Starting new trees Dear Good Fruit Grower: Kudos to you and Tim Smith for helping growers get their trees started right. Regarding your article “Getting trees off to a good start,” in the May 1 issue of Good Fruit Grower, you are spot on with the recommendation “to apply just enough water to settle the ground.” I would emphasize that this is true because good soil moisture is not enough; good root/soil contact is ­paramount. To a point, “mudding them in” is the way to go. A week after trying this, growers should look for air pockets with a soil […]