How to Plant a Bare Root Tree

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Planting a bare-root tree or shrub is easy! There are just a few tricks you should know. These instructions should help. If you have any questions, stop by the nursery or give us a call!

  1. Unpack your plant. Remove it from the bag, and loosen or remove any tightly-wound tags or stem tapes. Carefully untangle the roots. Trim off any broken roots or branches. If the roots have dried out, soak them in plain, air-temperature water for 15 minutes to 3 hours. Do not soak for more than 4 hours. If you cannot plant your bare root tree right away, put it outside and cover the roots with moist sawdust or mulch. Try not to store your tree this way for longer than several days. Planting immediately after purchasing is ideal!
  2. Dig a short, wide hole, about 2′-3′ deep and wide. It should be wide enough that the roots can grow outward without crowding. If you find you dug the hole too deep, put some soil back in and firm it down with your foot to prevent settling.
  3. Using the excavated field soil, make a mound in the center of the hole, gently firming the soil as you create the mound to avoid settling. Place your plant atop the mound, spreading the roots out evenly down the sides of the mound. Take care that you are not planting too deeply; the crown should be above the soil. It is better to plant too high than too low.
  4. Sprinkle a mycorrhizae inoculant over the bare roots.
  5. Lightly amend the backfill soil with rich compost and a very light application of an organic starter fertilizer. Shovel the mixed soil into the hole, gently tamping it down as you go. It should be firmly but not tightly packed. Water generously to help settle the soil around the roots and into the hole. If you notice that your plant is sinking as the soil settles, it is VERY important to gently wiggle and lift your plant, or start over again and replant. Being planted too deeply can suffocate the root system and is the leading cause of tree death. It is better to plant too high than too low.
  6. After the water has soaked in, spread a protective mulch 2-3 inches deep in a 3-foot diameter area around the base. Leave a 4-inch circle around the base of the plant, so the mulch never touches the trunk. We recommend our Soil Building Conditioner as a mulch.
  7. If needed, stake your tree. Use 3 stakes, evenly spaced around the tree. Tie loosely enough so that the tree can move a bit, but tightly enough that it will not tip over. Trees need trunk movement to become strong and straight and self-supporting. Mark your calendar to remove the stakes after a season of growth.
  8. Protect from rabbits and rodents.  Make a 2′ – 3′ tall “tube” of galvanized hardware cloth or 1″ chicken wire to encircle the trunk.  It should fit closely, but allowing an inch or so of room between the trunk and the barrier.
  9. Protect from deer. You can make a “cage”  around the tree by wrapping a length of field fence in a circle. Or use the stakes as a framework, and wind wire or fishing line around them. Take care that no wire or plastic is touching or wrapped around the trunk of the tree. Even trees that are “deer resistant” can be subject to rutting, and newly planted trees and shrubs can be knocked down by deer. It is never a bad idea to keep newly planted plants well-sprayed with deer & rodent repellant sprays – it can help to make a bad first impression!
  10. Throughout the growing season, give your new tree plenty of water. Deep watering is recommended to help the tree develop a deep root system. Leave the hose on a trickle for 1-3 hours to make sure that water is soaking the entire root zone. It can be helpful to set a reminder alarm on your cell phone! The goal is to keep the soil moist but not soggy and to allow the soil to drain well between waterings. Deeply rooted trees are more drought-resistant in the long term. In the first season, a tree-gator bag can help make watering newly-planted trees a bit easier. If you have a spray irrigation system, DO NOT rely on it to provide adequate, deep watering. In the first 2 – 3 years you will need to supplement to make sure water is getting down deep enough.

Here’s a video with Tobey Nelson showing us the process!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Orchard Mason Bee Basics

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Mason Bees have created quite a buzz these past few years, becoming popular with gardeners, farmers, orchardists, and stewards of our native habitats – with good reason! They are excellent pollinators, pollinating 95% of flowers they visit vs. honeybees’ 5%. This means more pollination from fewer bees, in fact it’s been found that 250 female mason bees can pollinate apples as effectively as about 50,000 honey bees! They are active starting in about late March or so here in Western WA, continuing for about 6-8 weeks until the adults die, leaving the cocoons to mature until the next spring. Their active time coincides with the bloom time of many fruit bearing plants, so they are a great addition to any home orchard or fruit garden. If you’re struggling with fruit production in your garden, adding mason bees is an excellent idea.

These native bees are solitary, nesting each to their own holes, and therefore do not have a hive or make honey. With no reason to be aggressive or protective, orchard mason bees are extremely gentle, and rarely sting. There have been zero reported cases of severe allergic reaction to mason bee stings. Kids love to watch the bees emerge from their cocoons and fill up their nest holes, they are a great way to teach about life cycles as well as develop a love for nature. Native bees are on the decline, so raising your own native bees is a great way to contribute to biodiversity and make sure the plants around you get pollinated.

If you’d like to learn more about mason bees, our bee supplier Knox Cellars Mason Bees has lots of great information HERE.

What you need to get started with Mason Bees:

Early nectar sources – dandelions, Forsythia, Pieris, witch hazel, Maple trees and fruit trees or shrubs are all great early blooming plants.

Clayey mud – if you’ve got clay in your soil naturally, you can just dig a small hole for them to access it, otherwise provide a small dish of moist clay for them nearby.

NO chemical or pesticide use – if your property is small, talk with your neighbors as well to see if they are pesticide free to keep your bees healthy.

Nesting holes – these can be paper tubes, reeds, bamboo tubes or special wooden blocks which can be cleaned. Avoid drilled wood blocks, as they can’t be cleaned, and if using reeds, paper or bamboo they’ll need to be replaced each year. These will need to be kept in a small housing of some kind that is sturdy, protective and water resistant and attached to a house, shed or sturdy post. We have several options for nesting holes and shelters available at the nursery.

Bees! – we have live bees available as loose cocoons or filled tubes as part of an easy starter kit. We keep them refrigerated so ask any nursery employee, we’re happy to get them for you.