, Remember when digging them up and cutting roots you most also remove some foligae to help the tree recover and not dry out.
Sharing this with my other horticultural students on out tea break in the UK. We are the planting team at the moment planting hundreds of rare and interesting trees and shrubs in sir Harold Hillier gardens
Clay soil demands the same treatment AND it would actually be better if you plant on a mound with native soil and organic mulch/material. A bit of cedar mulch mixed in may help against insects and termites.
You are the 3rd person I'm going to pose this question to. No one has answered me. I'm sitting on very heavy clay. I'm going to do a raised bed to plant fruit trees in. Will not bother with native clay. Cherries, sour cherries, figs..etc. someone suggested sandy loam. Should I go with this? Can I put worm castings in it?
Chris Buenos But tight I mean you can't over pack or too tightly pack the soil back in around the tree. We will sometimes stomp with our boots, punch the dirt as we are planting or even use a heavy pole tamper with some larger specimens. I talked about it in my other tree planting video, but will do a new one here soon.
Pete, I live in central south Texas where we don't often have cold weather. I have 18 fruit trees to plant this fall. The trees I have to plant have been started from seed, rather than graft. How does one plant "High and Tight" with no graft to judge by?
Hi Kate! I would dig the holes more than 3/4 of the plant depth. This will allow some of the plant to Stay above ground level, especially if it settles. I need an updated tree planting demo video.
I heard you mention avocado? I’ve had in mind never plant above the original seed from the rootstock. Recently I have seen people burying a lot of the graft which is said to promote roots up the rootstock and create more vigor. Have you had any experience with this?
Yo´ Pete, how you doing man? Being from the tropics (Panamá) I really like your Costa Rican Series. I have a question, i have a delonix regia (flamboyant) of three feet. Just planted 2 months ago and now its just the trunk with no branches!!!!! I don't know if its the soil or ants or something else!... but it isn´t thriving.What you recommend? i'm about to take it out of the place where i put it...
Juan Torm hey bro! Thanks for the feedback, we’ve been editing the videos from out 2.0 CR tour the last few weeks. Good question with the tree, I’m not real familiar with your soil profiles. I do know the roots are fairly sensitive and if they were disturbed that could be a problem. Also I would look into the ants that has been a big problem for me here in Florida with new plantings. Hope this helps. I’m also thinking it could be shock and hopefully recover fine.
Thanks man... well, Panama has mainly poor clay soils. My land has a combination of clay and rocks due to its location in a mountainous region... i think ants or insects might be the problem, but not sure.... anyway i have never heard that tip of planting high and tight... mmm gonna give it a shot..
This little gem of advice came in perfect time. I'm planting 16 fruit trees tomorrow. Apples, peaches, pears, cherries, 4 of each. I'll definitely have to remember this :)
very difficult to understand, planting for dummies, mango tree in my backyard in delray beach, no mangoes, NY fashion woman and designer, artist, clueless about this, but interested in any tips on existing mango tree.
Your method is great. Most fruit trees are surface feeders so amending the soil down in the hole makes no sense. They need those nutrients up at the surface. At least that's my theory.
So, you didn't explain what you might about 'tight' i understand the high, sort of not sure 'how' high, but ok, what are you talking about when you are saying 'tight', do you mean plant them tight together? In tight groups? Or keep the roots tight, don't spread them out? Or stake them tight? Pack the mulch tight around the base? Can you add that at the end, the meaning of 'tight'?
i planted straight into the clay and only 2 bananas survived along with all the babies that came up after planting so i think that means i planted wrong but its still possible lol, i dont want to dig big holes and replace soil but its probly the only way, i actually did plant above the soil and they all ended up settling down perfectly to where theres a slight up slope to the tree trunk, im sure if i didnt do that i wouldnt have anything right now lol actually its possible i lost a whole row due to the stems sinking to or below the soil level, they all looked fine and then they all started rotting from the base and falling over, could be collar rot as the mulch was against the stem aswel, didnt even get close to loosing the main stems where i used woodchips as mulch tho, from the outside in anyway, some of them had nothing wrong at all with them exept were dead just a tiny bit in the centre..which means they are basicly dead lol
BetterYouBetterWorld bananas, figs and papayas are some of the only plants in Florida we amend the holes for due to nematodes. I wish we had clay to experiment with, that should help greatly with water retention.
Peter, this is not related to the topic of your video today (quite good info). A while back I believe I saw a video of yours that showed a papaya tree that had been topped and which had three new branches growing quite healthily... Well, Hurricane Irma topped all my papaya trees. They were all seared in half. Now they are all sprouting all over the trunk. My question to you is: should I clean the trunks up and leave just a few growth points? And, where on the trunk should I leave them... High? Low? Thank you so much for all your great videos and priceless information.
Thank you! We keep ours about 2ft from the ground, I would leave any lower leaves. Be sure to make a clean angled cut not leaving a large cavity for the water to sit, that would cause rotting.
Vegan Nurse Practitioner by tight I mean packing the soil around the tree a tight as possible. Loss trees and soil have been nothing but problems in my experience.
I'll remember that advice, I just purchased 5 acres in Punta Gorda off of Zemel, and plan to start my food forest down there in a couple years. I wondered how to plant Mangos and such since it gets so wet at times, but the way you explain makes sense, thank you!
Vegan Nurse Practitioner no problem. My good friend Matt with the “What’s ripening “ youtube channel is right in your area. He has an amazing young site worth seeing.
"How to plant a FRUIT TREE when you have Sandy soil." Did you forget this was the tagline of the video? You should have called the video "high and tight"
Good point to keep people aware of. Also because the feeder/adventitious horizontal roots will more easily find the top soil being higher vs being lower and running into high clay or sand content soil.
Not just planting aggressively in the understory but near to the house like that is an inspiration to plant more and find that "extra space " for that one last tree. Keep the vids coming, Pete
Thanks Joe! I don't think people how densely you can plant with proper pruning.
Pete. Does planting high and tight also apply to trees grown from seed or are you only referring to grafts?
This channel is awesome👏👏
You are awesome! Can't thank you enough for all your informative videos. On my to-do list today is dig up and replant an avocado I planted too low. Just checked it out yesterday after watching the video and the graft was below the soil line. Fingers crossed it survives the transplant. I planted it in may and it's really just started to take off.
I bought a bunch of fruit trees and am learning. What I did is find the highest root on the rootstock and I cover that with 1-2" of soil and stake the tree. On some of my trees that puts the root ball maybe 3 or 4" deep. I dont think it'll be a problem because the way I see it the tree grew that root so it was living happily enough that deep in the pot.
Keep the pro tips coming!
^What he said.
For sure! 👊
This is timely, Pete. I am about to plant around a dozen new trees (in 3-gallon pots) and think I need to "pop up" and replant some that are not planted as they should be, particularly a little mango tree (a Mother's day gift in 2016) that is not doing well. I am in Pasco County too, closer to the Gulf coast. Thank you for the content so relevant to our area, specifically.
Awesome! I really hope this helps and gives you better success.
Thanks for the tip, I’m going to watch this a couple more times great advice Mr. Pete.
Hey Pete, thanks for sharing those nuggets of wisdom. We have heavy clay soil...live in Mediterranean climate ...what trees do you recommend? And what tree will be absolutely no go? Thank you so much in advance and greetings from the beautiful southwest of western Australia
Great video! I planted my whole front yard in Southern California this way, and I haven't had any problems with this technique on clay rocky soil.
Miguel Lopez awesome! Thanks for the feedback, I don't have any experience out west.
I agree !! And have planted that way for some time ! Though a noted consultant here disputes some of this...and he plants low.
Jeff it's really the key to success! I've also ran into consultants that say double dig and plant at ground level, I'd like to see those trees in 5 years.
Thanks for the feedback Jeff! Sorry to hear the misinformation being spread, even the county extension agents tell you to plant at ground level in a pit. #faceplam
Agree...Jay Barringer ("Yes, It Can Grow Here" --latest youtube site) is actually pretty successful doing it but he also greatly amends the hole, often with his own compost soil mixture...he does quite a few consultations that way (which I would dispute, though I know & like Jay) ...Normally, amending the soil, of course, for native plants disrupts the interface...but for non-native tropicals, amending seems to work reasonably well....he also waters extensively (I promote more sustainability)...it works for him for at least a few yrs but who knows long-term. I would NEVER plant low; I have had great success planting just "slightly" higher so if the root ball sinks slightly, it is still at or above ground level. Too much higher allows water to drain off (though we mulch well, we have more of a clay soil here). So--believe me--I am on board ! I would love to show him this video :) :)
Thank you for the advice it was really helpful when I was planting my fruit trees but I wanted to ask you this I have a Jaboticaba in a 25 gallon pot and I was thinking to put it in the ground I’m in sw Florida but I’m not sure if that is a bad idea, any advice.
I planted some of mine. too low last year is there any thing I can do for them. great video.
Yes! It's not too late to dig them up and replant. It does depend on species, location and time of year, Remember when digging them up and cutting roots you most also remove some foligae to help the tree recover and not dry out.
Sharing this with my other horticultural students on out tea break in the UK. We are the planting team at the moment planting hundreds of rare and interesting trees and shrubs in sir Harold Hillier gardens
Clay soil demands the same treatment AND it would actually be better if you plant on a mound with native soil and organic mulch/material. A bit of cedar mulch mixed in may help against insects and termites.
You are the 3rd person I'm going to pose this question to. No one has answered me.
I'm sitting on very heavy clay. I'm going to do a raised bed to plant fruit trees in. Will not bother with native clay. Cherries, sour cherries, figs..etc. someone suggested sandy loam. Should I go with this? Can I put worm castings in it?
Keep it growing on brother.....
Hulagu Kahn yeah dude!
Pete, please explain the planting thight technique. I get the planting high
Chris Buenos But tight I mean you can't over pack or too tightly pack the soil back in around the tree. We will sometimes stomp with our boots, punch the dirt as we are planting or even use a heavy pole tamper with some larger specimens. I talked about it in my other tree planting video, but will do a new one here soon.
Cant wait for the new planting video bro
Love ya, thank you for the tree tip.
Brigitte LM 😘
Pete, I live in central south Texas where we don't often have cold weather. I have 18 fruit trees to plant this fall. The trees I have to plant have been started from seed, rather than graft. How does one plant "High and Tight" with no graft to judge by?
Hi Kate! I would dig the holes more than 3/4 of the plant depth. This will allow some of the plant to Stay above ground level, especially if it settles. I need an updated tree planting demo video.
True that! Thanks Pete.
I heard you mention avocado? I’ve had in mind never plant above the original seed from the rootstock. Recently I have seen people burying a lot of the graft which is said to promote roots up the rootstock and create more vigor. Have you had any experience with this?
Lol I saw you guys at the usf plant sale the other day but you were busy with a fan
Hi Luis! Sorry we missed you it was a hectic day. Hopefully we meet next time :)
Yo´ Pete, how you doing man? Being from the tropics (Panamá) I really like your Costa Rican Series. I have a question, i have a delonix regia (flamboyant) of three feet. Just planted 2 months ago and now its just the trunk with no branches!!!!! I don't know if its the soil or ants or something else!... but it isn´t thriving.What you recommend? i'm about to take it out of the place where i put it...
Juan Torm hey bro! Thanks for the feedback, we’ve been editing the videos from out 2.0 CR tour the last few weeks. Good question with the tree, I’m not real familiar with your soil profiles. I do know the roots are fairly sensitive and if they were disturbed that could be a problem. Also I would look into the ants that has been a big problem for me here in Florida with new plantings. Hope this helps. I’m also thinking it could be shock and hopefully recover fine.
Thanks man... well, Panama has mainly poor clay soils. My land has a combination of clay and rocks due to its location in a mountainous region... i think ants or insects might be the problem, but not sure.... anyway i have never heard that tip of planting high and tight... mmm gonna give it a shot..
This little gem of advice came in perfect time. I'm planting 16 fruit trees tomorrow. Apples, peaches, pears, cherries, 4 of each. I'll definitely have to remember this :)
Glad to help! 👊
I'm half way through the video... high and tight.. and i still dont know what it is.
Same thank you lol
He not good at explaining his stuff
Dang. What can we do about existing fruit trees that may already have been planted too low..? Asking for a friend. 😉
very difficult to understand, planting for dummies, mango tree in my backyard in delray beach, no mangoes, NY fashion woman and designer, artist, clueless about this, but interested in any tips on existing mango tree.
Your method is great. Most fruit trees are surface feeders so amending the soil down in the hole makes no sense. They need those nutrients up at the surface. At least that's my theory.
So, you didn't explain what you might about 'tight' i understand the high, sort of not sure 'how' high, but ok, what are you talking about when you are saying 'tight', do you mean plant them tight together? In tight groups? Or keep the roots tight, don't spread them out? Or stake them tight? Pack the mulch tight around the base? Can you add that at the end, the meaning of 'tight'?
i planted straight into the clay and only 2 bananas survived along with all the babies that came up after planting so i think that means i planted wrong but its still possible lol, i dont want to dig big holes and replace soil but its probly the only way, i actually did plant above the soil and they all ended up settling down perfectly to where theres a slight up slope to the tree trunk, im sure if i didnt do that i wouldnt have anything right now lol actually its possible i lost a whole row due to the stems sinking to or below the soil level, they all looked fine and then they all started rotting from the base and falling over, could be collar rot as the mulch was against the stem aswel, didnt even get close to loosing the main stems where i used woodchips as mulch tho, from the outside in anyway, some of them had nothing wrong at all with them exept were dead just a tiny bit in the centre..which means they are basicly dead lol
BetterYouBetterWorld bananas, figs and papayas are some of the only plants in Florida we amend the holes for due to nematodes. I wish we had clay to experiment with, that should help greatly with water retention.
legend
What happens if a tree is planted too heigh?
To late have to go dig it up a little thank you but Also damm
Peter, this is not related to the topic of your video today (quite good info). A while back I believe I saw a video of yours that showed a papaya tree that had been topped and which had three new branches growing quite healthily... Well, Hurricane Irma topped all my papaya trees. They were all seared in half. Now they are all sprouting all over the trunk. My question to you is: should I clean the trunks up and leave just a few growth points? And, where on the trunk should I leave them... High? Low? Thank you so much for all your great videos and priceless information.
Thank you! We keep ours about 2ft from the ground, I would leave any lower leaves. Be sure to make a clean angled cut not leaving a large cavity for the water to sit, that would cause rotting.
What do you mean by 'tight', I get the high, but tight what?
Vegan Nurse Practitioner by tight I mean packing the soil around the tree a tight as possible. Loss trees and soil have been nothing but problems in my experience.
I'll remember that advice, I just purchased 5 acres in Punta Gorda off of Zemel, and plan to start my food forest down there in a couple years. I wondered how to plant Mangos and such since it gets so wet at times, but the way you explain makes sense, thank you!
Vegan Nurse Practitioner no problem. My good friend Matt with the “What’s ripening “ youtube channel is right in your area. He has an amazing young site worth seeing.
Thank you! I'm heading down for a couple days mid month and maybe I will drop him a line
Marine fruit tree planting..lol "high and tight"
Brigitte LM 😂😂😂
Before I started shaving my head that's how the barber cut my hair.
mango tree in back yard , has trunk like an oak tree
👍👍🐓👍👍
"How to plant a FRUIT TREE when you have Sandy soil." Did you forget this was the tagline of the video? You should have called the video "high and tight"
กล้วยน้ำว้าสุกทำกล้วยบวชชีคะอร่อยมากๆ
Does the music do anything, but distract?
😁
Wtf is this?"high and tight"??? waste of time
Just go low and deep dude 👌