Fruitwise planting a small pear tree

Julia and I plant the last tree in a new section of orchard.. we planted 32 pear trees where we had removed some Bramley and Sunset apples-we had too many of them and our customers kept asking for pears. It is possible to plant much larger trees than this small 1 year maiden. If they have good roots, have not been out of the ground long, and are planted with great care and tied to a stake they may give fruit sooner. However, a big tree suffers more transplanting stress, a small tree with good roots is likely to grow away better. The important thing is to carefully spread the roots and crumble and work the soil with a spade or fork, as Julia shows in this video, so that they have good soil contact. You will have noted that we did not put any fertiliser or compost in the planting hole. This soil is rich and well textured, so no need, but a mulch of compost on the surface will help. DO NOT put fresh dung or rough compost in the planting hole, a handful of composted forest bark can help with moisture retention if the soil is too sandy but generally its better not to add anything, use mulch or top dressing if necessary. Remember, the biggest mistake about planting a fruit tree is not to do it! Tiny though this tree is, it should have some fruit on in in 3 years. The variety was Seckle, a rare fruit of legendary flavour. I have never tasted this as it is not comercially available, I obtained it from Keeper's nursery near Maidstone, Kent. check out their web site-lots of ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSLl_q4-Yxg&hl=en