Planting the jaboticaba

1. Use a can of spray paint to mark the diameter of your circle, I use a piece of string trimmer string tied to bamboo stake, then hold the string in the hand with the can of paint and walk the circle, spraying it.















2.Dig the outline of the circle, severing all grass roots.




















3. Remove 1 foot wide sections of grass by digging in deep under the roots from all sides, use the spade to cut the strip into two feet sections, shake off soil and place in wheelbarrow.
















4. Once all grass is removed, I dig straight down on the edge and pile the dirt up towards the center, this forms a small "dam" and a deep trench that will help to stop the grass invading.
















5. Dig a hole about twice the size of the container, don't dig to deep, for sub-tropical fruit trees, you want the top inch or two to stick out.

6. Fill the hole with water.

7. Mix some mulch with soil, I'm using Eco friendly cypress mulch, bought on sale at $2.25 per bag. Fill in around the plant with the soil/mulch mixture, then tamp it down.
Water well, I use the shower setting and hold it quite close to fill all air pockets.





















8. Tamp it down some more (note the two inches sticking out).




















9. Place some soil on top of the tamped down mulch/soil, then water it in some more.

10. Use the remaining mulch and add more until the two inches that are sticking out is level with the surrounding soil/mulch, cover the rest of the heap with mulch. Make sure you leave at least a couple inches of soil around the trunk bare, don't let the mulch touch the trunk. I used two bags.




















11. Water some more.

12. For the next month, water daily until established.

13. After a month or two, fertilize with appropriate fertilizer. I use a proprietary mix from Excalibur Rare Fruit Trees for sub-tropical fruit trees.