On this page you will find everything about how to plant and care for your Own Fruit Tree!

• Plant instructions
• Pruning instructions
• Tree on balcony or terrace

Plant instructions

	1. Scoop out a hole in which you will plant the tree. The hole should be about twice as deep and large as the pot or root ball. Make sure the root ball fits well in the hole, carefully loosen the sides of the hole and add any potting soil that you mix with the soil. We do not recommend compost. Tip: pour a watering can or bucket of water into the hole, so that the water has time to soak into the soil.
	2. Carefully remove the pot from the fruit tree. You will see that the tree has a well-rooted root ball shaped into the pot. To get your new addition off to a good start, carefully loosen the root ball so that the roots can look for nutrients in the loose soil.
	3. Place the fruit tree in the hole. It is good for the trees if they are planted just as deep after they have been in the pot. Fill the hole with potting soil and press it gently so that the fruit tree is straight and firm in its new home base.
	4. No fertilization is required for a good start of the fruit tree. However, it is necessary that the fruit tree gets enough water, especially in warm weather. Keep the soil around the tree moist, especially during the first weeks.

Inhoud:

• Plant instructions
• Pruning instructions
• Tree on balcony or terrace

Plant instructions

[rev_slider alias=”plantinstructions”]
1. Scoop out a hole in which you will plant the tree. The hole should be about twice as deep and large as the pot or root ball. Make sure the root ball fits well in the hole, carefully loosen the sides of the hole and add any potting soil that you mix with the soil. We do not recommend compost.

Tip: pour a watering can or bucket of water into the hole, so that the water has time to soak into the ground

2. Carefully remove the pot from the fruit tree. You will see that the tree has a well-rooted root ball shaped into the pot. To get your new addition off to a good start, carefully loosen the root ball so that the roots can look for nutrients in the loose soil.

3. Place the fruit tree in the hole. It is good for the trees if they are planted just as deep after they have been in the pot. Fill the hole with potting soil and press it gently so that the fruit tree is straight and firm in its new home base.

4. No fertilization is required for a good start of the fruit tree. However, it is necessary that the fruit tree gets enough water, especially in warm weather. Keep the soil around the tree moist, especially during the first weeks.

Pruning instructions

Pruning is necessary to keep trees and shrubs vital, shape them as desired and promote fruit growth. Prune preferably in dry weather and not during severe frost.

Pruning fruit trees (apples, pears, plums and cherries)

Fruit trees should be pruned to keep the tree vital to new fruiting wood and to ensure that all branches are well exposed. Prune the branches at 10cm from the trunk, so that new shoots can grow from there. Never prune the branches with many flower buds to promote fruit growth.

Winter Snowy
Fruit trees can be pruned from late December to March. Cherry and Plum trees prefer a little earlier, just after they bear fruit.

• Prune branches that touch
• Prune away most of the branches that grow straight upwards (leave 3 or 4), because there are few fruits
• Prune away any side branches, preferably branches that have been bearing fruit for several years

Summer pruning (apples and pears)
In June you can prune the fast-growing trees (Apple and Pear trees) again. Then prune away mainly branches that grow straight up or branches that get in the way of fruit-bearing branches.

Pruning exotic fruit trees (peach, nectarine)

Although peach and nectarine trees are self-pollinating trees, in addition to pruning for fruit growth, it is useful to manually pollinate them with a brush.

• Prune away branches that are superimposed (pruning exotic fruit trees is primarily intended to inhibit growth and encourage fruit growth)
• Prune branches that have already borne fruit to make room for new ones. (Note: With exotic fruit trees, new branches only give fruit after a few years)

Prune nut and fig trees

Vijg

• The fig is best pruned from November to February (during the summer branches that get in the way can also be pruned)
• Prune away the old and infertile branches so that the young, fruit-bearing branches get more light and energy for fruit production
• Prune upward growing buds to keep growth in check

Note Bome

• Nut trees are best pruned immediately after they have lost their leaves
• Only prune dead branches and possibly other branches to form the tree

Prune berry and raspberry bushes

Berries and raspberry bushes are best pruned after harvest until early winter:

Pink & blueberry 

• Prune the branches after bearing fruit for 2 or 3 years. The first years they give the best fruits
• Also prune away the branches that run on the ground
• In summer, prune the tops of fast-growing branches to encourage side-branch growth
• Prune away damaged or diseased branches to prevent spreading
• Remove any branches that lightly block smaller branches

Raspberry

• Prune the fertile shoots hanging low to the ground and the weak growing shoots

Tree on balcony or terrace

If you would like to grow fruit on a balcony or terrace (in a pot), this requires a little more attention than in your garden, because the tree is not in open ground, the need for water is greater than in your garden. It is important that the fruit tree has enough water; because the pot heats up faster in the summer, the water will evaporate faster.

• Make sure that the soil where the fruit tree is located contains enough moisture. You can easily check this by pushing your finger into the ground and feeling whether the earth is still damp. Simply put, if you squeeze the soil in your hand it should stick together like a ball. When squeezing drops of water from the soil ball squeezes, the soil is too moist, so it is important that the water can get out of the pot. Always make sure that there are at least 3 holes in the bottom of the pot that are too big of a 5 cent coin.
• It is important that the roots of the fruit tree have enough space to grow, so handle at least a 50 liter pot. The larger the pot, the more space the tree’s root system gets to develop. This is reflected in the size of the harvest!
• As a rule of thumb, you can use: The ideal size of the pot containing the fruit tree should be about half the space that the tree’s crown has. (The crown or crown is the uppermost part of a tree; it is carried by the trunk and includes the branches with the leaves attached to them.)
• We recommend pruning the tree annually to limit growth and stimulate fruit production. In other words; pruning gives you more flowering, and more flowering means more fruit in the autumn. Be careful with frost in the spring. If the tree’s blossom freezes, it will bear no fruit that year and focus on growth.
• To encourage the tree to give more fruit, you can remove the tree from the pot annually and replace part of the soil with new soil. The root system is stimulated by refreshing the soil. We also advise fertilizing the tree after 3 months and preferably if the tree is not yet or no longer in the leaf.
• If you have questions or would like advice for your situation, we are always ready to help you.