Bringing Bare-Root Fruit Trees Back to Life!

Is your bare-root fruit tree dead or alive? Summer is approaching and the bare-root fruit tree you purchased isn't leafing out. whether you bought it on discount at the end of the season or if you bought it from a reputable company sometimes they just don't leaf out without a little help. Walk with us as we show you how to discern if you should invest more time into babying your bare-root tree or if you should toss it.

[@danno1800]

Man, you did a terrific video! Thanks very much - I do appreciate it that you made this video.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Thank you for the feedback :)

[@dandeleona4760]

Glad you posted this. I got a lot of bare roots over 2022-23 and now only a fraction are leafing. I've wanted to take off the tops because they're too tall (gratifying to get through the mail after countless pathetic little sticks mail order usually sends, but unmanageably tall to keep in a container) but was afraid to prune them down for fear of taking off buds for next year. This is a real concern for container growers just starting out. We're not afraid to do what must be done, we're just not sure if the time is right. I'd like to see a video of breakdown of types of trees - cherries, plums, peaches/nectarines, nut trees, etc. - about when and how much to prune in a single season and why.

[@Louis-ji3sn]

That was great answered my question, going out to prune my trees now!

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Glad to hear it was of help to you!

[@mattmcghee1137]

Thanks for sharing. A lot of people may not know!

[@phildennis5592]

Great video, now I can save my trees. I wasn't sure about the pruning.😊

[@eastwardeast2406]

Thank you for your video. I'll head back to my Stark Saturn and prune even more. The branches I did pruned were dead. But maybe further down the trunk might be life. Many thanks.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Best of luck to you- just had some peaches leaf out 1 or 2 weeks ago- it can take time!

[@MnzAuto]

having this issue, thank you for this video, i had an idea of what i needed to do but i was afraid, we have a lot of rain forecasted this week if it doesn't leaf out after that, i will definitely prune it back

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Best of luck to you! 9 times out of 10, it will do the trick :)

[@shadytreez]

I had an Australian lime die within a month and moved it to a different pot. 1.5 years later it pushed up it's 1st branch!

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Plants are wild! If I have the space and time I try not to give up on them...you never know! :)

[@shadytreez]

@@restoringedennursery3551 I agree. I have a nursery area that has automatic sprinkler and I place an assortment of plants there.

[@donaldkasper8346]

My pear with 4 varieties grafted on it I pulled up today and notice how aggressively they had chopped the root ball roots back. They left the plant with not enough roots to get out of bare root. 4 or so half inch roots all cut off.

[@real_wakawaka]

spot on! I have 4 that are dormant I know if i leave them they will bud out but will take many weeks. I am planning to heavy prune but will have to wait for now till better weather in UK otherwise they would get canker :(

[@latosa18]

What's canker? I have a bare root tree that is starting to leaf out but top part looks extra dead.

[@real_wakawaka]

@@latosa18 just wait till summer to prune. cancer is a bacterial or fungal disease that ooses sticky sap....it will slowly kill the tree

[@latosa18]

@@real_wakawaka ok. Thank you. I am new to treeing lol

[@leecherry115]

How to prune apple tree once we put it into pots- thank you for teaching

[@cailyn44]

I got a bare root nectarine tree that was delivered mid March. It was still a little too cold to plant, but I didn’t have a good place to store it to keep it completely dormant, so I kept it in a cooler section of my house but I think it might’ve been too warm. I took it out of the box two weeks later to plant it, and it was flowering! I was excited because it was growing. After a couple weeks, the flowers died back, but it’s not leafing out at all, maybe this is normal but it’s been probably another 2 weeks since the flowers died. It’s hard to tell if it even has leaf buds. I’m afraid that I might’ve shocked it by keeping it too warm inside and then planting it while we were still getting some cold days(zone 5 btw). When I opened the box, the branches that had been pruned before shipping also had small dots of mold on them. The branches themselves are very small, but the ends of them don’t look super healthy. If I trim off the parts that had been moldy and don’t look so great, do you think that would help? I’m pretty confident that the tree is still alive, I just want to prevent it from going down hill

[@troypicou7316]

Yes, I would prune off the moldy parts. You would be surprised the amount of abuse bare-roots can take and still push growth eventually. Give it a go! Don't put much or any compost or fertilizer in the planting hole, let it start all natural and see if it works. Fingers crossed!

[@cailyn44]

@@troypicou7316 thank you so much for the reply! I did cut the ends off of the branches, I hope it helps. When I first planted it, I did not put any fertilizer, but I did a couple weeks later…. Not very much, just a small handful, the bag said to use two cups but I felt that would’ve been too much for my small tree. There is so much mixed information about what to do out there. I will not add anymore fertilizer. Do you think the fertilizer I gave it will do damage??

[@cailyn44]

@@troypicou7316 it worked!! I’m starting to get little green buds growing, thank you so much for this video!!

[@supremes5840]

I was worried about my rambutan plant thanks 😊

[@MechanicMark613]

My new bare root plum only has scaffold branches on 2 sides (example: north & west but not south & east)

[@shadytreez]

Donut peaches are the best!

[@donaldkasper8346]

Flavor is beyond incredible. I would never return one.

[@MsLinjohn]

how often do you water the bare root once potted - to get them to leaf out? mine are persimmon trees. I have one on the ground that has been there 2 months (at least!) and still no leaves, but I scratched and it's alive. I have 5 I just got bare root and just potted. I want to know how often I should water these potted bare roots.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

We are in the Seattle area and this year it has essentially rained everyday all the way into the middle of June. Our persimmon trees have been in the weather the whole time- they are bare-root stock that has been potted up just like yours. The last one is just starting to show buds now! If you did not prune them yet make sure to do so. Persimmons do like well draining soil but assuming you have a decent potting soil I do not think they will get too soggy if watered 2-3 times / week. Every climate is different tho...keep that in mind!

[@MsLinjohn]

@@restoringedennursery3551 I've noticed how much plants LOVE RAIN WATER, everytime it rains, I notice growth on plants. I water for a month or two and hardly any growth. I did not prune, maybe I'll take your advice and prune, maybe that will force them to leaf out.

[@AncientHippie]

I can't tell you how many bare root fruit tree I received that has NO, NONE, ZERO NADA feeder roots. They come with 1 or 2 'main' roots that are chopped off after 4 inches or so. I don't think a single one that arrive that way take. I naturally NEVER use the nursery again. They ones that come with larger root masses usually do better. I don't understand why don't nurseries take better care. Sorry for the rant this well done video triggered me.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Thats complicated and not always the nurseries fault. I've noticed a lot of bare-root coming out of Oregon's clay soil do not have feeder roots. I think this is because the soil is hard and they are just trying to get established. Here in Washington state where the soils are loamy the bare-roots come with many more feeder roots. And then from California it can be a real mix but in general they are pretty good. All us mail order nurseries have to source from all over to get all the varieties clients want so naturally some are not as good as other. We ship larger more established bare-roots so in general the root systems are more robust. All the best and happy planting :)

[@AncientHippie]

@@restoringedennursery3551 Thank you for taking the time to explain that from a nursery perspective. I'm sure you can understand after receiving and having to ask for credits on trees that don't bud out (no credit for the shipping costs) why I (and others) are reluctant to go that route.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

@@AncientHippie 100%! So far this year, we have had 1 shipped bare-root plant that I know of that failed to leaf out and it was definitely on the smaller side of what we typically ship. Due to the size of our plants and the boxes we use to ship our shipping charge is always significantly more expensive than the plant. I always recommend people shop local but often the plants are not available it would seem.

[@christianconstitutionalist7747]

Would you know what to do about my fruit trees that do not have the same amount of branches. They have several smaller branches that I trimmed. The Trees are still alive and green, but no leafs even when i trimmed them up some, and its in the middle of summer. Do I cut the tree's main stock shorter if that is most of the tree? Thank You.

[@christianconstitutionalist7747]

Also, I have 2 pear trees and they have some black patches on the bark, but in those patches it is still moist. Dunno if that means anything.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! That's tough...its getting a little late in the year, I think at this point I would be aggressive and see what happens. We have a fuyu persimmon in the nursery that is still alive but has yet to push growth. Not much to do but to trim it back and see if that does the trick!

[@christianconstitutionalist7747]

@@restoringedennursery3551 I have one apple tree that has started new growth at the BASE of the plant now. Should I trim it all back to the new growth sprouting off? Thx

[@user-wq3jp3qg1o]

I planted a bare root bing cherry in April. Kept it watered even in 100* heat layered it with mulch. Nothing happened, it’s November. After watching this I’m going out in the morning and checking it. If it’s has green on the trunk and or branches can I prune it now? I’ll also check for root growth if neither are green. This video was very enlightening and thank you very much.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

How did it go? Any luck? I would prune now and it wouldn't cause much if any harm to pull it out of the ground and see if there were any new white fibrous roots that grew. If that was the case then there is the possibility it would push growth next year.

[@user-wq3jp3qg1o]

When I checked on the tree, it was gone! My husband pulled it from the ground, with the comment “you said it was dead” we’re both learning. Next bare root tree I (we) know to check. Thanks so much for checking back with me, I appreciate it.

[@donaldkasper8346]

I got a 4-way variety graft of cherries. That bastard took 3 months from bud hint to leafing out. Normal for my other bare root fruit trees planted from bud to leafing has been 2 or so days.

[@user-wq3jp3qg1o]

@@donaldkasper8346 I so appreciate your feedback, I’m new to all this and just assumed I was doing this right. Thanks Donald

[@tedandalicebosco7320]

Should the dormant tree be plucked out of field and repotted like you have there, and prune? Assuming the repot technique so you can observe/nurse it along?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! No just keep out in the field, hopefully it has started to grow new roots so you don't want to damage those! Best of luck :)

[@sarapunjani8789]

I have sugar apple plant in pot i am in Atlanta GA my plant dry in winter i keep it green house what can I do for know?

[@janetteesteras7183]

I live in Pennsylvania. ..I think is zone 6? 🤔 .learning as I go ..can I grow peach trees here and how long before it bares fruit for my life span is unpredictable and would love to witness it along with my elderly mother ..thanks for reading

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! peach trees will produce fruit within 1 to 2 years of planting if they are grafted (most are). They should grow in zone 6- that is not too cold for them. Your local nurseries should have them in stock around this time of year. Nothing like a fresh peach :)

[@shucks7157]

I bought a bare root tree online and it had no branches. It was just a 3 (maybe 3.5) foot stick with roots. Is that normal? It hasn't done anything since we put it in the ground. We soaked the roots like suggested then planted it. It's been over a month now

[@restoringedennursery3551]

it really depends on the seller. A lot of mail order nurseries make sure that the plants and boxes that they ship in are 48" or smaller. This keeps shipping costs lower. The result is often that they clients get small trees with little branching. They can and should grow tho! Scratch the bark back and make sure its still green. If it is, chances are it just needs time.

[@alexanderriffe2956]

Would this work with a Dogwood? I planted a 5.5ft tall one first week of February. It has no growth on it whatsoever into April. Its branches are green and the trunk did ashen up. I did the cut you did in the video and the tree is very much alive. I noticed the tips of the branches that look like they would bud are just dead up to about an inch of the tip . They snap right off. Should I aggressively prune as shown here, cut just to the poin where the branches are green, or wait a bit longer?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! I would do it now vs. later. Non fruiting trees are not our area of expertise but I imagine its the same principles. Keep in mind bare-roots are always going to be late in pushing growth over their in ground counterparts.

[@estelanunezchannel]

im gonna try this i got some of those root fruit trees ,peach. pear ,apple i have no ideia how i prune them when i planted them Im in sone 9b and its September, ahould i trim them now like your saying they are alive still.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! If yours are growing well and have good branching I would not prune them like this unless you really want to keep them small. If you have good growth on them they should fruit next year. Pruning them this aggressively will eliminate any potential fruit for next year. Hope this helps!

[@teri.hannigan]

I received a cherry tree via mail order that was basically a 1' stick with roots. There was NOTHING to Prune. When I planted it, I put a little bio-starter fertilizer and watered it in well. It's getting enough water via a bubbler, but It's been 6 weeks and it has not leafed out. What should I do?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Sorry to hear :/ I think at this point you will want to scratch the bark back and see if it is still green, if there is not green underneath the bark its a goner. If there is some green there is still time for it to leaf out but I would be making plans to find a replacement as its getting well on into the summer. Best of luck!

[@wemuk5170]

Wow. Can you hard prune a 2yr old bare root? Am planting one out this weekend. Or is it only maidens that can handle being hard cut down like you did?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! Is your tree larger than the one in this video? It really doesn't matter how the large the tree it can handle a really aggressive prune. I would argue the larger the bare-root tree the more pruning is required. Most bare-roots are root pruned a lot so you need to balance out the canopy. Hope that helps!

[@wemuk5170]

@@restoringedennursery3551 Hi! Thank you SO much for helping me, a novice, with yr advice. So grateful you replied. It is a 4 feet bare root (plum tree) with just a few totally-closed buds. Great roots. So, just to be clear, can I cut off the top heading, to make it knee length now in March? I fear, if I don’t it now at planting time, it will grow too tall in future. I so need a short tree. Is a heading cut in March, ok? Edit: have subscribed, thanks.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

@@wemuk5170 Yes. If you have closed buds that means the tree really has not used any energy on that upper growth. It still has plenty of stored energy and assuming you can see tiny buds below where you are going to make your cut they should be viable and will push growth. We have a good amount of clients who take our larger 6' tall bare-roots and prune them to knee height :)

[@gerardbuccio6039]

I need your advice! I live in Southern California and bought about 7 bare root trees in January Put all of them into the ground, and three of them have not yet leafed out, the rest did. Red Baron Peach, Goldmine Nectarine, Royal Apricot are the threes that have not leafed out. Under the bark they are all green. However I am noticing that the tips are turning brown. These have not leafed out. I did prune them a bit in March, and gave them liquid fertilizer at half strength, to force them to break out of dormancy. It is now going to be June yet I have not seen any leafing out. Do you have any idea, clue or advice to help me get these to leaf out? Or are these a lost cause at this point?

[@donaldkasper8346]

Pull them out to see if the roots are growing or rotting. Might need to put them in well drained pots. Of two apricots I planted this year, by March one was all budding out, while the other took two more months to start budding. For tip death, I cut it off and then squirt latex caulk on it to stop it drying out more.

[@WarbirdPylonRacer]

Would that hold true with a 4 in 1 pear tree with really short roots I just got?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

All you can do is prune it back and see if there is any life left in it. Bare-root fruit trees are incredibly resilient. So long as the roots have not absolutely dried out or frozen before they got to you chances are they will spring to life… Give them a chance :)

[@kels0379]

I planted a bare root peach tree that came with buds already on it but it seems to be slowly dying from the top down. There are buds along the bottom sprouting though. What could I be doing wrong?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

how far down the tree? If it is above the graft you are good in the sense that the tree is alive! prune of the dead wood and give it some love. A lot of bare-root fruit trees are root pruned heavily to fit into shipping boxes so they just cant support the top growth.

[@sirpieman300]

my bare root nectarine tree i planet this spring in western Washington doesn't have any green sporting up on the old trunk that it had when I got it from Costco. But it does not have new growth coming up from just above ( or in one case below) the graff. Is it possible the big trunk is dead and it's just trying to grow new limbs?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Thats correct- the main truck is probably a goner but you still have a nectarine tree! Whats cool is it will have low branching so you can keep it small and fruit easy to pick if you would like.

[@shelleymartin6564]

Got a 1 year old plum that has failed during early budding. The branches it has are dark brown and no moisture and when I scratch the bark of the trunk the underneath is a very light tan. Is there any hope for the tree? It’s early summer here in nz but the weather has been variable and only now getting consistently warm/hot 27+ Celsius days

[@restoringedennursery3551]

HI Shelley! That unfortunately sounds like a dud :/ There has to be green underneath the bark and branches should be flexible indicating moisture. See if you cant find a replacement before all the nurseries are sold out! best of luck.

[@shelleymartin6564]

@@restoringedennursery3551 thanks 😊 we managed to get a replacement from Kings Plant barn for $24 as they were wanting good homes for their last fruit trees. They helped us find two really healthy ones. Really love your videos they are full of useful advice and support on a baby Gardner like me that is just starting out. You make it easy to follow and understand

[@karenbatty7427]

Hi i am in Melbourne Australia and recently bought a dwarf peach tree from an online plant nursery. On arrival the plant had dropped all its leaves and all i was left with was a piece of stem How do i bring it back to life please? Or am i too late 😢

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Sorry to hear that but that can happen when shipping plants…especially during heat waves. Make sure to give it a real good soaking. Within time you will be able to tell if the stem starts to shrivel and dry up or if it remains green then it still has life and will need time to grow new leaves. I don’t know too much about your climate but peaches regardless of climate do drop their leaves during the winter.

[@revelation1343]

We bought a peach tree from a local nursery about 3 months ago. It hasn't leafed out at all. The nursery told us to just trim 1/2" off every branch but not the main stock. Nothing happened. I did the scratch test and about 3/4 of the main stock is alive and green, but all the branches are dead as well as the top last quarter of the main. Do I cut all the dead branches and the top 1/4 of the main stock off?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! Did you mean they told you to cut 1/2 of the length of every branch or simply to prune 1/2" (inches) off each branch? The latter would not made a lick of difference. Prune it very aggressively, leaving maybe 6-8" (inches) remaining for each branch. You can create your desired shape next year. This year you want to just see if you can push some growth. Best of luck!

[@revelation1343]

@@restoringedennursery3551 Yes, they said about 1/2". Thank you for your help!

[@pennyantonson3881]

I got a refund for plum trees that did not leaf out. They are much smaller than the ones in the video. Should I try pruning or taking a cutting and try to root it? I pulled each tree out of the pot to check the roots, they are not brittle like the trunks. One of them had white on it, maybe a mildew? I rinsed it and repotted it.

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! If there is still green in the branches they could still leaf out. But if you didn't see any signs of new root growth then it is questionable :/ You could try rooting cuttings of them. its not too difficult to do with plums. Thanks for the comment.

[@nancymason5077]

Should I do the same with bare root pecan trees that have not leafed out

[@restoringedennursery3551]

It definitely cant hurt! Give it a go, best of luck :)

[@SaersY]

Does it matter what season it is to do this?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

The best time do this is in the middle of winter but it can be done late into the spring if you have not seen a new push of growth :)

[@qxwt]

this never happened to me, and my peach trees’ leaves come out usually in about after a a 3 weeks to 2 months after they fell off

[@donaldkasper8346]

One night cold front freeze can kill a peach crop.

[@qxwt]

@@donaldkasper8346 I don’t get cold nights where I live, it usually stops being cold in February

[@donaldkasper8346]

@@qxwt Same here. Spring in the SoCal High Desert is Feb and Mar. Maybe April.

[@donaldkasper8346]

@@qxwt Then probably not enough water.

[@christopher87105]

I am about to plant my peach tree last year they did die right away not sure why my ph is around 6.8 -7.0 I had to amend with peat moss aby recommendations?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Did they die or did they never leaf out?

[@christopher87105]

I had got some potted peach trees and put them in the ground and they slowly started to die

[@restoringedennursery3551]

@@christopher87105 If your PH is around neutral you could amend with peat moss but I would not put a lot in the whole, that may have been the culprit. With the details you have given its hard to say. Fruit trees in general are easy to grow. Fertilize 2-3 time during the growing season and make sure to water consistently at least 2-3 times each week in the heat of summer. Once they get established they can tolerate less but that first year or two is critical.

[@christopher87105]

Is it ok to plant potted trees that already leafed out into the ground here in April? If so should I cut the roots?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

@@christopher87105 yes you can definitely plant now. In the puget Sound you can plant just about year around. For us due to our busy season in the spring we are typically planting in the summer. Do not cut the roots! There is something called root washing but I wouldn't do it this time of year.

[@benbenhomeandlifestyle5122]

Hi, I got two Chinese chestnut trees bare-root, which I planted 4 days short of a month ago (April 4). Nothing happened although the plant seems to still be green and soft for the main branch, with some of the smaller ones dead. There are a few white burgeons but they haven't grown. Are they DOA?

[@restoringedennursery3551]

Hi! If you can scratch the bark and there is green underneath it's very likely they are alive and will eventually push new growth. Fruit and nut trees are very hardy, eventually they will get situated to their new environment and leaf out. Bare-roots can sometimes take months to leaf out. Its not uncommon for all your other trees in the garden to have a full set of leaves and have bare-roots in the same garden just getting started.

[@benbenhomeandlifestyle5122]

@@restoringedennursery3551 Thank you! The plants are indeed still green and moist for the most part, with some smaller branches that seem dead. I will wait and keep you posted. Thanks for the good videos you produce!