tth2010
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Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2020 9:32 am

Did I Make A Huge Mistake?

Hi guys,

I am new to planting bare root trees. I just planted 11 dormant fruit trees last week. I laid down cardboard and put 8" of wood chips in a massive area to make my food forest. I moved all wood chips and dug the holes, careful not to mix the chips and soil. HOWEVER, I did bury the grass clumps on top of the roots with the dirt for backfill. I thought it would be good fertilizer as it decomposed but now I am worried it's going to burn the roots in the process.

It's been about a week since planting. Do I need to dig them all back up and remove the grass clumps?

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I usually put the grass sod upside down under the trees and shrubs when planting.

I doubt they can burn tree roots, but the way you described it may result in some species of tenacious grass to survive and try to grow up from between the roots.

But you can be diligent to and pull or cut them as they try to grow this season and bury them under mulch where possible, and that should take care of it. Apply some compost under the mulch to increase biological activity.

Hope you soaked them 2-4 hrs before planting preferably in compost tea. Make sure to water deeply — either fill the moat dug around each planted tree twice (fill, allow to soak in, then fill again) or soak surface, allow water to soak in and disappear, then do it twice more until the surface remains wet even after soaking in.

The rule of thumb I follow for new bareroot trees — I can’t give you the source ref atm — is to water deeply once a day for 3 days, twice a week for 2 weeks, then once a week thereafter, unless equivalent of precipitation falls.

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Gary350
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Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

MANY years ago I worked for a nursery we sold a lot of trees in spring & fall. Fall is actually the best time to plant trees, bushes, etc. Trees planted in spring have a hard time surviving hot dry summer weather. We would dig a hole large enough for tree root flower pot to fit into then remove tree root ball from flower pot put it in hole then compact roots into hole and compact soil tight around the tree root ball. Cover soil around the tree with 6" of straw to shade the soil & hold moisture. Then wrap tree trunk with cardboard from soil up to the first limbs it helps hold moisture & blocks sun from heating the tree trunk up to 140 degrees like the hood or your car parked in full sun. Water very well every evening 1 hr before dark. No fertilizer for a month then be very stingy with fertilizer & NO fertilizer in very hot summer weather. If tree suffers in hot summer sun put umbrella or shade tarp over the tree to block the heat from sun. Fall cool weather give tree lots of fertilizer until freezing weather. The following spring tree roots will do a better job of keeping tree alive in hot summer weather.

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!potatoes!
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Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:13 pm
Location: wnc - zones 6/7 line

I suspect you'll be fine with the buried sod.



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