For Bare Root Trees:
Click HERE for a printable form of these instructions
• Place the trees in a half filled 5 gallon bucket of water. They can stay there for 4-5 hours if necessary. This will prepare and rehydrate the plants for planting outside.
• Decide where you want to plant your trees. Mark a spot with a flag, stick, or whatever marker you have around the house.
• Dig a hole to accommodate the roots of the trees without folding or bending them back in toward the plant. You may trim off one particularly long root but try not to eliminate too many roots. Generally, holes should be about 18-24” wide and about 15-20” deep.
• Place only one tree in each hole. When placing the tree make sure its graft union- this will appear like a knot or kink at the base of the tree- is ABOVE the soil line. We recommend about 2” between the graft union and soil. There often is a slight color or texture difference between the graft and the roots.
• Fill the hole surrounding the roots with the loose dirt and pack in tightly. The soil should NOT cover the graft union. Make sure the tree is vertical though the root can point in any direction. ● Note: If you have very clumpy soil, break large chunks apart so the roots can grow through the clumps. If you have a lot of clay in the soil- mix in some sand to loosen up the soil a bit so water drains away from the roots.
• Water the tree. Don’t inundate the tree with water- you might splash away all the dirt you just packed into the hole. A small stream from a hose or bucket to soak the area first is best.
• Spread mulch or wood chips to help keep the soil around the tree moist, but not saturated. IMPORTANT: Leave a space about 8” across around the base of the tree. Water every 3 or 4 days for about 5 minutes unless it rains.
Click HERE for a printable form of these instructions
•Be sure to water your trees in a container everyday until you plant. It has no access to water other than what water you give it or rain water. So please water everyday!
•Mark the spot where you want the tree with a flag or spray paint.
•Place the tree and container over the planned planting spot and dig a small ring around the base of the container about 2" from the base of the container.
•Dig out the volume of soil that would be displaced by the container. You can place the tree and container in the hole to confirm the tree is planted to the proper depth. Like bare root trees, the graft union must be ABOVE the soil. This will impact your planting depth. You may have to dig a deeper hole to land the graft union at the proper height. The graft union should be about 2" above the soil line. The bottom of the hole should be flat so the tree grows straight.
•To remove the tree from the container. Lay the tree on its side and gently press the container to squeeze the tree, roots, and soil out of the container. Lift the tree out of the container and gently place it in the hole.
•Fill in the sides with your soil and firmly pack the soil in around the tree. Compress with the soil with your shoes if need be.
•The tree should be able to sway gently in the wind and does not need to completely rigid. You want it to wiggle, not dance in the wind.
•Water the tree liberally for about 5-10 minutes with your hose on a gentle drip or small stream.
•If you wish to stake your tree, place the stake directly next to the tree and tie to tree in at least 2 separate locations: ideally one at the base of the tree and one about 75% to the top. The helps the tree reach for the sun and continue to grow straight.