Planting & Care Instructions
Bare-root: This group includes all plants that have had their roots cleaned prior to shipping. The roots are packed in moist sphagnum moss and wrapped in plastic.
When They Arrive: Gives detailed instructions on how to condition your plants on arrival.
When to Plant: Information on the planting times and options. Differences on plant care according to the time of year.
Container Plants: Container Plants can be planted any time of the year. There are however some things to note when planting from a container.
Delayed Planting: If your plants cannot be planted upon arrival.
Care after Planting: The most important aspect of successful gardening. The babies must be cared for.
Fruit Tree Planting & Care: It is important for you to prune fruit trees to insure health and production
Bare-Root Planting
Bare root plants are young, dormant, deciduous plants that are sold without any soil surrounding the roots. This allows for easy handling and transportation of the plants and ready establishment of the new roots into the native soil of your landscape. It is essential that the roots of bare root plants be kept moist until planted. If it is not possible to plant immediately, then remove the packageing material and “heel-in” by temporarily planting the bare roots into moist sawdust, soil, or bark, and water well. Bare root plants can be held this way for several weeks, but should be planted in their permanent location before buds swell and growth begins. Keep heeled-in plants moist. The advantage of bare root plants is that they can be planted directly into your soil with little or no soil amending. If amending soil, thoroughly mix the organic material into the native soil. Dig the planting hole twice as wide and only as deep as the root system. Leave the sides and bottom of the hole rough, rather than smooth as a container. Roots should fit easily into the hole without bending. Before placing the plant in the hole, prune off all broken, bruised, damaged or badly kinked roots. Backfill the hole with native, or slightly amended, soil and tamp down gently to eliminate air pockets. Thoroughly water the planting area to settle the soil completely around the roots. Trees that do not stand on their own will require staking. Secure with stakes only until the root system is well established, typically until the autumn of the same year or certainly by the following spring. Use stakes that are stout enough to provide support and long enough when sunk firmly into the ground to reach the point where the major limbs branch from the trunk. Protect the bark by running the ties from the stake through a piece of plastic tubing or hose at the point where it contacts the plant. Soak into the root area completly. How often water is needed will depend on the season of year, weather conditions, size of plant and soil type. To determine whether a plant needs water, probe carefully around the root zone and check the moisture content of the soil. Do not wait for signs of wilting before watering. Water deeply during prolonged periods without rain. This is particularly important during the first two years after planting. After the first season of growth, apply fertilizer according to the recommended rate on the fertilizer label.
When They Arrive
Open containers immediately upon arrival and check the condition of the packing material around the roots.If the packing material around the roots is damp and cool and you intend to plant within a couple of days, just close the package making sure all roots are covered with packing material and store in a cool place until planting time. On the other hand, if upon opening the containers you find the packing material to be only slightly damp and warm, we then suggest you add water immediately, keep the roots covered with packing material and do not close the container until the roots have cooled off. Check your plants often until you plant to make sure they are kept moist and cool. Storage at approximately 40 degrees F is optimal. If a cooler is not available, a cool basement or garage would work well.
When To Plant
This is the time of year when everyone is slowing down and waiting for spring to plant shrubs and trees. However, the best time to plant shrubs and trees is in the fall and winter. These plants can withstand the cold and wet weather better than the dry and hot weather during unpredictable summers.
Let's get started by drawing out the front of your house or those areas to be landscaped. Use a tape measure to accurately measure the areas to be planted so that the right sized plants can be suggested for this area. The suggestions can be yours if you know how big that particular plant is at maturity. If you don't, use a regional reference book on landscaping.
Landscape plants grow just like any other living creature and it may be it is time to change out those over-grown plants that have been in place for the last 15 to 20 years. Instead of pruning them back dramatically each year, replace them with properly selected dwarfsize plants. Remember, proper plant selection is the answer to lowering the maintenance of your landscape. Look at this project as adding to the value of your property, in some cases, thousands of dollars towards the resale value.
Container Plants
The first thing one needs to do is keep your plant watered. Water your potted plant when the soil becomes dry. Do this until you can get it into the ground. If you are experiencing extreme heat, take measures to keep your plant at least partially shaded, protecting it from the harshest conditions. Dig a large hole. For smaller/younger plants, your hole needs to be several feet across, and also several feet deep. For larger plants, as well as small, the general rule is that the hole's diameter (from one side of the hole to the other) should be two times the width of the root system when it is spread apart. Place some dirt back into the bottom of your hole. Place your tree upright into the hole and begin to backfill the hole with dirt, and if desired some premium soil from your local garden shop. You want to be sure that the original soil line of the plant is even with the ground. While filling, pack the ground gently and add water to fill any air holes.Most new trees/shrubs need general watering the first weeks/months they are in your yard. During a dry spell, be sure to deeply water your tree and the surrounding soil once a week. Mulch is a garden's best friend. It is a true workhorse for your garden. It holds down grasses and weeds that will compete with your new plants roots for water, and also helps the soil retain water. It helps the soil from becoming overly compacted and acts as an insulator during the winter months. Create a mulch bed around your tree that is 2-3 inches thick, while encircling your tree with a several foot diameter of mulch.
Delayed Planting
Care of Stock for more than several days or up to 2 weeks
If you intend to store your plants for more than several days or up to a couple of weeks prior to planting, you may do this in one of two ways:
- Remove plants from the containers and re-stack them in a cool place out of the sun and wind. Stack in a circle with roots all facing the center of the pile. Each time you complete a layer of plants (a complete circle) place some packing material on the roots before starting the next layer. Keep packing material and roots damp at all times.
- Dig a V-Shaped trench deep enough to accommodate the roots, remove all packing material, open the bundles and place the trees in the trench, packing loose soil tightly around the roots. If possible the trench should be in a shaded location near the planting site and accessible to water. Be careful the roots do not dry out at any time. DO NOT SOAK PLANTS IN BUCKETS OF WATER, it will kill them.
Care After Planting
For optimal growth and survival, we suggest watering plants if rain is not received weekly. Be careful not to over water plants, as that can lead to failure of plants also. We do not suggest fertilizing plants the year of planting because there is a danger of burning the roots, we recommend waiting until the year after planting.
Fruit Tree Care
There are many good web sites that cover this subject and we suggest you look at some of these. This especially important for later pruning. Your tree will be dormant (no leaves) , it will come to life next spring. First dig a nice hole and add a Soil conditioner if your soil is not nice and loose (lots of clay). Spread the roots out in the hole and plant the tree with the graft about 2 inches above the ground level. Soak with water and stake if necessary. First year pruning appears drastic but you will be glad you did. Your tree has been pruned a small amount before shipping but not enough. There are essentially 2 techniques of pruning fruit trees, Central Leader and Open Center. Pruning can be carried out on planting or in early spring before bud break.
Central Leader– This method is generally used for apples, pears, and cherries. Cut an unbranched whip off from 30 to 36 inches above the ground at a sloping angle one-quarter-inch above a bud. Prune the top of a branched sapling back to about 24 inches above the highest of the two bottom branches but not higher than 36 inches.. New shoots sprout from below the cut. Prune off lateral branches that are closer than 6 to 8 inches apart and those that meet the trunk at angles less than about 45 degrees. Ideally, leave three to four branches arranged in a spiral around the trunk in the first year of growth.
Open Center- This method is used for peaches. nectarines, apricots, and pluns. Cut the top of your whip down to 30 to 36 inches tall. On a branched sapling select three or four lateral branches that are evenly spaced around the main leader with wide angle of attachment. Cut away any side branches that begin lower than 20 to 24 inches from the ground. If there are fewer than three suitable laterals remove all side branches and treat it as a whip. Cut the central leader just above the highest celected lateral branch. You now have three or four leaders.
IF IT LOOKS LIKE A TERRIBLE STICK, YOU HAVE DONE IT RIGHT. LATER YOU WILL PRUNE DIFFERENTLY ACCORDING TO THE AGE OF THE TREE (YEAR 1, YEAR 2, YEAR 3 and so on).