Frequently Asked Questions

More than likely, yes. Here is a general list of trees that need pollinators...

Apples: Yes, at least two different apple trees are needed to produce fruit. If the tree is a triploid- it will need two other trees to produce fruit. For example- a Honeycrisp and Ambrosia will pollinate. A Honeycrisp and Cameron Select Honeycrisp will NOT pollinate. For Triploids: an Arkansas Black tree needs an Ambrosia and Fuji to pollinate. Triploid trees will have a special note on the apple's page indicating this genetic status. 

Cherries: Tart Cherries (Montmorency, Balaton, Meteor, Northstar, and Surefire) are self fertile and do not need pollinators. Sweet Cherries are generally not self fertile and will need a pollinator. 

Pears: The Bartlett and Keiffer pears are semi-self fertile and do not need a pollinator. Other European Pears are not self fertile and generally require pollinators. Aisan Pears trees are typically self fertile. 

Peaches: Self Fertile and do not need pollinators. 

Apricots: Goldcots are self fertile- other apricots hardy to USDA Zone 5 are not self fertile and need partners of another different variety of apricot. 

Plums: The Black Ice is not self fertile and needs a different plum to pollinate. Toka, Stanley, Methley, and Shiro Plums are self fertile.

The general advice is that fruit trees do better with a partner. Even if the trees are self fertile they will do better with a partner tree. The fruit is better, larger, healthier, and more prolific if there is a partner tree nearby. 

1913 Kickapoo Orchard and Bare Root Tree Sales:

Containers: 46490 WI-171 Gays Mills, WI 54631

Bare root: 46505 WI-171 Gays Mills, WI 54631

Locations are across the street from each other

Phone & Online Orders: Available all year (note the holidays we are closed below). 608.735.6000 for phone orders.

Online orders are active all year.

Closed: 

• Thanksgiving Day and the following day.
• Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
• New Year's Eve
• New Year's Day

We pride ourselves in following growing practices that encourage biological diversity, increased soil health, and ecological balance, without the use of harmful chemicals or GMOs.

A climate zone results from the climate conditions of an area; its temperature, humidity and type of precipitation, and the season. 

We try to eat as many apples as possible to give you the best idea of how they taste and for what they are used. Assuming we haven't tasted the apples, we try to read as many blogs, news articles, scientific papers, and other orchards for their descriptions. We base our roostock sizes and characteristics from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

There is no standardized split between dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard trees so for simplicity's sake, we assume that all trees 50% or smaller of stardard are dwarfs. A rootstock/tree that is between 50% and 90% of standard are considered semi-dwarfs. All trees 90% of standard or larger are considered standards for our purposes. 

For information regarding cider content- we use the metrics from Washington State University. While this list is not complete but we do use information gathered elsewhere online to mirror those metrics. 

Many modern apples have pedigrees produced from Universities or research programs that we use for reference. Here is a good example for the GoldRush apple for reference and further reading. 

What does NYSAES stand for? That acronym is short for New York State Agricultural Experiment Station which is a part of Cornell University. 

Please contact 608.735.6000 to order a tree that we do not have available on the website. Generally this is possible. We need time to search for a procure the requested tree. Assuming we can secure the tree- we require at least a 50% deposit for the tree with the balance to be paid upon pick up or delivery. No money will be charged until we can secure the tree. If we cannot secure the tree- a Roots to Fruits Nursery employee can help you find a tree that works for your goals. 

Once an order has been placed, it cannot be refunded, cancelled or returned. This policy begins February 20th. Should an exception be made- each item returned will be subject to a 25% restocking fee. 

Fruit, maple, oak, and nut trees all require full sun which is at least 6 hours of full sun. However, 8 hours is preferable. Some ornamental trees prefer partial shade. This is indicated in the description of each tree.

Apple trees should receive 10 gallons of water a week unless it rains. Maples should be watered every 3 or 4 days until they establish their root systems- this takes about 6-8 weeks.

We recommend no less than 15' but not more than 50' to ensure proper pollination. Dwarf trees can be planted as close as 6' apart.

We have a pruning guide available at the top of the website that has details about how to prune fruit trees. However, there are a few steps you can take to ensure the trees grows and fruits properly over the next few years. 

Planting year: Always allow the tree to properly flower and bloom- the is a natural cycle and helps the tree get into a properly rhythm. You want it to begin the fruiting cycle. You tree should NOT fruit this year. If it develops a fruit, remove it with a knife or pruners before its gets larger than a dime. The tree at this stage might be old enough to produce fruit but the root system is too small to support fruit. 

Year 2: The tree might fruit but should only have fruit ever 6", if at all. You'll probably get a couple pieces of fruit the second year after its planted. In Winter, prune off any broken or damaged limbs to the nearest bud. 

Year 3: This is the beginning of your consistent crop and you'll probably get 3-6 pieces of fruit on the tree this year. If the fruit, especially apples and pears, grows in clusters, remove all but 1 from any cluster. This will help not stress the tree out. By this time, the root system should have caught up to the above ground tree and your tree should be able to support a consistent crop. 

Year 4 and 5: By now the tree can be lightly annually pruned. No need to cut off the top of the tree if there is nothing wrong with it. Once the tree grows beyond your reach you might consider pruning it back to make harvest time easier but semi-dwarf and standard trees will get larger than what you could reach.

June-Bearing Strawberries
June-bearing strawberries produce a single, large crop of berries during a specific period in the growing season, typically in late spring to early summer (around June in many regions). They are sensitive to day length and require long nights (short days) to initiate flowering, which occurs in late summer or early fall of the previous year. Their single harvest period often results in a more concentrated and abundant yield, making them ideal for preserving or large-scale harvesting. They produce vigorous runners (horizontal stems that create new plants), which can be useful for propagation.  

Examples include Sparkle and Allstar

Ever Bearing or Day-Neutral Strawberries
Day-neutral strawberries produce fruit continuously throughout the growing season, from late spring to fall, as long as temperatures remain favorable (generally 35°F to 85°F). These plants are not affected by day length. Instead, they flower and fruit regardless of the light conditions. Although the yield is spread out over several months, the total production may be slightly lower than June-bearing varieties. They are ideal for extended fresh consumption. Day-neutral varieties produce fewer runners, focusing more energy on fruiting rather than propagation.  

Examples include Seascape and Albion

Choosing the Right Type:  
If you prefer a large, concentrated harvest for processing or preserving, June-bearing strawberries may be the better choice.  If you want a steady supply of fresh strawberries throughout the growing season, day-neutral varieties are ideal. Many gardeners plant both types to enjoy the benefits of an early, abundant crop and an extended harvest.  

Yes. Call 608.735.6000 to have us plant your trees. We charge a per tree fee to plant each tree plus a flat delivery fee based on your location. There is a 1 year guarantee on the tree if we plant them. We will come to your location, plant, stake (if needed), and mulch the tree. The planting fee assumes the tree will be fairly close- like within 50'- of the road.

We can also plant further away from an accessible roadway. However, should the planting location be further away- we will need assistance in tree transport. Typically an ATV or off road vehicle helps to move trees. Roots to Fruits Nursery reserves the right to refuse to plant your trees if it is too far or the terrain too difficult to move the trees to the planting location. Please provide an accurate location for planting should the planting location be farther away than 50' from a roadway. Trees can be heavy and we need to bring the proper equipment to plant. 

Because trees in containers are heavy and bulky, we are unable to ship a 1G, 3G, 5G, 7G, 10G, 15G, 25G using a courier (SpeeDee, UPS, FedEx, USPS) service. Therefore, a Roots to Fruits Nursery employee must deliver these trees personally. We are able to delvier trees within 150 miles of 46505 State Highway 171 Gays Mills, WI 54631. With the cost of gas, we charge $1.00/mile from our nursery to your front door for a one way trip. However, due to the mass volumn of orders we ship in the Spring, delvieries typically take place in May. A Roots to Fruits Nursery Employee will reach out the weekend prior to the anticipated delivery to schedule a date and time for drop off. You need not be home to recieve the trees. We will place them in a protected yet obvious spot. Planting also need not occur immediately but becuase the trees do not have access to ground water, please water your container trees daily. 

We ship via SpeeDee Delivery in THIS SERVICE AREA service from March through June five days a week. For customers located outside this area, we ship via UPS EXCEPT CALIFORNIA. For orders with containers, a Roots to Fruits Nursery employee will deliver the trees via delivery truck or local frieght company. This delivery may take several weeks to schedule and a Roots to Fruits Nursery will contact you to schedule a delivery date and time. During the main shipping season, we process orders in the order they were recieved and will ship as quickly as possible. 

We begin to ship trees around the middle of March just as the ground begins to thaw. We ship south first. 

Of course! When viewing your cart, there is a large notes section below the contents of you cart that says 'Enter a gift note or special delivery instructions below:' Please leave any special delivery instructions, personal sayings, celebratory congratulations, or general questions to this field.

Or, you are welcome to email us at harrison@rootstofruitsnursery.com to request a delayed shipment. You may also call the office at 608.735.6000 and speak to one of the staff. Lastly, there is our messenging app where you can reach out. Generally, text is preferred so if the staff is not at a desk, he or she can refer back to the conversation and update your order. 

IF NO DELIVERY DATE IS SPECIFIED, WE WILL SHIP THE ORDER AS SOON AS IT IS READY REGARDLESS OF YOUR LOCATION. 

Yes! During bare root season you can come to Kickapoo Orchard to pick up your trees. That way you can meet us and ask questions about planting or maybe purchase another tree. At our retail location trees are available for purchase and pick up. 

The 5G is a nursery term for a pot size that typically hold about 3.5 gallons of soil. We are able to deliver trees in containers up to 150 miles away from the Nursery for a preliminary $25.00 charge plus $2.00/mile from the nursery to your location. We use a Roots to Fruits Delivery van and employee to deliver trees in containers. This process may take up to 30 days from purchase date to actually arrive at your location. This delivery price and schedule applies to all container sizes. 

Due to restrictions on height and length of packages we cannot ship a tree taller than 72”. All trees shipped outside of SpeeDee shipping range (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and parts of Missouri and Michigan) will be trimmed down to 72”.

Yes. We categorize our apple trees into at least five sizes: Petite, Maiden, Field Ready, Hand Select, and Container depending on the size of the tree. The Petite tree is our smallest graded tree and is less than 2 years in age. Tree is 1-3' tall or ¼-½" in Caliper; Maiden trees are usually 2 years old and are branchless. These are also called whips and will bear in 2-3 years. Tree is graded at 3-5' or ½" in Caliper. A Field Ready tree is 2-3 years old and might have some lateral branching, be thicker above the graft, and will bear in 1-2 years. Trees are graded at 4-6' tall or 5/8" in Caliper. The Hand Select trees are only about 20% of trees we have and are 3 year old trees, 6-9' tall or 3/4" Caliper and can be heavily branched. You can expect fruiting on a Hand Select tree in about a year. 

We offer three rootstock sizes that all grow to different heights. A dwarf tree is the smallest, topping out at 12'. This is the easiest to prune, spray, and harvest. It will need support to stay vertical and is susceptible to grazing from deer. A Semi-Dwarf tree will grow to 18' and requires a little more effort to prune, spray, and harvest but will produce more fruit than a dwarf tree. A Standard tree is the largest and most vigorous tree topping out at 25' and requires the most effort to maintain. Standard trees are good for food plots and provide shade. 

Which tree is good for you depends on how much space you have and how much effort you want to put into the tree. Small yards will would benefit from a dwarf tree but larger landscaping can handle a semi-dwarf or standard trees. We can help you decide which is best. 

Bare root trees are trees that are free from soil around their root system. Bare root trees can be shipped and moved with ease. We keep them in cold storage with their roots literally bare and plant them in the summer before they leaf out.

The larger the tree the sooner you will get fruit. For the largest trees we sell, about 10% will fruit the first year and 75% of them will fruit the following year. It should take about two more years of root growth to support a consistent crop.

Bare root trees are easy to move and ship and do not require daily attention but must remain cold. Bare root trees are lighter and anyone can plant them but are only available from March through June. The shipping cost on bare root trees is lower as numerous trees can get packaged together. Because bare root trees tend to be younger they are more easily manipulated and pruned to a desirable shape. You have a larger range of selection of bare root trees and a larger variety of rootstocks from which you can choose. 

Trees in containers work well when you are not able to plant the tree immediately or want to send a tree as a gift. Trees in container can also be sold and planted all year. If space is at a premium around your house, trees in containers take up much less space and are mobile around your home or porch. If you choose to move in the near future, you are able to bring the tree with you. Many trees come in rootstocks that stay small and are suitable for container growing.  

We categorize our apple trees into four sizes: Maiden, Field Ready, Hand Select, and (3 or 5) Gallon Container depending on the size of the tree. Maiden trees are usually 2 years old and are 4-5' tall with little to no lateral branching. These are also called whips and will bear in 2-3 years. A Field Ready tree is 2-3 years old but 5-7' tall, might have some lateral branching and will bear in 1-2 years. The Hand Select trees are only about 5% of trees we have and are 3 year old trees, 5-8' tall and can be heavily branched. You can expect fruiting on a Hand Select tree in about a year. These trees are sold bare root. The last category, the trees in containers are planted in a 3 or 5 gallon pot. 

Our Maple trees typically come in multiple sizes ranging from 3-4' to upwards of 12'+ and range from whips to heavily branched trees.

All other trees come in one or two sizes and are delineated within their respective sections.

We categorize our apple trees into at least five sizes: Petite, Maiden, Field Ready, Hand Select, and Container depending on the size of the tree. The Petite tree is our smallest graded tree less than 2 years in age; Maiden trees are usually 2 years old and are branchless. These are also called whips and will bear in 2-3 years. A Field Ready tree is 2-3 years old and might have some lateral branching, be thicker above the graft, and will bear in 1-2 years. The Hand Select trees are only about 20% of trees we have and are 3 year old trees, 6-9' tall and can be heavily branched. You can expect fruiting on a Hand Select tree in about a year.  

Golden Delicious: Honestly, it would be the father of many an apple if it wasn't decent to eat. I like it- excellent moderate apple for all. Very sweet and easy to eat. 

Golden Russet: I like the rough skin! And the 20% tartness and 20% sweetness like totally works well. its very flavorful but totally mellow about it.