Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
to remain in the pots for several months or more before planting, if neces-
sary, without having to provide refrigerated storage. Containerized trees are
also generally larger than the bare-root trees favored for commercial plant-
ing. Smaller orchard crops, such as bush cherries or saskatoons, are typically
grown in pots and shipped with or without the containers enclosing the root
balls. Again, the container-grown plants give you flexibility in deciding when
to plant.
Containerized trees are generally easier to store than bare-root trees. If
the trees have been kept outdoors in their containers at a nursery near your
site, you can probably continue to leave the plants outdoors until planting. If,
however, your site is still experiencing freezing temperatures and the trees
are coming from a milder climate and have already broken dormancy, pro-
tect them against freezing temperatures. Even for the most cold-hardy vari-
eties, buds that are close to breaking and emerged leaves and flowers can be
killed at temperatures of about 29°F (−2°C) or less.
For example, your orchard might be located in Missoula, Montana, and the
planting stock comes from a nursery in a coastal or southern region. You
may still have snow on the ground with temperatures below freezing when
the trees arrive, already leafed out. Exposing those trees to your subfreez-
ing temperatures could damage or kill them. In such a case, protect the trees
against freezing. Generally, they can be kept in cold storage at 34 to 40°F
(1 to 4°C) for several weeks without serious problems. For orders of just a
few trees, consider potting the trees up and leaving them inside an unheated
garage or porch. For all kinds of planting stock, keep the roots moist but not
soaking in or saturated with water.
Root-Bag Trees
Some planting stock is now grown in fabric root bags with either soil-filled
root bags buried in the ground or bags filled with potting soil supported
above the ground. These bags are made of the same material used for weed
barrier fabrics and confine the roots within the bags. Some types of bags
effectively prune at least some of the roots where they contact the fabric,
