You will choose your mulch depending on your unique environment and the goals that you want to achieve. Mulch prevents weeds from sprouting up in the bare soil. You see, if you are just planting one or two trees, it’s not that expensive to buy and bring in some bags of compost or mulch. I often put a “donut” of pine straw right around the trunk and then finish mulching with fallen tree leaves. But fruit trees need organic matter and nutrients. Though, some communities will even pick your tree up from the curb. Landscapers often turn to non-organic mulch options in order to keep landscapes looking perfect. Most of us mulch our fruit trees. Trees are great mineral extractors and 50% – 80% of the minerals end up in the leaves. Having a cover of mulch under the entire canopy of the tree will encourage and support a healthy fungal colony. A fungal colony can be established faster if you inoculate your soil before you mulch. Do not mulch too thickly. Put down what you have and then cover that with compost to ensure your tree will have enough nutrition for the year. Part 1 People mulch their trees with organic materials like wood chips or compost, or with inorganic materials like gravel, plastic sheets or landscape fabric. We prune fruit trees annually in the spring or summer to improve tree health and harvest quality. Straw mulch is also beneficial for fruit trees. There are many mulch materials available, but here I … First, be sure to remove grass that might be crowding the tree and competing for water and root space. Keep the mulch pulled back several inches away from the base of the trunk of the tree. Cedar mulch is one of the most popular wood mulches that you can buy and many people use it on landscape trees. In this case, more is not better. Foliar feed your tree with a sea-based, mineral rich liquid product. When it comes to fruit trees these aren’t great options. Just feed the young branches in and you’ll have ready-made ramial or willow mulch that your fruit trees will love. Thin wood pruning on fruiting trees is economical and profitable, resulting in the production of more apples of good quality. The majority of the feeder roots of the fruit tree are in this area. The manure that you buy from your local garden center will be composted and so it is safe to use. Do you want to use shredded paper mulch but you’re afraid it will blow away? 4.) You see, pruning plays a huge role in how we care for our fruit trees. Mulching fruit trees will cut down on the amount of water the plants lose. When it comes to growing apple trees, there is a hard way and an easy way. We are a small fruit tree nursery in New York apple country. award-winning fruit tree care book Growing Urban Orchards, online fruit tree care training program at www.orchardpeople.com, The Urban Forestry Radio Show and Podcast, Fertilizer Focus: Is Chicken Manure Good For Fruit Trees. After all, when you visit any well-tended garden, you will see a pretty circle of mulch – usually wood chips or cedar mulch – carefully spread out around the base of the trees. So, how can you turn that old tree into mulch? Others use landscape fabric and they cover it up with wood mulch. Fortunately, this is easy to correct, and the results are almost immediate. It's 1938, and the day of Ben Davis apples is past, so the Ben Davis trees that Grandfather had put in the ground 40 years ago would have to go. There are some in the central NY area as well as in other areas of the US that might be willing to supply mulch for those who are interested. Remove weeds and grass around your fruit tree up until the drip line of the tree as that is where the feeder roots are that need water and nutrition. Fallen tree leaves are rich in minerals. I like to use a hose end sprayer to make quick work of it. Why just prevent weeds and keep moisture in the soil when a carefully chosen tree mulch can do so much more: These benefits are fantastic for native and ornamental trees but they are even more important for fruit trees. Using leaf litter for mulch is an easy way to recycle the debris in your yard. Keep the mulch approximately 6 inches away from the tree trunk. Pull mulch away from the bases of tree and shrub trunks creating a donut-hole (image on left. Learn all about it Read more, Wondering when to prune fruit trees? Proper mulching under your citrus tree can help retain soil moisture while simultaneously preventing the onset of weeds or grass. Sign up for Fruit Tree Care Training Today! What few realized until recently is that the youngest tree branches – those that are under 2 inches thick, can be the perfect mulch for fruit trees. Because fruit trees are generally permanent plantings, a somewhat durable mulch that rarely needs attention or replenishing may be a better choice. Organic orchardists will plant these living mulches in alleys between trees. If the mulch touches the trunk it may rot the wood or become an entry point for pests. 2.) The problem begins when you first lay the fresh mulch down around the roots of your fruit tree. Thanks. Experiment by covering it with a layer of compost or straw. over perennial beds. 6.) Angela Chandler is a lifelong gardener with a passion for learning and teaching. So, wood mulches can play a role in fruit tree care. Finally, let’s explore non-organic tree mulch options and why you may not want to use them with your fruit trees. Mulching Tree Fruit and Small Fruit Application of mulch is one of the most effective ways to conserve moisture during dry periods. And offering our trees a carefully chosen mulch can help improve our trees’ health and harvest. Susan Poizner is an urban orchardist and the author of the award-winning fruit tree care book Growing Urban Orchards. These tender young branches are rich in nutrients that fruit trees need like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium which can be found in the cambium, or the living tissue in the branch. But the roots also need water and oxygen. If the mulch ring is too small, or if you aren’t mulching with the right materials, your soil doesn’t have the building blocks of a healthy fungal colony. Trees of all kinds are the backbone of a garden. Some even use black plastic to mulch around their trees. The downside is that shredded paper mulch is low in nutrition but if you layer it with compost you could have a really easy and inexpensive way to protect your fruit tree from weeds and to feed it at the same time. But there is one option that was overlooked for most of humanity’s fruit tree growing history. DO use the right mulch for the job. But once you have chosen what to use, how do you mulch your fruit tree? If you are using fallen tree leaves, or a mix of leaves and native mulch, this may mean that you start with a layer that is 8” – 12” deep. Expanding the mulch ring to at least the drip line of the fruit tree will correct both of these issues. It keeps the berries from touching the soil, retains moisture and protects the roots of the plants from extreme hot or cold temperatures. For fruit trees, this is not a good thing. Make that mulch ring bigger Black plastic will limit the moisture and air that can get through into the soil. Shredded bark, … These creatures then chew up the bark on our fruit trees. Soil bacteria move into the mulched area and they will work to decompose the wood. only use healthy branches when making these types of mulches. )Do not pile it up against the trunk (“volcano mulching”). Here are some examples: Now you have lots of options in terms of fruit tree mulches. To use the dried leaves as mulch, spread them at a rate of 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm.) Place your mulch material evenly over the new mulch ring. What is the name of a foliage feed with a sea-based, mineral rich liquid product? It will make a difference in the overall performance of your fruit trees for years to come. The trees are All planted in pure compost 14" Above the clay soil line. The only mulch I use pulled right up to the trunks and stems of plants is pine straw. It’s good for the trees anyway. Speaks at conferences and symposiums across North America about fruit tree care, urban orchard design, fruit tree cultivars and more. She tends a ½ acre garden in Highlands, Texas that includes ornamentals, fruits, a small experimental nursery, a flock of Buff Orpington chickens, and a Lab mix named Harley. All you do is bring your live tree, and they’ll shred it down to natural mulch that you can take home and use in your garden. These older parts of the tree do have cambium tissue, but they are mostly made up of heartwood which has a lower nutritional value. Nature will do the work for you over the next few months. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the best Nurseries-Plants & Trees in Greece, NY. Shredded paper mulch is great because it is lightweight and you can easily make it at home with paper that you would send to be recycled anyways. Read this blog to find on when to use this popular Read more. This is an amazing product to mulch with because it’s free and easy to make. All of these are important, but to your fruit trees, how you mulch is important – it can actually affect how productive your fruit trees are. Trees need a more woody mulch than vegies – so trim back your shrubs like hebes or corokias, lavendars, tree lucerne, rosemary; gather up pine needles and add any leaf mould or rotten hay you’ve so carefully gathered this winter. You do not have to work this into the soil. Well, like wood mulch from mature branches, they may also steal nitrogen from the soil in the first year. Organic mulches break down into the soil, adding nutrients in the … Don’t want to wait that long? Mulching is great for your trees, but piling it too high and covering a tree's trunk, can cause decay. Mulch should not exceed 4” – 6” deep after it has settled. Angela is a member of the Harris County Master Gardener Association – Retired, and a member of the Garden Writer’s Association. This suppresses weeds beside the trunk, and keeps a nice, neat appearance. In the meantime, here are the advantages and disadvantages of a number of wood mulches that are available. Your fruit trees need nutrients which won’t get to the root through the plastic. These are also called cover crops or green manures and they are incredibly flexible. Spread your mulch up to the edge of the canopy as that is where most of the feeder roots are. Young fruit trees that have not yet established themselves are particularly vulnerable to this problem. Almost any mulch under a fruit tree is better than no mulch, but there are many ways in which wood chips are the best of mulches. Proper fruit tree mulching requires several inches of bare soil space between the trunk and the mulch. Choose the proper mulch But these bacteria need nitrogen in order to survive and wood chips are low in nitrogen. So, the bacteria pull nitrogen out of the soil and away from the roots of your fruit tree. Mulching fruit trees is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to give your fruit trees a boost. Her gardening adventures would not be possible without her husband, Fred – always willing to help unload leaves, compost and help build beds. Mulching with an organic material like shredded cedar bark, pine bark or woodchips is a great way to keep the roots cool and ... A mature tree will yield about 25 to 35 pounds of fruit per year.