Fruit trees, roses, berries and more available 'naked' and ready to plant
These are raspberry bushes, packed in sleeves for bare-root planting. Many other types of berries, plus fruit trees and roses, are available this time of year as bare-root plants. Kathy Morrison
They look funny (because we’re not used to naked roots) and kind of counterintuitive (don’t plants need soil to live?), but they may be the best garden bargains you’ll find all year.
It’s bare-root season, which means nurseries are sporting sawdust-filled bins packed with dormant trees, shrubs and perennials. That sawdust helps protect those naked roots and keep them moist while the plants are out of the ground and “sleeping.”
Bare-root season allows growers and retail nurseries to save money, and some of those savings are passed onto buyers. Fruit trees, roses and other shrubs are dug up from growing fields in fall, then chilled in temperature-controlled warehouses; that pushes them into dormancy while keeping them fresh. They chill until they’re ready to ship to customers in winter.
Before or after shipping, growers and nurseries don’t have to repot bare-root stock. That saves on shipping costs (a bare-root fruit tree weighs a fraction of a tree in a pot full of soil) as well as time and labor.
The real bonuses are for the buyer. So much of a plant’s potential garden success is dependent on strong roots and here’s an opportunity to check them out. If bought in person, the plant can be inspected from top to bottom. Ideally, choose a tree or shrub with multiple, undamaged roots.
Another plus: Bare-root plants acclimate much faster than similar plants, transplanted from pots. Those naked roots can’t wait to get growing in their new surroundings. That gives the plant a head start on getting established (key to drought survival).
In addition, customers get more plant for their money. Bare-root fruit trees and roses are usually at least 3 years old; they’re mature plants. If bought in a pot, they’d cost significantly more.
Selection – especially of fruit trees, berries or roses – is never better than bare-root season. Nurseries don’t have physical space to keep lots of different varieties in stock in pots. But bare-root season allows for a full spectrum of varieties including many not available at any other time of year.
For fruit lovers, bare-root season is time to create your own diverse orchard or add favorites to your landscape. Among the fruit and nut trees available bare root: almond, apple, apricot, aprium, cherry, fig, jujube, mulberry, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, pluot and walnuts. This is also the time to find “fruit basket” trees with multiple varieties grafted onto the same trunk.
Both wine and table grapes are available bare root as well as many kinds of berries including blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, currant, strawberry and raspberry. Perennial food plants such as horseradish and rhubarb are sold bare root, too.
Before transplanting, remember to give your new bare-root plant a drink. It can become dehydrated after so many weeks out of the ground. Soak the plant’s roots in a bucket or tub of water overnight.
For tips on selecting bare-root roses: https://bit.ly/3GlSuLb
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of June 22
Mornings this first week of summer will remain comfortably cool – just right for gardening!
* Water early in the morning to cut down on evaporation. Check soil moisture and deep water trees and shrubs. Keep new transplants and veggies evenly moist. Deep water tomatoes to encourage deep roots.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.
* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.