Potted vs. Bare Root Fruit Trees: Which to Choose?
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Date: 2022-07-18
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Comments and reviews: 15
Elaine
Question please.
I found a lovely Irish lady (Collette of Bealtaine Cottage) who made a beautiful woods out of a few acres of barren ground and from there I've been learning.
I like your information because you're so packed with garden knowledgeable.
I am planning on moving to a few acres and will grow both edibles and ornamental trees plus whatever I can grow.
My question is. the lady grows branch clippings to save money.
She grows them in a bucket of water, they get root systems and then plants them. I've done this with house plants so i was excited to know I could do it with some outside plants.
? It might make a good episode to describe what trees or shrubs are better for growing clippings? This would be a huge $ saving.
And for the second question.
Researching somewhere I read that if tree clippings grow in water, they're trained to get their nutrients mainly from water.
If their grown in soil their trained to get nutrients from the soil.
? I'm wondering if I grow clippings in a slurry or thick soup of soil and water would the new tree be trained to take its nutrients from both soil and water -- making it easier to feed and maintain and maybe a little hardier for a prairie winter?
Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
reply
Question please.
I found a lovely Irish lady (Collette of Bealtaine Cottage) who made a beautiful woods out of a few acres of barren ground and from there I've been learning.
I like your information because you're so packed with garden knowledgeable.
I am planning on moving to a few acres and will grow both edibles and ornamental trees plus whatever I can grow.
My question is. the lady grows branch clippings to save money.
She grows them in a bucket of water, they get root systems and then plants them. I've done this with house plants so i was excited to know I could do it with some outside plants.
? It might make a good episode to describe what trees or shrubs are better for growing clippings? This would be a huge $ saving.
And for the second question.
Researching somewhere I read that if tree clippings grow in water, they're trained to get their nutrients mainly from water.
If their grown in soil their trained to get nutrients from the soil.
? I'm wondering if I grow clippings in a slurry or thick soup of soil and water would the new tree be trained to take its nutrients from both soil and water -- making it easier to feed and maintain and maybe a little hardier for a prairie winter?
Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
reply
The
Great vid. Easy to follow as a non-native speaker.
Here is a consideration I make.
There is research done that trees that grow naturally and in proximity to each other. They communicate through root and mycelia structures and are therefor better when it comes to disease protection and so fort. While this research isn't done with fruit trees in orchards I think this still holds true. So for me. it's bare root always. Also the idea to plant and move trees in certain periods of the year is a benefit not a con. The whole idea that we have to have everything and always available kinda ruins gardening a bit. (I'm from Europe and probably get trees as early as november and maybe even till march) This time I got some peanut butter trees (Clerodendrum trichotomum)
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Great vid. Easy to follow as a non-native speaker.
Here is a consideration I make.
There is research done that trees that grow naturally and in proximity to each other. They communicate through root and mycelia structures and are therefor better when it comes to disease protection and so fort. While this research isn't done with fruit trees in orchards I think this still holds true. So for me. it's bare root always. Also the idea to plant and move trees in certain periods of the year is a benefit not a con. The whole idea that we have to have everything and always available kinda ruins gardening a bit. (I'm from Europe and probably get trees as early as november and maybe even till march) This time I got some peanut butter trees (Clerodendrum trichotomum)
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Chatov
thanks for the video, as always. small counter point: the few broken limbs on bare root trees (though I feel its rare) usually represent branches you would prune off anyway - not really an issue. the concept is that the root structure on bare root specimens are what you are buying and branches are the easy win after planting. I feel bare root requires more timing/planning but otherwise allows much more bang for the buck. if you have the space for all of it. main issue with potted plants beyond the price is the reaction when the roots leave the soil bank you paid for and hit your native soil, essentially asking them to act and grow in two ways for a few years. just a couple more pennies in the thought bank.
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thanks for the video, as always. small counter point: the few broken limbs on bare root trees (though I feel its rare) usually represent branches you would prune off anyway - not really an issue. the concept is that the root structure on bare root specimens are what you are buying and branches are the easy win after planting. I feel bare root requires more timing/planning but otherwise allows much more bang for the buck. if you have the space for all of it. main issue with potted plants beyond the price is the reaction when the roots leave the soil bank you paid for and hit your native soil, essentially asking them to act and grow in two ways for a few years. just a couple more pennies in the thought bank.
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paca_bill
Great video! One thing I noticed that wasn't discussed on this or the other video referenced was pruning a recently-planted tree. The other video mentioned removing all fruit for the first year, but some potted apple trees I bought a few years back came with instructions to prune the existing branches by about 50% after planting. Not sure why, other than this eliminates the possibility of fruiting the first year, and forces more development of the spread of branches? Or was that bad instruction by the seller? Last year I did have one semi-dwarf apple tree produce two rounds of apples in its sophomore year - very odd.
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Great video! One thing I noticed that wasn't discussed on this or the other video referenced was pruning a recently-planted tree. The other video mentioned removing all fruit for the first year, but some potted apple trees I bought a few years back came with instructions to prune the existing branches by about 50% after planting. Not sure why, other than this eliminates the possibility of fruiting the first year, and forces more development of the spread of branches? Or was that bad instruction by the seller? Last year I did have one semi-dwarf apple tree produce two rounds of apples in its sophomore year - very odd.
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FunAtDisney
Great video! I have done both over the years and both ways have worked (although last year I pulled out a peach tree that got too large. The best bare roots are the multi-apple and multi-pair. In a small tract home yard its a great way to get several varieties on a single tree. Lowes at the moment (here in south Orange County) has a good variety of bare root fruit trees (and container trees as well. Speaking of jujube trees, my in-laws had several growing at the home they moved into about 10 years ago. After a year of making jam, and the fruit dropping all over, they were done and pulled them out (sorry.
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Great video! I have done both over the years and both ways have worked (although last year I pulled out a peach tree that got too large. The best bare roots are the multi-apple and multi-pair. In a small tract home yard its a great way to get several varieties on a single tree. Lowes at the moment (here in south Orange County) has a good variety of bare root fruit trees (and container trees as well. Speaking of jujube trees, my in-laws had several growing at the home they moved into about 10 years ago. After a year of making jam, and the fruit dropping all over, they were done and pulled them out (sorry.
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Eric
In my opinion there is very little reason not to get bare root. They are so much less money, you can get such a good view of the root system, plants are way more likely to be in better shape as a bare root in my experience and honestly I have found certain plants that I will have to wait for anyway because they only come bare root as well. Only downside is you have to wait to pre-order them in the fall so you are missing out on a few months to about a year of growing but what is a few months to a year anyway when it comes to growing something like a tree.
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In my opinion there is very little reason not to get bare root. They are so much less money, you can get such a good view of the root system, plants are way more likely to be in better shape as a bare root in my experience and honestly I have found certain plants that I will have to wait for anyway because they only come bare root as well. Only downside is you have to wait to pre-order them in the fall so you are missing out on a few months to about a year of growing but what is a few months to a year anyway when it comes to growing something like a tree.
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Oracle
most of my fruit trees were bare root. the only trees I have lost one 80 raineir cherry (my husband did not want to drill holes in the 5 gallon bucket) because he did not know where he wanted it and a winesap apple that was placed in the wrong spot. we have 8 apple trees, 2 peach, 3 pear, 2 other cherries, 1 apricot and many black berry and rasp berry bushes, all bare root. only thing you need is to soak them after they arrive and add some myccrizal fungi and humus to the soil.
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most of my fruit trees were bare root. the only trees I have lost one 80 raineir cherry (my husband did not want to drill holes in the 5 gallon bucket) because he did not know where he wanted it and a winesap apple that was placed in the wrong spot. we have 8 apple trees, 2 peach, 3 pear, 2 other cherries, 1 apricot and many black berry and rasp berry bushes, all bare root. only thing you need is to soak them after they arrive and add some myccrizal fungi and humus to the soil.
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Joshua
You should check out some air pruning pots or oxy-pots that guide the roots to holes that expose them to air to prune back and promote the radial root system and smaller feeder roots.
It helps them grow better and more evenly and resistant to transplant shock because they have that healthier root system.
Even for seasonal plants like peppers and tomatoes they can work well.
I have some citrus and pomegranates in those pots and they are thriving!
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You should check out some air pruning pots or oxy-pots that guide the roots to holes that expose them to air to prune back and promote the radial root system and smaller feeder roots.
It helps them grow better and more evenly and resistant to transplant shock because they have that healthier root system.
Even for seasonal plants like peppers and tomatoes they can work well.
I have some citrus and pomegranates in those pots and they are thriving!
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Jetty
Nice! .you should take off that stake on the avocado, the nursery use stakes to keep the trees perfectly straight and that way they can pack them together tighter without too many problems, once you bring that tree home take off that crutch keeping the trees tightly staked makes for a tall weak tree, that trunk has to be able to sway in the wind so it creates a hard trunk, GROW GROW GROW
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Nice! .you should take off that stake on the avocado, the nursery use stakes to keep the trees perfectly straight and that way they can pack them together tighter without too many problems, once you bring that tree home take off that crutch keeping the trees tightly staked makes for a tall weak tree, that trunk has to be able to sway in the wind so it creates a hard trunk, GROW GROW GROW
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TheDenizification
Thank you for the fantastic info. I have a question related to backyard orchard culture as mentioned by Busy Gardener. To keep the tree to a manageable size it os recommended to cut the main tree branch 18 inches high. Can I cut a one-year old potted tree from a nursery to 18 (knee high? Or is the bareroot tree the only option for this style?
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Thank you for the fantastic info. I have a question related to backyard orchard culture as mentioned by Busy Gardener. To keep the tree to a manageable size it os recommended to cut the main tree branch 18 inches high. Can I cut a one-year old potted tree from a nursery to 18 (knee high? Or is the bareroot tree the only option for this style?
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Pamela
My rooted fruit trees are doing wonderful but my potted ones not so good but my potted citrus is doing great The ones doing wonderful came from Dave Wison the others came from a local grower I think you just have fine a good fruit tree growing farm. I picked my trees up but thanks for tip about trees being shipped never thought about it.
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My rooted fruit trees are doing wonderful but my potted ones not so good but my potted citrus is doing great The ones doing wonderful came from Dave Wison the others came from a local grower I think you just have fine a good fruit tree growing farm. I picked my trees up but thanks for tip about trees being shipped never thought about it.
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Dennis
I'm starting an orchard and I appreciate your pros and cons. My decision makers were availability and cost. If the nursery offer bare and potted I went bare. The other thing is were I ordered my potted ones the trees are bigger and older. The bare root ones are only about 1 1/2 ft. so not very old and I'll need to wait longer for fruit.
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I'm starting an orchard and I appreciate your pros and cons. My decision makers were availability and cost. If the nursery offer bare and potted I went bare. The other thing is were I ordered my potted ones the trees are bigger and older. The bare root ones are only about 1 1/2 ft. so not very old and I'll need to wait longer for fruit.
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Emma
Purchasing bare-root there is a lot more choice in terms of varieties (and less likely the chance of transplant shock. But if the cultivar you want to plant is pretty popular, buying the tree potting up enables you to get an older tree and therefore a harvest earlier. There is much more to this decision then time and budget IMHO.
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Purchasing bare-root there is a lot more choice in terms of varieties (and less likely the chance of transplant shock. But if the cultivar you want to plant is pretty popular, buying the tree potting up enables you to get an older tree and therefore a harvest earlier. There is much more to this decision then time and budget IMHO.
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Paul
Just another way that California is different from Florida, or at least my area. I've visited many local nurseries in my area, and we're surrounded by them. Probably 20-30 just in a 30 mile radius, and while I haven't stopped at all of them, every one that I have says they don't sell bare root, that I'd have to order online.
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Just another way that California is different from Florida, or at least my area. I've visited many local nurseries in my area, and we're surrounded by them. Probably 20-30 just in a 30 mile radius, and while I haven't stopped at all of them, every one that I have says they don't sell bare root, that I'd have to order online.
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Stacie
We just started our orchard last year, during the lockdown, with one peach tree and one nectarine tree. This year were adding Apple trees and grapevines. Hopefully someday Ill be picking fruit with my grandkids, telling them all about how we started our orchard way back in 2020 during the pandemic. A girl can dream, right?
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We just started our orchard last year, during the lockdown, with one peach tree and one nectarine tree. This year were adding Apple trees and grapevines. Hopefully someday Ill be picking fruit with my grandkids, telling them all about how we started our orchard way back in 2020 during the pandemic. A girl can dream, right?
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