Planting and Watering
Remove your tree from the plastic container. Please dispose of this pot responsibly. Separate the roots a bit at the bottom so that they can spread out easily. If the roots are tightly packed, you can take a knife or other tool and score the roots vertically in 3 or 4 places. This type of root pruning will encourage new root growth.
Dig a hole large enough to hold the root system and just deep enough so that the ‘bud union” (the bulged section at the base of the tree) remains 1 ½ to 2 inches ABOVE the surrounding ground level for all dwarf and semi-dwarf trees.. Do not plant the bud union below the ground, as that will encourage “scion rooting,” resulting in your tree becoming standard or full sized.
Fill in half the hole with the soil you dug from it (break up the clumps). Then fill the hole to the top with water. When the water has settled, fill the rest of the hole with the remainder of the soil. It is helpful to form a 2 or 3 inch circular dam around the tree. This will allow the rain and irrigation water to drip into the ground gradually, rather than running off.
For the first season, be sure to water your tree once a week, if it hasn’t rained. Don’t let it dry out. Remember, during the first year the roots are expanding and spreading. This gives your tree good anchorage and creates the feeding system that helps the tree produce ample fruit. After the first year, you probably wont need to irrigate the tree, except in periods of exceptional dry spells.
