- Zone
- 7b/8a
I'm planning on adding some new peach trees to the property this year, starting up our fruit orchard, and I wanted to share how I'm going to plant them to make sure they actually survive their first Texas summer.
A lot of folks just dig a hole, throw a tree in it, and hope for the best. In our heat, that's usually a death sentence. Here's how I do it to help give them a fighting chance:
The "Mound" Setup
After I get the tree in the ground I build a 3-4-foot wide ring or "mound" of soil around the outside of the tree's trip line. Basically I'm trying to create a giant bowl with the tree in the center.
The Mulch Later
I fill that entire center with 3-4 inches of wood-chip mulch.
Important: I've seen folks talk about making sure the mulch doesn't touch the tree trunk, to prevent rot, but I've never really worried about that a whole lot. That said, it's not a bad idea to keep an eye on it. Basically on you want this mulch for is to keep the sun off the soil so it doesn't get the roots too hot, and to help keep that water from evaporating away as quickly.
The Watering Strategy
Instead of just hitting it with a hose for a minute, I fill that "bowl" all the way to the top multiple times a week. I'll usually just carry a 5-gallon bucket full of water to each tree. Doing this 2-3 times a week ensures the water is getting deep into the root ball rather than just evaporating or getting soaked up by neighboring grass/weeds.
What Varieties Are Y'all Planting?
I'm still debating on which varieties to go with. I need something that can handle a late north Texas frost (which we almost always tend to get) but still gives me that classic juice-down-your-chin peach come time to harvest.
A lot of folks just dig a hole, throw a tree in it, and hope for the best. In our heat, that's usually a death sentence. Here's how I do it to help give them a fighting chance:
The "Mound" Setup
After I get the tree in the ground I build a 3-4-foot wide ring or "mound" of soil around the outside of the tree's trip line. Basically I'm trying to create a giant bowl with the tree in the center.
The Mulch Later
I fill that entire center with 3-4 inches of wood-chip mulch.
Important: I've seen folks talk about making sure the mulch doesn't touch the tree trunk, to prevent rot, but I've never really worried about that a whole lot. That said, it's not a bad idea to keep an eye on it. Basically on you want this mulch for is to keep the sun off the soil so it doesn't get the roots too hot, and to help keep that water from evaporating away as quickly.
The Watering Strategy
Instead of just hitting it with a hose for a minute, I fill that "bowl" all the way to the top multiple times a week. I'll usually just carry a 5-gallon bucket full of water to each tree. Doing this 2-3 times a week ensures the water is getting deep into the root ball rather than just evaporating or getting soaked up by neighboring grass/weeds.
What Varieties Are Y'all Planting?
I'm still debating on which varieties to go with. I need something that can handle a late north Texas frost (which we almost always tend to get) but still gives me that classic juice-down-your-chin peach come time to harvest.
