MORP TREE GUARANTEE
Thank you for sharing our passion for growing heritage trees. We hand-graft each tree for you in order to spread these rare and historic genetics across Montezuma County and beyond. Our annual tree sales are also a source of revenue to help support our non-profit efforts to keep Montezuma County “Orchard Country”. We thank you.
We guarantee that our trees are healthy at the time of purchase. We further guarantee that trees are living things and that there are many ways to kill them. We gladly offer feedback and advice, but not refunds or replacements.
If you have any unresolved concerns when selecting a tree do not buy it. Please “talk tree care” with us anytime before or after your purchase. Your success is important to us.
Even if planting a tree or an orchard is often an act of perseverance, in our county alone, we still find growing – thousands of trees 100 years or older. So, please plant a tree today for our future, and in honor of the hard work of our early fruit-growing pioneers!
MORP PLANTING ADVICE:
- Trees are happiest in the ground, not in a pot, so plant immediately for best success.
- Select a site with good soil drainage and good air flow. Avoid cold sinks.
Space standard apple trees 25-30 feet apart; dwarf 15 feet apart. - Dig hole 2-3 times wider than the rootball and just deep enough to allow graft union to be several inches above soil line to keep traits of rootstock. In the case of seedling rootstock you may bury graft. Old timers did so for a stronger tree.
- Do not add hot compost, manure, or fertilizer to planting hole. Back fill with native soil mixed with one third composted compost or quality potting soil. Water in and tap down air pockets. Mulch with 1-2” of compost per year; do not over do it.
- Protect your tree from deer, rodents, and other mechanical damage. Good fence is essential. Paint lower south trunk with plain white latex paint diluted with water to protect from sun scald. If you use tree stakes, trunk guards, limb spacers, ID tags, etc., reposition EVERY year.
- Proper watering is key; not too much and not too little; just the right amount at just the right time. Easy to say, but takes experience to learn as the answer depends on the weather and site conditions, age and condition of tree, season and dormancy, and other factors. Rule of thumb: water slowly and deeply to get water down and out into soil profile. Repeat process when just the top of the soil just begins to dry. Flood or drip irrigation is best; sprinklers cause disease and sunburn, and often do not water deep enough. Water deeply and frequently to get a tree established; even during dry winter months; very hard to water too much in heat of the summer!