Satsuma tree planting advice

[j.e.hagen]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370391349.558014.jpg

First time planting a fruit tree or any tree for that matter, is there any special tricks or anything I should do to it while its young to make it produce more or last longer

[Gerald]

It is kind of hard to tell from the picture........but, it looks like you have it planted a little too deep.

Fruit trees are grafted at the base and should be planted even or just above the ground level. Put any extra dirt around the outside of your hole so that it forms a 'bowl" shape around the plant. This will keep the water from flowing away from the plant.

It looks like you have fairly good soil.....so that is good. Don't let the soil get too dry. Water the plant about once a week to keep the soil from drying out. If it gets really hot and dry, you may have to water it twice a week for a month or two until the plant gets established.

When you see the plant putting out new growth......you can sprinkle about half a cup of 8-8-8 fertilezer around the outside of your "hole" where you planted it.

Good luck. With a plant that size, you may get a few satsumas next fall.

[j.e.hagen]

Thanks. It has some satsumas on it hopefully they survive

[swamp snorkler]

Pull all the fruit off the first 2-3 years or it will take forever toget big.
Normally citrus trees are planted in the early spring too.
Keep it watered

[eman]

I planted 2 in raised beds and get 1000 +fruit after 7 years.

[eman]

Don't cover them unless the temps are going to be below freezing for 12 hrs or more

[Top Dawg]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

Pull all the fruit off the first 2-3 years or it will take forever toget big.
Normally citrus trees are planted in the early spring too.
Keep it watered

^^ pull the fruit off when u see it growing for the first couple of years.

[T-Cajun]

x2 what Gerald said about depth and creating a bowl. If you see it getting too hot/dry this summer you can also add a very thin layer of mulch to help hold the moisture. Good luck! Def wish I had the room to get fruit trees going!

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by eman

Don't cover them unless the temps are going to be below freezing for 12 hrs or more

I use to cover all my fruit trees [9 right now] when it got to 30 F or less. Over the years I have "taken a chance" and not covered them, even when it gets down to 27-28 F for several hours. Any colder or if it will be below 30 F for say 6+ hours, the fruit trees need protection.

My lemon "tree" is the most senitive to the cold. A few years back, it got down to the low 20's here in Moss Bluff. I covered all the fruit trees and put a couple of 100 watt lights to provide a little heat in the tarp tent that covered them down to the ground.

The lemon tree almost did not survive. It lost all it's leaves and really did not grow back much that next spring/summer. I got no lemons that year and only about 10 lemons the next year. Three years later, I got a fairly good [250] crop of lemons last winter. The other fruit trees only had minor leaf damage that year. Every year I add more leaves and pine "mulch" under the plants. This helps hold in moisture and provides "insulation" in the winter for the roots.

I have not "trimmed" the lemon "tree" in a couple of years now. That tree now has a bunch of lemons growing 14+ feet off the ground.

This is a picture of the "frame" that I put up when covering the 6 fruit trees shown in this picture. In the back right of the picture is the lemon tree after it had been trimmed some.

I now build the frame in a "Lean-to" shap which is much easier to construct. If it is windy.....I use rope to help anchor it down to keep the wind from blowing it down.