Five steps to maximize productivity of fruit & nut trees.

1. You need to plan & prepare the soil first if you want maximum productivity. Waiting till you plant is far too late! Ideally you need to prepare the land where you plan to plant fruit or nut trees at least one year before planting. This is because it takes a year to change the soil. You need to put the appropriate fertilizers in the right quantity on the soil a year before planting as it takes the soil life a year to break down into plant food. This means you need a soil test to determine what the mineral deficiencies or excesses are, what your pH is, what the level of organic matter is etc. Once you put the fertilisers on the soil you need to do two other things to complete the preparation: (i) add lots of mulch, preferably wood chips or wood mulch;(ii) add microbes and fungi spores to increase the soil’s wildlife.
2. Two to three months before planting, put in sprinklers in an irrigation system, probably two sprinklers per tree to ensure both sides of the tree will get the essential watering it needs when there is insufficient rain.
3. Once you have acquired the young tree(s) the day you plant there is one more step to do to ensure success. You need to soak the roots in a nutrient-rich solution to promote root growth. There are many suitable solutions available on the market but a good one contains NPK, fulvic acid and a kelp solution.
4. When you plant the tree, you need to dig a hole at least twice the diameter of the container the plant comes in. Do not use a posthole digger for this, as it would compact the soil and make it difficult for the young roots to grow and spread out. When you put the plant in the hole, you only need water and no fertilizer (as you should have all the fertilizer you need from step 1).In the area around the plant you need to put very friable quality soil or peat moss so that the roots can grow outwards easily.
5. The first seven weeks after planting are crucial; you need maximum root growth to achieve the eventual maximum above ground growth and productivity. These 7 weeks determine the eventual size and productivity of the tree. All that is needed in this period if you have prepared properly is water and loving care to ensure it is not harmed by the elements e.g if it is windy, stake the tree. After 7 weeks you can start a monthly program of adding liquid fertilizers. If you want great results, you should do a leaf test after 2 or 3 months and spray on the leaves what is indicated by the leaf test as needed. Once a year do a soil test to determine what granular fertilizers are needed to replace what has been leached out or removed by the trees.
Written by Geoff Buckley, partner in Growing Healthy. For more information go to http://www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com/. (511 words).