"To Everything There is a Season..."

Now is the time for proper selection and planting of bareroot fruit trees

by Ed Laivo

Ahhh! my favorite time of year, early winter—when retail nurseries begin to receive bareroot fruit trees.

The key to a successful bareroot experience is making a few important, informed decisions at the start.

Fruit trees are expected to be in the yard for a long time, so one wants to be confident that the varieties will be healthy and productive. Choose a nursery that knows the climate and soils of the area, and a salesperson who is familiar with recommended fruit varieties. A nursery that emphasizes bareroot will have a good selection of adapted varieties including older, tried and true varieties as well as some of the new and unusual ones.

Deciding where to buy fruit trees depends primarily on two things:
- availability and
- reliable, local information.

Selecting the right varieties is critical to success.

It may not be worthwhile to plant a variety that is available in consistently good quality, in season, at local stores or fruit stands. The farmers that are delivering top quality, tasty fruit to market need our support.

The best home orchard candidates are those that are hard to find, special in flavor or only at their best when eaten right from the tree, fully ripe.

A Dave Wilson Nursery fruit tasting report is especially handy for information about some of the best-tasting fruits.

Fruit collectors optimize their space by planting unusual, heirloom, antique and non-commercial varieties. Those who enjoy cooking, of course, should think about recipe ingredients.

When there is more than one possible planting site in the yard, the sunniest location is the best choice—a good fruit tree site receives at least eight hours of full sun (no less than six afternoon hours).

People often ask “how little sun is enough for a fruit tree?” In all cases, excepting perhaps the low desert where some afternoon shade may be beneficial, the more sunlight the better for fruit quality, tree vigor and tree health.

Drainage tests may indicate the need
to plant fruit trees in a raised bed.......

Wherever fruit trees are to be planted, it is critical to evaluate the soil beforehand.

DOES IT DRAIN WELL?

The most important issue in planting a fruit tree is drainage; it is essential to know whether the soil is fast-draining or (more commonly) slow-draining.

Fast-draining soils can dry out quickly in hot weather.
Slow-draining soils can become saturated by rainfall or landscape watering, starving tree roots of oxygen.

Understanding and managing soil drainage is the number one means of ensuring that a fruit tree starts well and has a long healthy life.

Evaluate drainage before going to the nursery by digging a hole about the size of a five lb. coffee can and filling it with water. If it takes three hours or less to drain, the drainage is probably satisfactory. Longer than a day to drain indicates a severe drainage problem. Poor drainage is particularly troublesome to cherries and apricots, but can be a challenge for most any kind of fruit tree. Understanding drainage helps in selecting the right rootstocks or helps the nurseryperson determine what rootstock to recommend.

Drainage tests also indicate whether a raised-bed planter should be considered. (Garden Compass May/June 2001)

To be grown as a commercial landscape-style tree (full-sized, high-canopy tree with four-foot trunk), the tree selected should have a straight bud union and straight trunk after all limbs below four feet have been removed. The bud union refers to the spot where the tree variety attaches to the rootstock—it should be straight, not crooked like a dog’s hind leg.

Backyard growers who follow the practice of cutting fruit trees off at knee-height to force low-branching obviously are not concerned with the straightness of the tree above knee height.

A good bareroot tree does not have an extensively damaged or one-sided root system, nor is the tap root cracked.

Trees recently planted in containers may be treated as bareroot if purchased in December through late January—they may be removed from the can (“re-barerooted”) for planting. After late January, however, it is best to let the trees grow in the can until spring when the rootball can be pulled out of the can intact without disturbing the roots (late April or later).

Exceptions are trees in paper pots. These can be riddled with holes using a sharp stick or the claw end of a hammer and planted, pot and all, any time after January.

If the trees are last year’s stock,
there are a few things to look for...

Does the tree have some limbs to work with? For a tree that will be kept small by summer-pruning for no-ladder picking (Garden Compass March/April 2001, page 28) limbs should begin at approximately knee height.

(Note: heading back an older, larger tree to promote a lower canopy is sometimes difficult as the tree may push only one or two new limbs instead of the desired three to five well-spaced ones).

Some nurseries manage labor by potting up bareroot trees in order to avoid planting unsold ones during the spring busy season. Generally your cost is the same.

Container trees must be inspected for damage on the trunk and in the vicinity of the bud union.

For example, tunneling around the bud union might indicate borers.
Oozing, dark colored bark might indicate bacterial canker.
Generally, trees that have been in the same container for more than two summers are not good choices for planting.

Soils and recommended amendments
vary from one area to another;
no one group of amendments works for all.

It is always a good idea to consult a nursery professional regarding which soil amendments are recommended for local tree planting. Some soils require no amendments at all. Fertilizer is not necessary at planting time, but might be recommended for later in the growing season. Plantings in all areas may benefit from the use of mulch as a top dressing (Garden Compass July/August 2001).

After planting, covering the area surrounding the tree with three or four inches of mulch can be very effective in helping to maintain consistent soil moisture. Another thing to remember before leaving the nursery is to ask about white latex paint for the trunk.

Newly planted trees in hot climates can benefit from
a 50% each water/latex coat on the trunk.

It’s good insurance against sunburn and will also help protect the tree from borers.

Some nurseries post fruit tree information including fruit tasting reports and harvest dates.

When bareroot trees leave the nursery, they must be planted or put into a temporary medium as soon as possible. Bareroot trees are leafless, dormant and hardy, but their exposed roots must not be allowed to dry out. Delaying the planting or leaving the roots uncovered increases the likelihood of a weakened tree and problems later.

To store trees temporarily, place in shade or an unheated building and cover the roots with something to keep them moist, such as a wet blanket. In very low humidity, a plastic sheet or tarp is required as a top cover, even for just overnight.

To store longer than two days, trees should be “heeled in” by temporarily planting in a moist medium such as compost, potting soil, garden soil or a pile of wet leaves.

I recommend a planting hole wider than deep—four feet wide and deep enough to cover the root when planted—providing there is good drainage! If the drainage is poor a raised bed planting could be employed without even digging a hole. A wood frame or low rock wall is built on top of the ground, the trees put in and roots covered with soil. Such an above-ground, bottomless container provides a buffer zone of available oxygen even when the soil below is saturated. In any case, planting depth is determined by the previous soil line—bareroot trees have a line of slight color change on the rootstock. If the line is not obvious, the nursery professional can determine how deep to plant the tree.

When planting container trees, the soil line in the can will be the soil line in the ground. Newly planted trees may settle after watering—planting a little high allows for it. Planting bareroot or container trees too deep is detrimental in all but the fastest-draining soils.

The primary cause of fruit tree failure is poor irrigation — too much or too little water.

Whether expert or beginner, knowing when to irrigate means knowing the soil moisture.

If in doubt, directly observe the soil moisture at a depth of one foot by digging alongside the planting hole.

Well that’s it—how to start new fruit trees right by avoiding some common problems. Additional ideas on high density planting and successive ripening can be found around this site. Start Here...