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It's the perfect time to visit McCourts Garden Centre! Deciduous fruit and ornamental trees have arrived as well as a great range of Bare-root roses. Karen has been toiling away in an effort to get the roses organised,    ( a huge job by the way!) and Pearl, Chris and David and myself have been spending most of the week sorting and tagging hundreds of fruit trees and ornamental trees. This weekend beginning today we are having a fruit tree sale .... an amazing 3 for $60!!!! This offer is only for the Long Weekend and excludes dwarf fruit trees, new release trees and citrus and evergreen trees. Apples, apricots, plums, cherries, pears nectarines and peaches are all included in the sale so be quick because they are going fast!

We also have free sachets of seasol and powerfeed to give to customers to use when planting their bare-root tree or rose. Seasol is a wonderful product to use in so many ways. It helps to prevent transplant shock and encourage root development and should really be used every time you plant. Another Seasol product is Seasol Gel which comes in a handy bucket. Place a few scoops into the bottom of the hole you are about to use and the roots will grow through the gel essentially storing water on the roots for up to 5 years! After such a dry year I think we all know how hard it was to keep the water up to new trees as well as established gardens.

It is essential to give your deciduous tree plenty of water, with the first two years being the most crucial. Spring is extremely important as gardeners are caught unawares as trees and shrubs start to bud up and their roots really start to move. This is when an adequate watering regime is essential. And by adequate I don't mean 5 minutes of watering every few days. You need to encourage the roots to go deep into the soil and eventually access the groundwater and to do this deep soaking of at least half an hour to an hour once a week is far more effective. Obviously in extreme hot, dry conditions more watering is necessary. Mulching can help to keep the tree roots cool and keep weed and grass competition at a mimimum so long as its kept away from the trunk.

It may seem like a big job but the results a worth waiting for. There's nothing better than the taste of home grown fruit, not to mention the knowledge you have of the food you are eating!

Posted by: at 6:55 pm on June 7th, 2013