Tree Care Instructions: 

We suggest that you sign up for our Orchard Caretaker Newsletter for seasonal maintenance reminders and tips by visiting our website retree.us or via this link. A list of general annual maintenance tasks is listed here:

 

Spring: 

• Watering (First 2 years only, unless severe drought) 

  • Depending on rainfall in a particular year, late May early June is the time to start watering every other week (fully saturated x2). Aim for 2 good soaks a month.

  • If your trees have been planted in the last couple of years, please be sure to set up a plan for someone to water your trees throughout the summer. Fruit trees need the equivalent of 1 inch of rain per week. If it is a dry summer, young trees will need to be watered (fully saturated x2) on a weekly basis. 

• Add mulch or woodchips (see step by step guide at this link)

  • This is to reduce weeds and to show a clear buffer for lawn mowers and for the health of the soil/trees. You will likely need to weed around the base of the tree before mulching. 

• Insect deterrent for trunks (optional 1x every few years/as needed)

  • To prevent burrowers, you can apply a couple of coats of white interior latex paint on the tree trunks at this time of year (the paint can be diluted with up to 50% water). 

• Pollinator Lessons! (optional)

  • Spring, when flowers are blooming, is the best time of year to utilize the pollinator lessons! :) 

  • Pollination Lesson Plan

  • Plant Communication Lesson Plan
     

Summer: 

• Watering (First 2 years only, unless severe drought)

  • If your trees have been planted in the last couple of years, please be sure to set up a plan for someone to water your trees throughout the summer. Fruit trees need the equivalent of 1 inch of rain per week. If it is a dry summer, young trees will need to be watered (fully saturated x2) on a weekly basis. Aim for 2 good soaks a month.

• Thin Fruit (1x/month as needed):

  • Thinning fruit from your trees helps them produce better fruit! Thinning your peach trees is an important maintenance step, if you have not done so already, now is the time! It can be sad to pull fruit off of the tree before it is ripe, but this will help the health of the tree and the size and quality of the fruit that does remain. 

  • To thin your peaches, gently pull off excess fruit so that each remaining fruit on the branch is about 4 inches apart from the next fruit. You can watch a short 45 second instructional video at the link below. At this time of year, you can let your thinned peaches ripen off the tree and eat them! Also, thinning now will increase the likelihood that peaches will still be on the trees when students return to school :) 

  • For all other fruit trees, in the first 2 years it is ideal to remove all fruit to let the tree put energy into growing a strong foundation but it is ok to leave a couple just for fun.

• Monitor your trees for damage/evidence of pests (periodically):

  • Are there signs of caterpillar nests? 

  • Evidence of rodents? 

  • Have deer eaten any branches? 

  • Other signs of damage? Bumps? Breaks? 

  • Contact us at info@retreeus.org about your ReTreeUS orchard if you see something suspicious you are not sure how to address 

 

Fall: 

• Watering (regularly as needed through October) 

  • Depending on rainfall in a particular year, water every other week (fully saturated x2). o If your trees have been planted in the last couple of years, regular watering is even more important. Fruit trees need the equivalent of 1 inch of rain per week. If it is a dry summer, young trees will need to be watered (fully saturated x2) on a weekly basis. Aim for 2 good soaks a month.

• Cover bases with screens

  • If you removed your rodent protection screens during the summer, be sure to tie them around the bases of your trees again. Step by step guide at this link

• Harvest! 

  • This is a great time for students to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor! o report quantity and where it goes (optional but encouraged)
     

Winter:

• Clearing snow around bases

  • Stomp snow around the bases of trees to prevent buildup/rodents from burrowing and causing damage.

• Late winter pruning (optional 1x/year)

  • Contact ReTreeUS if interested in setting up pruning workshop this time of year or for pruning guidance

• Checking for caterpillar nests

  • Winter is the best time to monitor for and remove​ Brown Tail Moth webs before the caterpillars emerge, if you have them. Find guidance on how to do that here: 
    https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/invasive_threats/browntail_moth_info.htm 

​

​

Tree Planting Instructions: 

• dig a hole slightly larger than the pot/soil/root structure that comes with your tree

  • try not to step on the soil that you dig out of the ground so that it does not become compact

• remove grass/sod and rocks from the hole

  • you can shake the grass/sod to knock off as much of the dirt into the whole as possible

• optional to mix some compost into the hole for an extra boost

• if your tree is in a pot, you can roll the pot gently if you need to loosen the tree from the pot, but otherwise pull the tree out and gently massage the roots to break up any clumps before placing it in the hole. Keep as much soil as possible intact as you do this.

  • if your tree is in a biodegradable pot, you can just put the whole thing in the hole 

• once your tree is placed in the hole, check to make sure it is straight and then pull the soil around the hole in and pack around the tree firmly to make sure all the roots are covered

• optional to add some mulch or leaf material around the base of the tree to enrich the soil, making sure that it is not piled up agains the base of the tree

• water thoroughly after planting, fully saturating the basin around the treex2​​

• it is recommended to add rodent protection screens around the base of most trees, find instructions to do that here.