I just received my order of over 15 young 3-4ft peach and plum trees. It appears they are no longer dormant ( shipped from a warmer area than my location ) and it is still quite cold here. The weather forecasts claim to be warming to the high 30s to 60s with freezing temps during night and a lot of the day ( and the forecasts also seem to be absolute rubbish with it being much colder than it claims. Today it was near 15F )
I initially planned to plant them around this time, thinking that they would be dormant. What should i do with my trees? Should I plant them anyways? Should I keep them inside ( I have no south facing windows, and my two surviving grafted plums from last year that i brought in during winter quickly broke dormancy and one died ( I believe due to lack of light ) )
What to Do If You Can’t Plant When Your Order Arrives - Stark Bro’s (starkbros.com)
Bare-Root Plants and Trees
When you open the package, you will see strips of damp paper around the bare-root plants and trees’ roots. Make sure the paper remains damp, but avoid drenching it.
Wrap the bare-root plants and trees in the shipping plastic and store in a cool, dark place, like an unheated basement, cellar, garage or shed. It is ideal to store the tree at a temperature of 40ÂşF, but anything under 60ÂşF should work for a short period of time. This method will help keep your bare-root plants and trees dormant so you can safely delay planting for up to a week.
If planting must be delayed for more than 10 days, “heel in” your trees outdoors. To do this, start by digging a sloping trench long and wide enough to hold the roots. Lay the tree in this trench, with the roots against the steep side. Then, cover the roots with soil, and soak with water. As soon as possible, plant trees in their permanent location as you normally would.
Thanks, but what if the trees have already broken dormancy and it is still cold outside? Should I “heal in” in a pot and keep them inside with a light on them?
Have you got a large wheel barrow…
Could heal them into a big pile of dirt/compost in your wheel barrow and keep them in a shed or garage…
Will doing that cause them to die from lack of light? Will i need to leave a light on for them? I have no strong south or semi-south facing light in my home / garage; Only weak indirect light.
If they are leafed out and you are going to have to keep them inside a while, some supplemental light would be good. Perhaps something simple like this…
There may be better solutions… just found that on amazon right quick.
You may be able to find something like that at your local Walmart… if you have one.
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Thanks for the help everyone
I have had your experience before… ordering plants from a nursery in a much more southern location than me… Ty Ty in GA… my only time ordering from them.
At my TN home blueberries were not leafed out yet… and I placed my order (I thought plenty early)… but when their shipment arrived they had shipped fully leafed out blueberry bushes… and most of them the leaves had turned brown before they got to me. Most of them died too…
So a good tip to anyone here… especially if you are getting later in the spring and ordering plants that you would prefer to receive as dormant plants… you are more likely to get dormant plants if you order from a nursery that is north of your location, or at least known to be in a cooler location than yours.
Or choose a nursery that will ship on the date YOU request.
I was given the option to select when to ship but did not consider that there would be a significant difference in when the trees would break dormancy.
I currently have the trees still bundled together, with the roots covered in soil, indoors.
I figure that there is a month or so difference between my new trees and when the existing trees will start showing new leafs. Attached are photos showing the stage my newly arrived trees are at, and the upcoming weather forecast. With this information, is there additional / revised recommendations? Should I keep them inside ( I am assuming the warm temperature indoors will promote even further leaf growth ) or plant them? ( it can get quite cold well into late April and even May, even after the weather warms significantly )
The image on the left I think would be safe to go outside. it should adjust to your current weather. The image on the right i would bring in at night and leave outside during the day.
