How to Plant A Bare Root Plant

Make sure to keep your bare-root fruit tree or bare-root plant hydrated until the time that you are planning to plant. If you cannot plant the trees within a couple of days it is recommended to heal the plants in moist soil, but do not put the plant in water. You want to plant your fruit tree in full sun or as close to full sun as you can, for the best possible results.

Dig the hole two times the diameter of the root system, and as deep as the plant was at the nursery. The trunk should have a mark indicating where this was and if your tree is a grafted variety make sure to keep the graft two to three inches above the ground level. No soil amendments are necessary but if you choose to amend the soil only use the soil moist transplant mix with minor elements offered for sale. Backfill the hole and tamp soil down to remove air pockets, and water well. If settling occurs add more soil. It is recommended to fertilize your plants with Nutri-Pak fertilizer packs. Each pack last for one year are easy to use. Simply bury the pack 1ft away from the plant and six inches deep, do not open or pierce the bag and that is it it. Do not granular fertilize or put fertilizers in the hole with the plant as this will severely stunt the tree’s development and possibly even kill it.

Create a basin around the tree with the leftover soil to capture rain water. You will want to water adequately every day for the first ten days depending on rainfall; you will not have to water as often in the winter, as the tree is dormant and not actively growing. You will want to continue watering through the summer to get it off to the best start for long-term production.