My spot is supposed to be a 5b but im situated next to a large bay and only a mile from the gulf. My location (from a cold hardiness perspective) is in all likelihood behaving more like a zone 6.
What surprised me the most were the japanese plums and the pluots. They took off in the spring just as well as anything else; better than the apples on seedling and b118, which were hit hard by scab.
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Have you tried planting out later in the fall; like late october or november, once the trees are fully dormant? My experience is limited to bareroot with the exception of 2 potted apple trees i planted in october a few years back. They are still alive.
Thanks for the info.
-mroot
I think the different results boils down to differences between hardness zones where people live. It also may matter where the bare root tree is being shipped from- a Northern nursery or one in a more Southern location. I would expect a tree supplied from a Northern nursery would be better hardened off.
Most references I have seen say Fall planting is good for zone 6 and warmer. And Spring planting is preferred for zone 5 and colder.
Some older references still prefer Fall planting for colder locations or at least getting the trees in the Fall and heeling them in using a protected location. The reason given for this was in the past, some nurseries had trouble storing trees over the winter and you were better off storing it yourself.
All of this discussion I find very interesting since I am barely in zone 6 by the latest zone maps and on the older maps I was in the middle of zone 5b. I have passed on getting trees in Fall because I was afraid that the trees wouldnāt survive the winter. It would be nice to be able to plant in the Fall especially since some nurseries in the South only ship in the Fall.
-mroot
if you plant in august your good but any later they donāt make it. ground is frozen here by mid oct.
I noticed the same with Japanese plums. I planted some on myrobalan rootstock in March and they outgrew pears I had planted the year before. Not sure what made them so vigorous.
Atleast here in Colorado zone 5 the problem with fall planting is the frequency of your winter watering. They really need some time to break into the earth around them or else they dry up is what i believe. I have had it work great with strong rooting plants but i am also accustomed to winter watering dormant greenhouse trees, but try to do all my planting in spring even though i am busier because i believe it lets them root out best and makes my life easier in the winter.
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I did some forced experimentation last fall, as I was several months late completing the moose fence around my orchard expansion, and felt winter wasnāt as dangerous to plants as moose. I finished the fence in October, and had well over a hundred trees of various sorts in mostly 3 gallon pots with no place to store them over the winter. The ground was lightly freezing but I was able to rototill anyhow and started planting stuff. Around Halloween we got several inches of snow which slowed the freezing, and I continued planting well into November, rototilling in the snow. Come spring, most of the apples, cherries, and pears survived, about half the apricots made it, a couple plums out of about six squeaked through, and I killed off about two dozen peach trees. Some of the apples and pears were killed but all the bacatta and OHxF 87 rootstocks survived. A few apples survived on B9, and all the G41 roots died quite decisively. I should also note that most peach trees I plant in the spring have winter killed also, as Iām in a steep learning curve with them.
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Iāve done quite a bit of fall planting with good success, but itās mostly been digging up and moving one place to another. I like it because things are not so busy for me in the fall. Though it varies a lot, usually our ground doesnāt freeze very far down since we usually get snow before temps get into the -20ās & -30ās. I mulch when I move things anyway and generally later than earlier when theyāre dormant or close to it. Donāt think Iāve ever had anything die. Sue
Iāve planted a number of 8-12ā potted apples and pears in September. All have survived. I have also moved quite a few wild crab rootstocks in the fall with success. I think the key in northern areas is that they stay well watered until the ground freezes.
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I see my situation being different that yours in that when i order trees they are coming from other parts of Canada. They dont ship until early November which equates to them being well hardened off (in the case of a southern quebec/ontario origin). The ground is still friable here in early November so its easy to get them in.
I prefer fall planting also and keeping them watered is important even in my warmer area that the ground rarely freezes.
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England has mild winter temps and NY has relatively harsh ones. The literature revolves around what serves commercial fruit growers and Cornell research is mostly done in upstate NY. They are the key source of researched info in the east, particularly the NE.
The main problem with fall planting for most species is when itās done in areas where the winter temps often plummet below 0 F. and are followed by thaws and then subsequent similar lows.
If trees are planted in some types of soil this will cause them to dislodge from the soil or loosen enough to be killed by freeze.
Commercial growers have therefor usually planted only in spring and the nursery industry has developed around that timing.
However, the issue of dislodging can be addressed by mulching the soil over the roots after transplanting in the fall and fall planting often gives trees a boost in spring growth because of root growth in the new soil in fall.
More and more, nurseries are beginning to offer trees for planting in the fall. I do most of my planting from my nursery in the fall, including a majority of bare root, 2.5" caliber trees (about 12ā tall and well branched, fruiting trees) and I do see an overall advantage to plant at that time with all the species I manage and sell besides mulberries. Mulberries often experience some winter kill of small branches form this practice. The trees most often survive it.
My pear trees are almost never sold bare root. They donāt tend to transplant well bare root at any size, although the whips are usually fine but more sluggish than other species.
But I always use a generous layer of mulch to help trees through winter.
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This is an old thread that Iām resurrecting.
We have been delayed by so many things this year, that spring planting is not possible. I am hoping to be able to do fall plantings this year. Our average first frost is around Nov 15 and our ground never freezes. Iām thinking that this is likely a good area for fall planting.
Which suppliers, that you trust, will ship for fall planting?
Looking for a full spectrum of pomes, stone fruit, and whatever else might do well in the high desert 8a of southeastern AZ.
Any good advice for this undertaking?
Thanks.
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Any ideas?
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Northern nurseries donāt offer trees usually in the Fall with occasional exceptions so youāre going to have to look at nurseries in the South. I know some of them do Fall shipping since I looked when I was exploring Fall planting in 2019.
Ultimately, I didnāt do any Fall planting so I have no direct experience buying from vendors that ship in the Fall. Although I have ordered from a vendor that did both Spring and Fall shipping- Heritage Farm & Fruit Tree Nursery. I was happy with the trees I received.
I think you will need to figure out a list of trees you want and then search Southern nurseries for these trees and see if they do Fall shipping. Or look for nurseries that do Fall planting and only buy from their inventory.
Full spectrum covers a lot of groundā¦ in apples looking for Limbertwigs is different than looking for a Pitmaston Pineapple or a Frostbite tree. If you narrowed the scope of what you are looking for you might get more replies. Or started your own thread listing trees you want for Fall planting.
Itās February and now is the time to buy for Spring planting. Is there a reason you canāt plant trees this Spring? Your selection of trees and rootstocks the trees are on will probably be better for most things in the Spring. You would get a head start on growth of the trees and time is something you canāt buy more of.
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I did not end up trying to find nurseries that would ship in the fall, but instead had them ship everything when they would normally and just kept everything in pots until fall hit and I felt that the time was right for planting in the ground. I recommend fall planting to all of my customers, be it for trees or for bushes.
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Iāve planted my Asian persimmons this fall in East Texas (x3 Maekawa Jiro, 1x Standard Jiro) here in East Texas.
Weāve had a couple of cold snaps, one to 12F and another coming to15-20F or so in a couple of days. I protected them by wrapping them with a frost blanket hoping that it helps them as they are so small (they are so, so thinā¦).
They came from Starkbros in the 4x4x12 pots that they call EzStart, which I like. There was a lot of root mass for such a little caliper, so they should take pretty fast.
Praying to God that they survive the cold snaps as they are getting establishedā¦
I have also planted x2 Li jujubes (Starkbros) and a HJ and SC from Dave Wilson in the fall. I have a DW So (Contorted) coming in March, so I will compare how it gets established vs the jujubes planted in the fall
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Iām still trying to decide the best place to plant my primary orchard and likely wont have it prepped until mid summer.
Being that pretty much everything comes bare root here, do you think it would be better to plant in pots until ready to plant this fall or to plant them in ground now and transplant them when I have the orchard site prepped?