Picking the Ideal Spot for Your Fruit Tree

When growing a fruit tree, choosing the right place to plant it is very important. One thing that you have to consider is its proximity to a building, electric line, side walk, or any other thing that might disrupt its growing. Once you have planted a fruit tree, the chances of digging it up and changing its spot without killing it are very slim. Therefore you must always be sure you know which size fruit tree you have (dwarf, semi dwarf, or standard) and how big it will end up being once it is an adult. Dwarf trees need an area with an eight-foot diameter to grow. Semi-dwarf fruit trees can grow up to fifteen feet wide. Standard fruit trees can grow as wide as thirty feet. To keep the size of your fruit tree(s) at whatever level is best for you, be sure to prune them at least once a year. (See next post for more on choosing the right type of tree for your garden.)

Image via WikipediaAnother thing that you have to consider when planting a fruit tree is whether or not it is getting all of the sunlight it needs to survive. You also have to be sure it doesn't get too much sunlight. If your tree doesn't get just the right amount of sun, it may either grow much more slowly, produce little to no fruit, or even die. Be sure that you do not plant it where the sunlight will be blocked by something. Also be sure that it isn't being constantly hit be the sun at every moment of the day. Either of these can be fatal to the tree, depending on what type of tree you are growing.

An important thing to keep in mind when choosing a spot for your fruit tree is whether your spot will be convenient for watering, harvesting, and pruning. A place that would not be good to plant a fruit tree is too close to your house or your fence. Any of these things could get in the way of you harvesting and pruning. If your tree grows over your fence the fruit could drop into your neighbor's yard, which might seem like a nice thing but would probably offend some people. You should also be sure to plant your tree where it will be easy to water; if you already have a sprinkler system in your yard you could put your tree where the sprinkler could reach it. If you do not have a sprinkler system installed, you should put the tree within reach of your hose. 

Image via WikipediaOne of the most important things of all to keep in mind when planting a fruit tree is whether or not your soil in your yard is suitable for your tree. You have to make sure that is has enough nutrients, it has enough moisture, there is proper water drainage so your tree doesn't drown, and it is the right texture. If your soil doesn't have these traits then your tree won't grow very well or produce good fruit. You can always alter your soil to be more suitable for your tree. One way that you can find out what kind of soil you have is by taking a sample of it and taking it to a lab. It may be expensive, but they can test it for what nutrients it has the most of. You'll have the results back in a couple of days. You can also purchase a home soil test kit. If your soil is low in nutrients, you can go to your local nursery, or any other store with gardening supplies, and get fertilizer according to what your soil is most lacking in.

After you have checked on all of these things, you are finally ready to go choose what kind of fruit tree you want and get ready to plant it. When you are choosing your tree keep in mind the spot you picked, and buy the tree that would do best in that spot. The worst thing that can possibly happen is devoting time and money to growing a tree, only to end up having to remove it because of poor planning.