Archives for February 2007

This is a continuation of “Buying Bare Root Plants“:

Once the bare root perennial plants that you’ve ordered have arrived you really should plant them. The sooner they are in the ground the better.

However the weather doesn’t always co-operate, and if you must store them temporarily until the weather is nice enough to begin planting your bare root shrubs, trees and perennials you can “heel in” the plants by laying them in a temporary trench dug in a shady spot in the garden and cover the roots with moist sawdust bark or soil. Sometimes if the weather is really bad, you might choose to store your bare root plants in a cool storage area – perhaps your basement, a root cellar or even your garage.

You should receive detailed instructions as to how to plant your new plants. Read the instructions carefully. I know for my bare root roses it was often suggest that I soak the roots for 8 to 24 hours before planting.

Begin by digging the hole for your plant. It’s a good idea to dig a hole that is both deeper and wider than what you need for the roots. You can check the soil conditions easily in this way, you can amend the soil to some degree just for that particular plant, and the soil in the area that you are planting the bare root will be looser and allow the roots to spread out and grow.

When checking the conditions of the soil make sure that the soil is moist – not dry, not excessively damp either. If it’s too damp or even wet wait a few days for it to dry out. Perhaps the area you are digging in is in the path of a snow and ice melting area and happens to be damper in the Spring than other areas of your garden.

When you are ready to plant your new bare root plant remove the packing material from around the roots. You shouldn’t put moss or wood shavings in the planting hole. Throw that stuff out.

Cut off any damaged or broken roots and be sure it’s a clean cut.

Make a cone shaped mound in the center of the planting hole and position the plant so that it’s at the right depth. The correct depth is the depth it was at at the nursery or whatever your instructions say for that plant.

In my area root grafts on roses should be buried about two inches below ground but in warmer zones the root graft is always above ground. This is another reason to read your instructions carefully.

Spread the plants roots out as evenly as possible. Slowly backfill the hole using the native soil from the hole. Do not use chemical fertilizer or fresh manure in the planting hole as that can damage the roots. Hold the plant upright as you fill in the hole and firm the soil. Be sure that there are no air pockets in the soil around the roots.

I often fill the hole half way with soil gently packing it around the roots and then water the soil slightly. This helps remove some of the air in the soil and or air pockets too.

Once your new bare root plant is planted care for it as directed. In no time at all you should have a happy thriving plant.

Good Luck!