After you have purchased your bare root shrubs and trees you need to carefully remove all the packing material, prudently pull off or rinse off any clusters of dirt that are still clinging to the roots and clip away any damaged or dead roots. Soak the roots of the plant in a pail of water to soak for approximately one to four hours, but no more time than overnight. Giving enough moisture to the plants is the key to success of planting bare root plants.
Now you want to dig a hole that is no less than 2 feet wider than the root system and about as deep as where the top of root ball and the roots flare from it. You also want to use your shovel to loosen the soil that make up the sides of the hole so that it does not harden up around the roots of the plant. Now you want to mound the soil at the bottom of the hole so the peak of the plant just shows through the ground. If you are going to
plant bare root trees that will need support, place the stakes in the hole first. Set the shrub or tree on the top of the mound and let the roots tumble over the sides. Spread them out very gently if you need to and fill the hole halfway with soil and tamp it down lightly to remove any large air pockets. Be sure the tree or shrub is standing straight, then slowly water to soak the soil thoroughly and to remove any remaining air pockets.
Remove or add enough soil so the top of the root system is right at ground level. Use any extra soil to build a berm around the perimeter of the roots and water again. You want to keep the soil moist for the first year after you
plant bare root shrubs or trees. In order to retain moisture you will want to mulch your plants but keep 6 inches around the trunk bare. Check often and water immediately if the soil is dry or you see yellow leaves.
Bare root plants generally cost much less than the same plants if purchased rooted in pots. There are a couple of environmental advantages to planting bare root plants which are greater recyclability and less greenhouse gas emissions. Bare root plants thrive better because the potting soil is looser than the ground soil where you place your new plant. Having tighter soil the roots have tendency to ball-up instead of spreading out, this is the reason you want to loosen the soil walls of your plant's hole.
It is not always easy to tell if the bare root plants you want to purchase are alive and healthy especially if you have not planted bare root before. There are some clues about how healthy the plant really is: You should not see any mold or mildew on the plants or on the packaging; you should not detect any rotten or unusual odors, but earthy smells are fine; the plant should not be damaged in any way such as broken branches (bare root fruit trees with some broken twigs are okay); the roots, rhizomes, and other parts of the plant should fee heavy. if light and dried out the plant probably will not grow; and the plant should put forth leaves during the same year it is planted. If you plant
bare root plants in the spring then by summer it should have leaves.
