DIY Network

Overview of Peaches Kelly Givens shares a wealth of information on peaches and their cultivation. From "Fresh From the Orchard" episode DFFO-106

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Here are some helpful tips for successfully planting peach trees.

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Building a Berm

If you need to improve the drainage even more, you can build a berm, which is a low mound or a small artificial hill.

1. To build the berm, bring in topsoil and spread out the soil to make a mound about 7" high over a 5'-wide area.

2. Using a shovel, mix the topsoil in with the underlying soil (figure C).

3. Firm the berm by walking on it (figure D), then rake it out to give it a low, flat contour (figure E).

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

Any tree planted on the berm will have better drainage, since it will be raised above the surrounding soil.

Planting

If you're planting bare-root trees, shake off any packing material that is clinging to the roots (figure F), and let the roots soak in a bucket of water while you dig a planting hole (figure G). Soaking bare-rooted trees for an hour or two before planting them is always a good idea since it rehydrates the roots.

Dig a planting hole the same depth and width as the roots when they're fanned out (figure H). If you're working in a claylike soil, use a spading fork and poke it into the bottom and sides of the hole. This will create little nooks and crannies that the roots can use as footholds as they grow out into the surrounding soil.

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

Place the tree in the planting hole, and fan the roots out and down (figure I). Place the tree so that its root flare, or the point where the roots begin to spread out from the trunk, is just above the soil line (figure J). You'll also want the graft union, which is the little crook where the two peach varieties have been joined or grafted together, at least a few inches above the soil line (figure K). (Almost all peach trees available through nurseries are grafted trees, which means one variety of tree is grafted onto the rootstock of another.)

Figure I

Figure J

Figure K

Once the tree is positioned, backfill with the soil that you just dug out (figure L). When the hole is about three-quarters full, add water (figure M), letting it settle in around the roots.

Figure L

Figure M

Continue backfilling, then water it well one more time (figure N). To finish, mulch around the trees with pine straw (figure O). The mulch will help keep the weeds in the area and conserve moisture, and it will give the plantings a finished look.

Figure N

Figure O

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