Laughing Frog Farm
Your first job is make sure the tree you are getting is right for your area. There is a difference between a peach you would plant in downtown Houston and one you would plant in Bryan. Also citrus grown for the Rio Grande Valley will not preform well here and those are the ones you will most likely see in most chain stores. I recommend not buying from the big box stores, or from anyone that cannot tell you what rootstock the tree is on.
You can plant a container grown tree at any time during the year, but deciduous trees will find a more accepting home if planted when dormant (Dec. Jan. Feb.). Plant bare root trees immediately upon purchase. (Consequently don’t purchase them when they are not dormant).
Plant tropicals and citrus after the major chance of freeze is over in the spring.
Water your trees deeply once a week in the dry summer weather–more often if the temperatures are over 90˚.
Spread the fertiliser evenly out two feet past the drip line and not next to the trunk. Do not use synthetic chemicals. Fruit trees need fungi and synthetic chemicals kill it. Ideally you should get a soil test from Texas Plant and Soil Lab, with organic suggestions. Micro-life 6-2-4 is a very good organic fertilizer for this area. Cottonseed meal is a less expensive alternative.
Top dress with a thin layer of compost and add three inches of mulch to the drip line but not touching the trunk. Mulch helps insulate the soil, aids bio-activity, decreases the amount of water you need to add, and controls weeds. It won’t stop bermuda grass, though, so you might need to lay out five or six layers of wet newspaper first. Following is a maximum amount you would need for five year old trees. Use 1/4 dose for second year trees, 1/2 for third year trees and 3/4 for the fourth year. This is for trees planted in the ground. For potted plants use half a cup at the same date for 5 gallon pots, 1 cup for 10 gallon sizes and so on.
I prefer to not fertilise trees until they have been in the ground one year.
One of the easiest ways to remember fertilization dates for deciduous trees is Valentines day, Mothers Day and Fathers day
Fertilization with cottonseed meal or micro life 6-2-4 for a four year old and older tree:
Apples persimmons, pomegranates, figs and stone fruit
Valentines day 16 cups
Mothers and fathers days 8 cups
Blackberries and blueberries
Valentines day 8 cups .
Mothers and fathers days 4 cups
Bunch grapes
Valentines day 10 cups
Mothers and fathers days 4 cups
citrus
15 cups March
6 cups April, June .
Muscadines
March 8 cups
May 4 cups
How much you fertilize depends on the natural fertility of your soil and the quality of your compost. In the September and February apply compost and re-mulch.
I spray trees monthly with compost tea. This suppresses disease and helps with insect problems.
Spray deciduous fruit trees with organic dormant oil in Feb.
Thin stone fruits so fruits are not touching one another.
Laughing Frog Farm 