holding off on planting

[gan heather]

I ordered an apple tree today and it's supposed to arrive Thursday. I probably won't be able to get it to the allotment until Sunday, so what should I do with it until then? Is it ok just to take it out of the box and leave it outside or is there something else I should be doing?

[littleexperience]

the man who would know would be FB.but please dont leave it outside bare rooted if it was to freeze hard it may damage the roots best bet put it in a bucket with roots covered with soil in your hut or somewhere warmish till the weekend.

[weekendwellies]

Heel it in in a patch of your garden until you are ready to plant it on your allotment.

http://www.organicgardening.com/feat...28-988,00.html

[FB.]

weekendwellies link seems to offer decent advice.

Try to avoid severe frost damage to the roots. Severe frost damage is most risky in Dec-Jan. Frosts tend not to be quite as severe as winter gives way to spring. While they will tolerate some frost, it is best not to risk too much.
Also, try not to let the roots dry out. But don't immerse in water for more than a couple of hours or it'll get collar rot.

Definitely don't bring the tree indoors. The sudden temperature change will cause it to leaf-out, which could then get frost-bitten when planted.
Also try to avoid large or sudden changes in the temperature.

I have an unplanted tree at the moment. I dug a shallow hole and laid the roots in it. I then watered the roots and then gently covered the roots with a couple of inches of moist soil.
The tree has been like that for a couple of weeks and will remain there for a couple more. It'll be fine.

If your soil is frozen, you can just lay the tree on the ground and gently cover the roots with compost and leaves - anything to reduce frostbite and stop the roots drying out.

The tree could also be stored in your garage/shed for a few days, if the frost doesn't penetrate too much. If you do this, you should still open the packaging, water the roots and then close most of the packaging to leave just a little ability for air to circulate.

[gan heather]

It's supposed to come Thursday and I'm trying to arrange things so I can run to the allotment Friday and plant it. Should I still open the box and water the roots for the one day? I can't heel it in because it's staying at my in-laws (we live in a gardenless flat) and I don't think they'd take kindly to me digging a trench in their backyard.

[weekendwellies]

lol, I never thought of you being in a flat. sorry bout that.

[FB.]

When your package arrives, check that the roots are damp - the tree will already have spent many hours in warm/dry distribution centres and delivery vans.
Lightly water the roots and then wrap them back up to retain moisture and to re-hydrate the tree after it's journey (sometimes deliveries take 3-4 days, during which trees can dry out).

If you keep the tree in the warmth of a flat/house for more than several hours, it may initiate leafing-out and flowering (which will get frost bitten in a few weeks time). If you have a balcony or shed, keep it there.

Keep it cool and moist.

If you can't keep it cool and moist, it'll probably eventually recover - just be gentle with it for a couple of seasons.

As it's bare-rooted, I would also avoid pruning it until next winter.
Opinions vary on whether to prune newly-planted bare root trees, but in my experience, unless your soil is very rich an deep, pruned bare-roots suffer such shock at the combination of damaged roots and damaged (pruned) stems that they just sit and sulk for a couple of years - no growth, no fruit.