How to Plant Bare Root Fruit and Nut Trees

Although container grown trees can be planted anytime of the year, the largest root systems can usually be found on bare root trees sold during the winter. After arriving home with your bare root tree remove any packing material from the roots such as sawdust, and soak the tree for 3-6 hours in a bucket of water. You can soak the tree for up to 36 hours if you can't plant it right away. While the tree is soaking, dig the hole for your new tree in the desired location. Avoid areas under power lines or too close to existing structures.

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If digging in heavy clay, pulverize the soil so there won't be any air pockets around the roots. Be sure the roots are spread out and won't be able to encircle, or girdle, the tree and eventually kill it. Backfill using native soil while pouring water from a bucket that contains the correct amount of a root stimulator. Adding the water liquifies the soil and forms a good seal around the roots. Use only native soil as a backfill and firm it up by lightly tamping the soil. Stomping around the base of the tree will damage the roots and prevent the proper amount of aeration. Plant trees at the same level they were in the nursery. You can tell how deep they were planted by looking at the watermark at the base of the tree. Don't plant in a way that the graft is below the soil line. The graft is the area on a fruit or nut tree near the base where the fruiting stock was grafted to the rootstock. It looks offset and is easy to detect. If you plant the graft below the soil line, the fruiting part of the tree will die back and the rootstock will grow and provide you with either small hard fruit that is inedible or no fruit at all. Keep the graft at least two inches above the soil line, if possible. Apply root stimulator 3 more times 10 days apart during the first month the tree is in the ground.

Trees will need special attention for the first year so keep the soil around them moist, but not wet, during this crucial time. It's as important not to over water as under water because the roots can drown if not given any space for oxygen. Plum trees are particularly susceptible to over watering, so don't plant them in a low spot where water collects. Try to plant your trees where they can be reached with a garden hose. If not, you can punch a small nail hole in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and set it beside your new tree every couple of days so the water can slowly soak into the soil around the trunk of the new tree. Keep a 3-5 inch layer of mulch 2 feet out from the base of the tree so the moisture level will remain fairly constant. Keep mulch one inch from the trunk and don't cover the graft with mulch.

Fruit and nut trees don't usually need to be pruned when newly planted although some publications recommend a drastic first pruning. However, dead wood or misshapen growth can be removed. For nut trees, it's best to let them go the first year and prune for shape the next winter. Avoid trimming your new shade tree into a "Q-tip" that will break or get stressed from the wind. "Q-tipping" will also cause the wind to break small roots from the base of the tree and it sways to and fro. The lower limbs the tree has while young keep it stable during periods of high winds. Fruit trees have specific pruning requirements that need a diagram or hands on approach to demonstrate well so see your local gardening professional or contact your local county extension office for information on pruning fruit and nut trees.