5 Steps Before Planting Your Bare-Root Fruit Trees

Previously we discussed storing your bare root fruit trees and heeling in your bare root fruit trees. Now it is time to plant your bare root fruit trees. We have some important steps that you want to take before you plant those trees. Taking these important steps will help your tree to flourish successfully.

Step 1. Follow any instructions that came with the tree. Be sure to read those over carefully.

Step 2. Before you plant, you will want to soak roots for at least one hour (even if you have heeled it in) but no more than 4 hours. We like to let it soak while we dig our hole. We even put up to 4 trees in one bucket to soak if they are the same variety (use new clean water for each different type of variety tree that you have). Keep the roots completely submerged in the bucket if you can. The roots will lighten up and you will see more of the green. That is a good sign. What soaking is really doing is removing any of the original soil off the roots.

Step 3. Prune the roots before you plant. Remove any damaged, entwined, moldy or rotting roots. Look for white or white spots that get spots, If you can wash off the spots that is great, but if not, be sure to use a clean sheer and clip those up. Use an off angle to help them heal. Try to keep as much root as you can. When untangling roots you can clip one of the entangled roots off and try to unwind it keeping as much of the root as you can.

Step 4. Amend the base of your hole if you haven’t done that previously when testing your soil.

Step 5. Mix your back-fill with bone meal and mulch.

Once you have taken these 5 steps you are ready to starting planting your tree. To learn more about bare root fruit trees you can join our Mastery Program where you can ask questions, watch videos, get planting guides and more.