Did I Make A Huge Mistake?

[tth2010]

Hi guys,

I am new to planting bare root trees. I just planted 11 dormant fruit trees last week. I laid down cardboard and put 8" of wood chips in a massive area to make my food forest. I moved all wood chips and dug the holes, careful not to mix the chips and soil. HOWEVER, I did bury the grass clumps on top of the roots with the dirt for backfill. I thought it would be good fertilizer as it decomposed but now I am worried it's going to burn the roots in the process.

It's been about a week since planting. Do I need to dig them all back up and remove the grass clumps?

 

[Chuck]

Hi guys,

I am new to planting bare root trees. I just planted 11 dormant fruit trees last week. I laid down cardboard and put 8" of wood chips in a massive area to make my food forest. I moved all wood chips and dug the holes, careful not to mix the chips and soil. HOWEVER, I did bury the grass clumps on top of the roots with the dirt for backfill. I thought it would be good fertilizer as it decomposed but now I am worried it's going to burn the roots in the process.

It's been about a week since planting. Do I need to dig them all back up and remove the grass clumps?

Decomposing grass roots will not harm the trees. As long as you did not plant the trees too deep everything will be fine. Wood chips are not a sufficient food source. You still need to feed the trees.

 

[Meadowlark]

You won't have a problem from your description of how you planted...however, depending on your location, it may be late to plant bare root trees.

In many places, summer heat isn't far away. Be sure to keep them well watered.