How to Grow a Purdue Fruit Tree
- 1). Start your planting process after the ground thaws in spring, to make digging and seedling establishment easier. This timing will range from mid- to late-May in the Purdue area. Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it to test for plant readiness; if the soil falls apart, it's ready for planting. Soil that sticks together needs another week of drying time.
- 2). Find a site for your fruit trees where they will receive bright sunshine for eight hours a day, with quick drainage around their roots. Make sure your site is large enough to allow for full growth. Fruit trees need at least 20 feet distance from other trees or structures.
- 3). Plant fruit trees that survive in this growing zone. Choose from apple, apricot, cherry, filbert, paw paw, peach, plum, quince and pear trees for this area. Plant two of each tree to ensure pollination and fruit harvest.
- 4). Dig a hole in each planting site that is twice as deep and wide as the root ball of the seedling. Mix the soil you removed with quick-draining garden soil and organic compost until you have a mixture that is half natural soil and half amendment. This soil provides both drainage and nutrition for the young trees.
- 5). Shovel soil back into the hole until it's half full, then put the seedling's root ball into the hole. Fill the hole with amended soil, pressing down as you go to secure the tree and eliminate air pockets.
- 6). Water each tree with 1 gallon of water to settle the soil around the roots, then pile 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch on top of the soil to maintain moisture and warmth for the trees in the coming summer.
