How To Grow A Fruit Tree Faster | The Multiyear Hole

Comments · 352

• JA

  @jacquesinthegarden · 2 years ago · pinned

  I wanted to add a few points here on the process, some clarifications, and summarize a lot of the common questions I got. <br> <br>1) You ABSOLUTLEY can just dig a hole slightly bigger than the root ball, pop the tree in, cover, water, and mulch and call it a day. This is how most people plant trees and it works! I am trying this method because it should speed up the initial root growth and I am curious! <br> <br>2) It is called a multiyear hole because in an ideal world you would spend 2+ years amending and preparing soil to be perfect. This means amending, cover cropping, mulching, and cycling organic matter into the soil. By following the procedure &nbsp;I show in the video you are shortcutting that time by forcing the soil to be as if it was amended for years. This makes it a multiyear hole as it saves you multiple years of working the soil before planting. <br> <br>3) If you have true CLAY soil like +70% clay than this method might not be great for you. The surrounding water will drain into the hole you dug and can lead to root rot. If you have some sand and silt with your clay, like I do, then it should be able to drain just fine. There is also the caveat of climate, in San Diego we average 10-12 inches of rain a year so drowning roots is really a non-issue for me! <br> <br>4) I like to test old rules and see if they apply to me. Many recommendations that people take as fact are based on regional climate, soil, and many other factors. A recommendation that has come up a lot recently is to NEVER put organic matter like compost in the ground as it can cause rotting. I personally disagree, as you test soil over the years you will see organic matter increase year after year at depth. This can even &nbsp;happen in a no-till setting as things like worms dig up and down drawing organic matter through the soil layers and also pooping. Roots that decompose at depth also become organic matter. Double digging involves adding compost at depth and has been practiced for 100s of years with massive production alongside it. It is a all about the details, if you add a straight pile of compost at the bottom and don&apos;t mix it and put roots on top of that then it yes it may cause root rot. If you blend it with some topsoil before placing your roots then the odds of root rot decrease dramatically. It is all about the details! <br> <br>5) I love your questions and I will do the best to answer as many as I can! Don&apos;t be afraid to ask questions and challenge me because I truly enjoy the discussion it creates and I won&apos;t be right about everything!

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• EP

  @epicgardening · 2 years ago

  Jokes on you, I made a special little graft on your tree in the middle of the night…

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• JU

  @justineheinrichs2798 · 2 years ago

  So interesting to watch. I grew up in a family that was forever planting trees. Many wind shelters. I was always told that yes the depth is important but making the hole wider was paramount. My Mom was an avid gardener. It will be lovely to watch the progress of your fruit trees. Thank you for sharing this ❤❤❤

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• JS

  @jsearlejr · 1 year ago

  @jacquesinthegarden, have you posted an updated video on this tree? I would love to watch it, if you have.

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• IV

  @IVOrganic · 2 years ago (edited)

  We are SO PROUD to be a part of your growing success! &nbsp;Happy Gardening 2024, Jacques! 🌱🙌

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• JO

  @johnna-l7t · 2 years ago

  I also learned that it is very important to heavily prune bare-root trees when planting them because when they were torn out of the earth they were growing in, a large part of the root was torn off as well. So the root system that is left is not large enough to support the canopy above it anymore, hence the need to severely prune the canopy. It made a lot of sense to me.

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• GE

  @GeorgeLucas1138 · 2 years ago

  It doesn&apos;t make the hater comments easier, but the best scientists always get at least a little heat. I appreciate you testing things like this, it&apos;s the best part about the channel tbh. If we aren&apos;t trying new things and showing the data to people, then wtf are we even doing.

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• MA

  @MAA-dt1yo · 2 years ago

  Growfully With Jenna did a great video on this too and refers to it as digging a $50 hole for a $5 tree

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• ST

  @Stewart7516 · 2 years ago

  One thing i see to often is people digging a multi year hole and only filling the hole with compost, this can be a problem for a couple years as the tree has no access to mineral/metals rich soil.. its crucial that you mix in a little sand gravel or whatever was in the native soil. If this isnt done then the tree mY struggle to grow and balance itself. Love the video, cant wait to see updates on the tree&apos;s growth next year 👍🏽

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• JE

  @jeannamcgregor9967 · 2 years ago

  I just planted a cherry tree this morning in my NorCal 10a garden! I didn&apos;t think I could grow cherries here (too warm) but this little Royal Crimson cherry only needs 200-300 hours of chill and is self-fruiting. It&apos;s a brand new cultivar and I can&apos;t wait to get some fruit! My pear and apple both fruited on the second year so we&apos;ll see. Sadly I just dug a plain hole.

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• FA

  @FaceEatingOwl · 2 years ago

  Pah, call that an &apos;ole, you should see my &apos;ole.

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• GA

  @gammayin3245 · 2 years ago

  I like the depth of detail in your explanations - easier to hear than the newly gardener stuff. &nbsp;Thanks.

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