Planting Instructions

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All of our trees are shipped bare root to you, and are just recently removed from the field. The trees are dormant when they arrive. We recommend getting them in the ground within 48 hours of receipt. Here are the steps we recommend to plant these trees. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email!

Steps to planting bare root fruit trees:

  1. The trees will arrive with moist paper and plastic around the roots to hold moisture in for shipping. Remove this packaging material, and and place the tree(s) in a pail or bucket of water for no more than few hours. Don’t let the roots dry out!
  2. Dig a hole larger that seems larger than necessary so the roots can be spread out. We recommend clearing grass and weeds in a 2-3 foot radius around the hole to prevent competition with your new tree.
  3. Take the tree(s) out of the water, and carefully spread out the roots in the hole, without crowding them. Place soil firmly around lower roots. The tree should be placed in the hole at a level that has all roots under the soil, and the graft union well above the soil line. The graft union is usually 2-3″ above the soil line.
  4. Shovel the remaining soil over the roots, and gently press it in. Now generously water the tree(s), and place compost or soil in the low areas that show up around the tree after it has been watered.
  5. Make sure the tree gets water every week during the first year. While it is still dormant, make sure it gets enough water to keep the soil from drying out. Southern winters are sometimes notoriously mild, and keeping the roots moist (not saturated) is essential to ensure the dormant tree gets established for spring.