Santa Barbara and Fruit Trees

Planting Season for Fruit Trees in Santa Barbara

Fruit trees and Santa Barbara go together like peanut butter and jelly. Many of our streets are so named for the groves of fruit trees that used to grace the street that now house much of our community.

Olive, lemon, walnut, avocado: these are just a few of the trees that call Santa Barbara home. As with many of the coastal regions of Southern California, Santa Barbara fruit trees can provide some of the sweetest, tastiest fruit available. January is the best time of year to get those bare root trees in the ground.

Planting Tips for Bare Root Fruit Trees

Tip 1: Plant bare root trees within 24 hours of acquiring them. If you cannot plant them within a day, place tree into a pile of soil or a bucket of soil mix.
Tip 2: Soak the roots overnight in a mixture of water and Vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 can be found at your local hardware store. This will prevent the roots from going into shock.
Tip 3: Dig a whole in which to plant the tree. The hole should be approximately double the size of the root ball. It is not necessary to dig a hole deeper than the length of the rootstock. Soften and amend the surrounding soil. Refer to our previous blog on soil amendment if you are unaware of your kind of soil.

Tip 4: Place the tree on a slight mound in the middle of the hole, and then spread out the roots; don’t let them encircle the tree. Face the bud union of the fruit tree (where the root stock and fruiting section have been grafted, you’ll see the bump) to the north east, away from the direction of the sun. Use quality, rich soil amendment mixed with a slow release fertilizer for trees to backfill tree
Tip 5: Make sure that the tree is approximately 1-2 inches above grade. This keeps the tree from developing root rot and insect damage.
Tip 6: Make sure you install an irrigation system with the tree. We recommend a drip system. If you are unable to do so, you should check frequently for moisture. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO DRY OUT. When you do water, you should water deeply.

*Note: Some suggest that you should paint the tree trunk of a young fruit tree in order to keep the tree from becoming sunburned. This method is unnecessary in Santa Barbara, as the climate is moderate and unlikely to scar young trees.
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Fixing Landscaping and Planting Mistakes

September 18, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

Common Planting Mistakes

Our maintenance clients often call on us to fix landscaping and planting errors made by other contractors. Here is a case study of a recent landscapee rescue project we just completed.

Case Study – Poor Soil Preparation

Recently we’ve been reworking the planting in the front yard of a client whose has lost trees and shrubs due to a fungus named armillaria and compaction of soil.

Problem:

A large row of Texas Privet hedge and various shrubs were lost. The client desired these to be replaced as the Privet hedge offers them privacy against the street traffic. As that point, we tested the soil to determine the severity of the problem.

Planting and soil Poblem in Santa Barbara

Problem: Undetected Soil Fungus plus Irrigation and Electrical Conduits Not Buried Deep per Code Requirements

Diagnosis:

The causes of the problem was determined to be an undiscovered fungi in soil which caused root disease and poor planting techniques used by previous landscaper.

It is imperative that landscapers test the soil for harmful elements that can cause plant disease. An example of a harmful soil condition is Armillaria. A root disease commonly found throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.
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