Fruit Trees and Bushes: Planting and Care

Growing your own fruits and berries is not only a good thing to do, but it is also a very nice process that gives you a lot of food and lets you enjoy the taste of fruits.

And unlike vegetables that only live for one year, fruit trees and berry bushes are a long-term project that needs careful planning and care using iPhone plant identification.

Choosing Seedlings: How to Buy a Healthy Tree or Bush

Choosing the right seedling is half of the success because a healthy plant will grow well and start to give you fruit quickly, while buying from unproven places, like on the side of the road, can be bad because those plants often have weak roots or are not the right type.

What to look for when you buy:

The roots: This is the most important sign of health because for plants with open roots, the roots must be wet and not too dry, and they should have no signs of rot, mold, or damage, while for plants in pots, the roots must fill the pot but not be too tangled or coming out of the holes in the bottom.
The trunk and branches: The bark should be smooth and have no cracks, spots, or damage, and for berry bushes, the branches must be flexible and not dry, and you should also check where the plant was joined together, as it must look clean and well-grown without any bumps.
The age of the plant: For most fruit trees, the best age to plant is 1-2 years because such young plants handle being moved better and start to grow faster, but you can buy bushes that are 2-3 years old.
The type of plant: You should choose types that are good for your weather because it is very important that they can handle cold weather and common diseases in your area, and you can read what other gardeners say or talk to people at nurseries to choose the best types.

Planting: How to Prepare the Planting Hole and the Process Itself

Preparing the planting hole:

The size of the hole depends on the type of plant, but the main thing is to make it big enough so the roots have enough space to grow.

For fruit trees: A good size for the hole is about 80-100 cm wide and 60-80 cm deep because this will give the young tree enough food for a while.
For berry bushes: The holes can be smaller, about 50-60 cm wide and 40-50 cm deep.

Steps for planting:

Digging the hole: You should dig the hole and put the good soil from the top in one pile and the soil from the bottom in another.
Making the food mix: You should mix the good soil with compost or manure like 1-2 buckets, add wood ash like 0.5-1 kg, and some plant food for fruits (100-200 g).
Planting: You should put some of the mix at the bottom of the hole like a small hill, and then you should place the plant on the hill and spread its roots out, making sure that the root collar is at the same level as the ground, as this is very important because if it is too deep or too high, the plant could die.
Filling the hole: You must carefully fill the hole with the rest of the food mix, pressing the soil lightly so there are no empty spaces.
Watering: You should give the plant a lot of water, using 1-2 buckets of water, which will help the soil settle and will make sure the roots are touching the soil.
Covering the base: You should cover the soil around the plant with things like sawdust or straw, which will help keep the soil wet, protect the roots from getting too hot, and stop weeds from growing.

Pruning: Why and How to Prune Trees and Bushes

Pruning is not just taking away extra branches but is a key part of care that helps shape the plant, makes it grow more fruit, and stops diseases from spreading.

The goals of pruning:

Shaping: This is done in the first few years to create a good shape for the plant with good air flow
Cleaning: This is done every year to take away sick, dry, or broken branches
Making it young again: This is done for old trees and bushes to help them grow new branches
Controlling: This helps you control the number of fruit buds to get bigger and better fruits

Main pruning rules:

Timing: The main pruning is done in the early spring before the plant starts to grow, but you can also do some light pruning in the summer, and in the autumn you should only do cleaning
Tools: You must only use sharp and clean tools, like a pruner or a saw
Technique: All cuts should be at an angle so water does not sit on them, and cuts that are bigger than 2 cm must be covered with a special paste to protect the tree from getting sick

Fighting Diseases: Common Diseases and How to Prevent Them

It is always better to stop a disease before it starts — the most common diseases for fruit plants are scab, powdery mildew, and rot.

Modern tools can help you with this, for example, the AI Plant Finder app, which helps you to find out what a disease is from a picture.

Scab: This looks like dark spots on the leaves and fruits
Powdery mildew: This is a white layer on the leaves and branches that looks like flour
Rot: This is when the fruits quickly get soft and start to rot, often starting with a small spot

Prevention and protection:

Spring treatment: In the early spring, before the buds open, you should spray the trees and bushes with special products that have copper in them
Cleaning: You must always take away and burn sick branches and fallen leaves so that diseases do not stay in your garden
Good care: You must give your plants good soil and food because a healthy and strong plant is less likely to get sick
Natural products: You can use natural products that are safe for people and the environment
Bugs: You should also be careful with bugs like aphids and moths, and you can use special products to get rid of them

Care by Season: What to Do in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter

Spring:

Cleaning: You must take away all broken branches
Treating diseases and bugs: You should spray the plants
Adding plant food: You should add food to help them grow
Watering: You should start watering them often when the soil gets dry

Summer:

Watering: You should water them a lot, especially when it is hot and dry
Adding plant food: You should add food to help the fruits grow bigger and better
Taking out weeds: You must take out weeds and make the soil loose around the plants
Protecting from bugs: You must watch the leaves and fruits and treat them if needed

Autumn:

Cleaning: You should take away sick and dry branches
Getting ready for winter: You should clean the ground around the plants from fallen fruits and leaves, and you should give them a lot of water
Protecting from animals: You should cover the trunks of the trees with special material to protect them from small animals
Whitewashing: You should paint the trunks white to protect them from sun damage and bugs

Winter:

The main job in the winter is to protect them from the cold and from small animals, so you can put snow around the base of the trees for extra protection