Winter's the Time for Bare-Root Plants
By Sandy Woods, Master
Gardener
While strolling through your favorite nursery over the next few months, you may
come upon this year's shipment of bare-root plants. If
you are in the market for a plant, it is not always necessary to wait until
spring when your time clock tells you it is time to get back into gardening,
and selections will include only plants in containers. You
might take time during winter to learn about bare-root plants which, if handled
and planted properly, are often less expensive and may grow just as well or
better than those available in containers.
Many deciduous landscape plants, including temperate fruits and nuts, can be
purchased and planted with what is commonly referred to as bare roots. They are typically grown in the field and removed from the
soil in late fall or early winter, during dormancy. Plants
are either bundled or packed individually with their roots pruned and packed,
commonly in moist sawdust. Some are sold in bulk lots,
others individually. The medium in which the roots are
packed (often sawdust) is maintained in a moist condition. Bare-root
plants provide gardeners relatively easy opportunities to inspect roots of
plants before purchase. Plants with roots that have
dried, are rotted, or show warty growths (possibly due to crown gall caused by
bacterial infection) should not be selected. Select
plants with buds that appear alive. Bare-root plants
can be planted anytime, but are best planted during winter before dormancy
breaks in spring. If planting cannot occur right away,
keep the roots in moist (not wet) organic material, or temporarily buried in a
shallow trench. Plant before signs of bud swell or bud growth
occur.
Crowns of bare-root plants generally warrant extra care. The
crown is the transitional section where the trunk joins the roots, and which
should be located at or just below the soil surface. To
avoid crown rot, a bare-root plant should be planted high, with the crown above
the original soil line. The crown should be kept as
dry as possible, especially during spring while the plant is leafing out. Raised or mound planting can enhance prevention of crown
and root rot, and improve growth of many bare-root plants, including apple,
walnut, fig, cherry, apricot, almond, and peach. Raised
planting can be accomplished by removing, if necessary, just the compacted soil
from an area (approximately 4 ft x 4 ft, for example, for a small tree),
holding the plant upright with its roots on the ground and shoveling soil onto
the roots from the surrounding area. This should form
a mound which contains the roots with the crown just above the soil line. It should also form a ditch around the plant which can be
used to irrigate and promote drainage. Planting in
holes filled with amended soil is not generally recommended as this tends to
discourage roots from growing out into surrounding soil.
A three to four inch deep layer of compost, wood chip, grass clipping, or other
mulch material should be applied to a radius of two to three feet from the
trunk. The crown should not be covered with mulch, but
rather should be exposed to remain dry. Irrigate as
necessary to maintain moist but not wet or soggy soil; stake if necessary, and
enjoy!