Planting a Bare-Root Tree

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After many years of growing our gardens & orchards thanks to Stark Bro’s Nursery, I’m pleased to announce that I have partnered with them this growing season. I’ll continue to share content about growing your own food, but now some of those plants have been provided by Stark Bros. Links to Stark Bro’s Nursery are affiliate links. Your price and shopping experience remain the same, but I will receive a small commission for any sales generated.

A bare-root tree is exactly as it sounds. It is a stick with roots when it arrives to you. When your bare-root tree arrives, it will be dormant and the roots will be packed with damp newspaper shreds.

Stark Bro’s won’t ship you your tree until it’s safe to plant in your region. Typically, this is early spring before the trees in your region start to bud. My new Gold Rush apple tree arrived from Stark Bro’s in late March, just in time for an early warm-up and a lot of rain to help it get established.

While it is best to plant your tree right away, we all get hit with crazy weather and busy schedules, so if you aren’t able to plant your tree upon arrival you will need to keep it in a cool dark place and make sure the newspaper on the roots stays damp. Your goal is to keep the roots hydrated and prevent the tree from breaking dormancy before you get it in the ground.

Bare-Root vs Potted Trees

Bare-root trees allow the home gardener to select from a wider variety of fruit trees than what is typically available at the big box stores. The downside to bare-root trees is that they often take 3-5 years before producing fruit.

That said, we have had potted trees from nurseries and big box stores that take equally as long to produce fruit. It all depends on how you care for the tree once you have it.

Steps to Planting a Bare-Root Tree

Planting a bare-root fruit tree doesn’t have to be intimidating and even a novice gardener can follow these steps towards success.

• Remove your tree from the packaging it was shipped in, and place the roots in clean water to soak for an hour or two. That’s enough time for you to dig the hole and prepare to plant the tree.
• Dig a hole big enough to accommodate the roots when they are spread out. Make sure the hole isn’t so deep that you will cover the graft line.
• Place the tree in the hole and spread out the roots.
• Keep the trunk of the tree straight (perpendicular to the ground) and fill in the hole with the soil that was removed. Tamp in the soil to stabilize the tree.
• While not required, now would be a good time to use tree stakes to support your tree.
• If you have deer in your area, now is a good time to establish a barrier to protect your tree.
• Water the tree deeply and regularly.