Spindly Specimens: Bare-Root Fruit Trees

At its essence, that’s the promise of a young, bare-root fruit tree. Within just a few years, the seemingly lifeless, leafless, skinny stub of a trunk, with just a handful of hairy roots attached, will come to life, then mature into a full-fledged, bearing tree.

But first, the beauty of bare-root begins in late fall or early winter at the growing grounds. There, dormant, deciduous, 1- or 2-year-old trees suffer no ill effects when growers dig them up, strip the soil from their roots and ship them to a nursery or directly to your home.

In the garden, your trees may snooze a bit longer. But nudged by the warmth of spring, their new roots will push into the surrounding native soil and fresh new growth will appear above.

Prospects include both stone fruit (think pits) like apricots, nectarines, peaches and plums; and pome fruit (think little clusters of seeds) like apples and pears. Far more varieties are available now than at any other time of year. Plus, the spindly specimens are easier to plant and less expensive than full-sized, container-grown trees.

Chill Hours

Bare-root fruit trees require a certain amount of cold for their flowers and leaf buds to set and grow properly. That cold is measured in “chill hours,” defined as the number of hours the temperature drops below 45° between November 1 and February 28.

The number is important because many bare-root fruit trees do best with much colder winters than what much of Santa Barbara County offers.

For example, some apples, apricots and peaches require at least 800 chill hours. If you live in the Santa Ynez Valley, where most years exceed 1,000 chill hours, you’re in luck. But if you live along the coast, where many neighborhoods barely reach 300 hours, the selection may be limited and you’ll need to read the labels closely.

Planting Techniques

Conventional thought calls for planting one tree per hole, with ample spacing between trees.

But three or four varieties can also share the same, albeit wider, hole. This may be three or four different apple trees, or two peaches and two nectarines. This concept is called Backyard Orchard Culture and the idea is to conserve space, boost pollination and extend the harvest by selecting trees that bear early-, mid- and late-season fruit.

Santa Barbara City College embraced the concept in its Lifescape Garden years ago and a number of combinations are on display. Bay Laurel Nursery in Atascadero and Dave Wilson Nursery, a wholesale supplier to many Central Coast nurseries, also promote the idea on their websites.

A Healthy Start

At the nursery, look for roots that are plump, hairy, evenly spaced like spokes on a wheel and smell earthy and fresh. The bud union—where the root stock is grafted to the bearing wood that forms the trunk—should be smooth. The trunk should measure about ½ to 5/8 inch in diameter. The branches should flex. If they’re brittle, the tree may have died during transport.

Last—and contrary to evaluating a container-grown tree—don’t be too concerned about the branching structure, as you’ll prune most of the limbs. Be sure to ask for trimming instructions for your specific variety at your point of purchase.

Plant your tree as soon as you bring it home. Indeed, age-old advice calls for digging your hole before you go to the nursery. If that’s not possible, park the roots in moist sand, sawdust or very loose soil.

In the Garden

Select a sunny spot with good drainage.

For a single tree in a single hole, dig down about a foot and two to three feet wide. For a shared hole, go down a foot, but dig four to five feet wide. Break up the excavated soil. Adding vast quantities of amendment is not wise. But if your soil is heavy clay or super sandy, it’s OK to mix in up to a third as much planting mix, soil amendment or compost.

Hold your tree over the hole with the faint soil line on its trunk one to two inches above the ground, which should put the bud union three to five inches above the ground. Gently fill the void beneath the dangling roots. Or create a soil cone at the bottom of the hole, fan the spidery roots over the top, then fill the hole with soil.

Shape a watering basin around your new tree. Mulch the basin, keeping any material away from the trunk. Water thoroughly, but hold off on fertilizer. There’s plenty of energy stored in the tissue to break dormancy and any salt in the fertilizer might burn the new roots.

Trim the trunk and any branches. Don’t be surprised if instructions for your particular tree call for cutting it down to a knee-high stick.

Plan to deep-soak your tree once or twice a week as winter rains fade.

Warm temperatures in spring will prompt new growth both below and above ground, soon revealing your own garden miracle.