I planted a potted Burgundy plum from Four Wind Growers (California central coast) in early fall / late summer, and it was doing really well before it went to sleep for the winter. This nursery is expensive but they do seem to ship in the fall. I have mostly ordered citrus from them, have never been disappointed.
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I suggest pots as being better, as long as you have ones which are large enough to accommodate the roots. That way they are completely mobile, easier to place behind a fence that will offer shade in the heat of the summer or to cover with shade cloth, and they can be relocated to where it is easiest to keep them watered. The additional benefits are that, when it comes time to plant them in the fall, you donât have to carefully dig them, and if something happens and you donât have enough time in that day to plant every single tree that you dug, they are still safely in pots until the next time that you can work.
My only concern with the trees being kept in pots wouldnât really apply to your place, as I suspect that you wonât have people coming deep within your property boundary and stealing a tree. I did lose one fig tree still in a pot that way. I hope that it is growing well for them and that it will continue to bear good fruit for many years to come.
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I think this is a non issue here. They will be in the middle of a fenced in quarter section, in a area with few people.
Your reasons for pots seam sound to me.
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what size pots for to keep them happy until fall planting?
I bought this 10 pack and have citrus and figs in them. Amazon.com
Iâm ordering around 30 more trees soon. The largest are from grandpaâs and are around 5/8" caliper. Would that fit in these short 5 gal bag? are bags even a good choice?
Iâm thinking to plant in Sep. so they will be in pots around 6 months.
I do this myself with at least half of my trees. I canât water them enough to get them through very hot weather soon after planting. If I gather a few dozen pots and 5 gallon buckets with holes drilled out, into an area with afternoon shade, I can water them quickly and conveniently, and all or most of them live to be planted in late September.
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Mostly two and three gallon plastic pots, although I had some figs that were from air layering which were in seven gallon ones. I wouldnât be concerned with yours being in five gallon, and being that they are grow bags it should help with the errant root that I discovered had escaped from a drainage hole and had to be cut in order to move (mostly fig but pear as well).
The way that you are doing it sounds great. I had mine behind a fence panel that provided afternoon shade and it worked out excellent. If you ever need additional buckets, especially in larger sizes, donât be afraid to go beyond the free pickle buckets that you can get from every fast food hamburger or chicken sandwich restaurant.
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I like the size and the shape of those grow bags, the only two concerns that I wish to mention are adequate shade, and being prepared with enough potting soil.
I have experienced what Kris has. I can go through potting soil very quickly, so I would rather have too much available than too little. Grouping the planted bags near each other will help to provide some shade for the trees, but I would also suggest locating the whole shebang where the trees only get a couple of hours of sunlight each day. This will help decrease the need for water and will lessen their stress a lot. The goal isnât to grow the trees tons while in bags, it is just to get them successfully through to cooler weather in the fall and then get them into the ground.
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Supposedly this summer is going to be brutally humid and wet for me vs last summers drought⌠so maybe i get a break on these new plants⌠but not so much of a break on my established in ground trees.
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