Potting Bare Root Fruit Trees

[Seedling1983]

Hi all
I'm very, very new to all this-got a few questions about bare root fruit trees-I bought some from my local ASDA and Lidl stores with a view to planting them in my garden. The problem is, I cant decide where to plant them! So in the interim, I have decided to pot them up. Would it be ok to pot them and then transplant them into the ground when I (well, my wife) decides where to put them?

Here's what I've got:
Apple (braeburn)
Apple (jonagold)
Pear (conference)
Pear (Corniche de doyenne)
Plum (Opal)

Questions I have are:

How long would I soak the roots for before planting?

Do I need to trim the roots before planting?

What mix would I use of compost to topsoil in the pots?

The pear trees (conference) had some mould on the roots when I took the bag off and look incredibly dessicated (badly shrivelled black bark)-are they a non starter? Why did I buy them? (a) they were £4.99. (b) I didn't know any better.

Sorry for the long post but like I say im very new to all this and from looking through this site can see that there are some people on here who really know their stuff!!

Thanks for taking time to read this

[Kristen]

Would it be ok to pot them and then transplant them into the ground when I (well, my wife) decides where to put them?

Yup ... although ... if you plant them "soon" the soil will all fall off the roots, probably disturbing any young newly formed roots. So might be better to either plant them "very soon" (a month) or leave them long enough to fill the pot with roots (maybe all this season). I planted some trees last year, in August, which I had bought bare-root and potted up (monster big pots). I was surprised that the pots were full of roots by August as the plants didn't come with a great deal of root.

How long would I soak the roots for before planting?

An hour should be fine. Don't leave them in there for hours on end, the water will exclude oxygen getting to the roots

Do I need to trim the roots before planting?

Only if broken, or the ends don't have clean cuts.

What mix would I use of compost to topsoil in the pots?

I'd use a soil-based John Innes formulation compost if they are going to be in the pots for a while, but Multi Purpose will do if its only for a week or a month.

The pear trees (conference) had some mould on the roots when I took the bag off and look incredibly dessicated (badly shrivelled black bark)-are they a non starter? Why did I buy them? (a) they were £4.99. (b) I didn't know any better.

Take em back ... particularly if they still have any which you could have as replacements.

[Mark Lottie]

Kristen nailed it all really

but i'd add:

- Use john innes number 3 for potting them up
- Dont let the roots be exposed to air for longer than 2 minutes, it kills the roots. keep them damp
- Whatever you do, plant them in the next few weeks and only move in winter when tree is dormant
- I'd take back the Conference pear

[FB.]

If your wife can't decide what to do with them, just 'heel' them in - I prefer to just lay them on the ground and pile loose soil or compost over the roots. On occasion, when the ground was unexpectedly frozen below the surface, I have piled damp straw over the roots.
They'll be fine like that until spring (which is fast approaching).
In fact they would establish there if you left them, although their branch and root structure would re-orient itself with side-roots becoming taproots and side branches becoming new trunks.

Questions I have are:

How long would I soak the roots for before planting?

I wouldn't soak them at all; just water them after planting if the soil is dry, but if the soil is damp the roots will soak up all they need. Soaking in a bucket of water increases the risk of root-rotting fungi attacking them, especially more than about four hours worth of soaking. If you must soak them, tap water is better than butt water due to being 'cleaner' and therefore less chance of root-rotting fungi attacking (although the trees will undoubtably have brought some microscopic traces of various fungi with them from the nursery).

Do I need to trim the roots before planting?

Any root trimming will slow their establishment - a young tree needs all the roots available unless your soil and growing conditions are good. More vigorous rootstocks are more tolerant as they can grow roots and shoots at a faster rate.
Additionally, trimming off roots creates wounds which may be invaded by root-rotting fungi.

What mix would I use of compost to topsoil in the pots?

If the trees are dormant and kept adequately watered when leafing-out they won't mind. I normally suggest something like half garden soil and half compost. Too much compost is very hard to re-hydrate if it dries out so water just runs straight through (potted plants dry out very quickly) whereas topsoil doesn't have as many nutrients as compost.

The pear trees (conference) had some mould on the roots when I took the bag off and look incredibly dessicated (badly shrivelled black bark)-are they a non starter? Why did I buy them? (a) they were £4.99. (b) I didn't know any better.

Mould on the roots isn't necessarily a problem - the mould could be growing on traces of soil or even on some dead roots (many of a trees fine roots die off when no longer required, just as leaves die off). I've seen 'bare root' pears have fungus growing on the roots before and I think it's just natural soil fungi or symbiotic fungi.
However, the presence of fungi could indicate a dead tree so don't rule it out. But normally a dead tree will have shrivelled bark and brittle shoots (try bending a small but unimportant shoot and see whether it bends or whether it is dry and snaps).

[FB.]

->
@ Kristen

The picture of the tree you posted has a suspicious-looking black-bronze coloured and cracked area just above soil level.
Is it just a weird trick of the picture or has the bottom of the trunk become infected with Phytophthora crown/root rot?

[Kristen]

The picture of the tree you posted has a suspicious-looking black-bronze coloured and cracked area just above soil level.
Is it just a weird trick of the picture or has the bottom of the trunk become infected with Phytophthora crown/root rot?

Thanks FB, hadn't given it a thought. They were planted last Summer (Limes trained as a pleach), how would I check them? If they come into leaf this Spring is that good enough?

Not sure if it was the original soil mark level

I've zoomed the photo and found an additional one. The photos of the other trees look fine, by comparison.

[FB.]

Not sure if it was the original soil mark level

It could well be the soil line with a smear of compost - crown rot seems increasingly common and I'm always watching for it. It's easier to spot crown rots and cankers if the pictures are of dry bark, although I appreciate that's not what you took the picture to show.

Even my parents-in-law's 40-year-old half-standard apple tree has suddenly presented with crown rot that's spread up and around the trunk so quickly that the tree will not survive and almost certainly be dead within two years and may well be dead within just a few months of leafing-out this coming spring.

I think there's an outbreak of a particularly nasty strain of crown rot spreading around the country - especially if it can rapidly attack and kill a mature tree in a spot which doesn't waterlog!

[skeggijon]

I agree with comments about potting in john innes and not bothering to soak the roots. However, I'm a fan of trimming the roots before planting -not by much, about 1/2" to 1". This helps to stimulate root growth according to the great Geoofrey Smith. I have always done it and it seems to work for me.

[FB.]

I agree with comments about potting in john innes and not bothering to soak the roots. However, I'm a fan of trimming the roots before planting -not by much, about 1/2" to 1". This helps to stimulate root growth according to the great Geoofrey Smith. I have always done it and it seems to work for me.

I agree that trimming a small amount off the end of each root does stimulate root growth and two or three roots grow from where the root was 'tipped'.
But some rootstocks - especially apple and in particular the 'default' MM106 rootstock - seem very prone to becoming infected with crown rot in wounds/pruning cuts or even soil-level burrknots or bark cracks, which gradually spreads through the root system until it rots and kills all the roots.

[Seedling1983]

Thank you to everyone for the replies-it certainly clarifies things for me! This really is an invaluable resource for gardeners and complete novices like myself. FB the conference pear trees are currently heeled in-I really do doubt that they will take though-the bark is BADLY shrivelled up and the shoots snap off easily. I can't take them back now unfortunately but it is a lesson learnt I suppose. I bought a plum tree at the same time (Lizzie) and it was the same-badly shrivelled up and shoots that snap off easily. The buds were dry too. Being honest, I thought that this was how bare root trees were sold (any others I have bought up until now were potted) one other thing actually-do I need to carry out any formative pruning on the bare root trees once potted? In my inexperience I pruned the life out of the trees I have already put in-worried I've overdone it actually!! Time will tell I suppose.

Thanks again

[Seedling83]

Bare Root Fruit Trees-pot size?

As per my previous post-I am in the process of potting up some bare root fruit trees-can anyone advise on a suitable pot size for planting them into? I reckon they will be in the pot for one growing season if that helps!

Thanks for reading

[FB.]

....I am in the process of potting up some bare root fruit trees-can anyone advise on a suitable pot size .....

Larger is better, but it depends on the size of the roots you have to start with.
Ideally the roots should not be bent nor trimmed to fit the pot, and the pot should be large enough to allow the roots to grow at least a few more inches in all directions.
A well-cared-for young fruit trees roots can easily go from filling a 2-3 litre pot after its first year, to filling a 10-12 litre pot after its second year and filling a barrel or dustbin after its third year.