Care of Bareroot Plants |
During early spring, many gardeners are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the postman or UPS truck bearing carefully packed plant orders from mail-order nurseries. These orders contain highly prized plant material, usually bare-root and dormant. Plants commonly sold bare-root include fruit trees, deciduous trees, small fruits, strawberries and roses. The novice gardener might look at these “sleeping” plants and think they’ve been cheated.“Where are the green leaves? And what’s this hunk of root?” they might be heard muttering in dismay.
Don’t panic and send these plants back, thinking you’ve been bamboozled. These plants are definitely alive and will soon sprout leaves. Many local nurseries also carry high-quality bare-root nursery stock, but unless they’re geared to mail order, they only carry a small amount.
Ideally bare root plants should be planted the same day they arrive, however, this is not always possible and your plants may need to be stored until planting conditions improve. Careful handling before planting occurs will determine success or failure. Bare root plants have had the soil washed or shaken from their roots after digging from the field. Because bare root plants lack a rooting media that supplies water to the plant, they must be stored in a dormant state with temperatures slightly above or below freezing, and high (95%) humidity levels. However, do not allow them to freeze.
When bare root plants are shipped from a nursery their roots are usually wrapped in damp sphagnum moss or newspaper. The plants are then placed in a plastic bag and packaged in a wax-coated or cardboard box. After receiving the plants, inspect them briefly to ensure they are healthy and undamaged, and that the packing material is still moist. Re-wet the packing material if necessary, and then store the plants in their packaged state, under cold temperatures until they can be planted.
Bare root plants must be planted in early spring, before the buds begin to swell. To minimize stress on the plants, try to plant on a calm or cloudy day, and keep the plants moist during the planting process. It is helpful to re-hydrate the plants by soaking them in a bucket of water for a couple hours before planting, however, DO NOT store the plants with their roots in water overnight.
Bare-root plants perform best when their food reserves have not been depleted. You can help them maintain optimum food reserves by making sure the root systems are healthy. A sharp knife or pruning shears should be used to remove any broken or twisted roots. Make clean cuts and don’t remove more root than necessary.
Stay in this conservative mode when pruning the top of your bare-root plant material at planting time, too. Remove only broken, dying or dead plant tissue.
During planting, it is extremely important to avoid the exposure of roots to air any longer than necessary, so keep the plants in a bucket of water as you take them out to the planting area.
Prepare a planting hole for each plant that is wide and shallow. Create a mound of soil in the center of each hole. Place a plant on top of the mound and drape the roots evenly around each side. Don’t bend or force the roots to fit in the planting hole, instead dig the hole wider if necessary. Each plant should have its first roots are just below the soil line- not showing above the soil, or several inches below the soil surface. Gently firm the soil around each seedling after planting to remove air pockets. Water each new plant as it is planted- do not wait until the entire planting is finished to begin.
Finally, apply a two inch layer of mulch around the base of the new plants to conserve soil moisture, moderate soil temperature fluctuations and provide weed control. |
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