The Truth About BareRoot Trees | Watch This Before Buying!!!

[@CoraRose2000]

Thank you. I finally found someone who knows what they are talking about. Im trying to save two bare root plum trees I bought on May 31st this year and Ive seen so many KZbinrs telling people this n that, but even as a “Yearling” gardener I see mistakes they making or one said “I read somewhere to scratch the tree so lets try it”. :/. Omg that means she knows even less than I do. I already pruned one way down based on my instinct after verifying those parts were dead after the scratch test and now will lop down the others struggling. Luckily Im renting so collecting trees for next May/June when I buy my first house in MN (probably) with land. I’ve subscribed and have never donated the Thanks before, but your info is so spot on and literally will help me save these trees. When I gave a little mire money Ill donate again too. Gratefully, Christina

[@jkl61]

I searched for an informative video like this and there were none. Outstanding job! You answered every question I had as if you read my mind. Got a bare root Crabtree from Arbor tree. May need another to do this right. Thanks

[@roxanneczewski2914]

I get 10 bare root from Arbor day. All died last year. Your video might save this new batch. Thank you.

[@donaldkasper8346]

About 8 bare root fruit trees, all but the pear doing fine. Took the pear out, potted it, put in in my shed and cut the limbs way back to see if it wakes up instead of just dies. The 15 bare root roses way past bare root season heavily discounted at Walmart, 3 months past bare root. 10 okay, budding out in the soil. 5 put in pots and put in my shed out of direct summer sun to recover. One might not make it, other 4 should. One just put out its first bud. Pulling the pear out its problem became apparent. The roots were too aggressively cut back and cut short.

[@kso808]

I purchased a Kousa dogwood sapling last year and planted it in March 2022. It leafed out normally last year, but this year there were no leaves except near the graft scion near the bottom of the trunk. The branches still seem pliable and the flesh is white-colored underneath the cambium. You are the first person I have seen to suggest a remedy like this to save a dying tree. I plan to prune it like you did yours in this video. Also, over the past year, I have given it liquid organic fertilizer. This has been a very helpful video! Thank you! 👍

[@cris_m8]

Maybe I got lucky? I got two bare root trees in February of this year, a sprite cherry plum and a delight cherry plum. As soon as I planted them, they started taking off. They look great and took this years extreme Arizona heat very well.

[@tumbleweed-z5l]

Thank you so much for this video. I just planted 4 bareroot trees today and will prune them back asap. I had no idea how these bareroot trees are mass harvested by commercial growers.

[@gopxrock4950]

Last year, I ordered from Starkbro's because I heard good thing about them. Plus the trees was on sale during April and May. They ship them at their own time. Once it's shipped, it came fairly fast considering they are from the Mid West and I'm from the West Coast. I ordered 4 pears and 2 apple trees. All woke during shipment. Once I got them, I soak them in the bucket of water. Then, plant them in the evening time. Plant them in partial shade or shade was provided during summer. All was professional prune, except for 1 tree. They cut into a third of the main trunk. It was their pruning mistake. One of the tree looked like a 1 year old instead of 2 year old tree. The caliber maybe 3/8 inch on the bottom, but the top was 1/3 size of a pencil. The smallest tree of the 6 trees. All are still alive the next year.

[@CraftEccentricity]

I really think it depends where you buy them. All of my fruit trees have been fruiting size, bare root, and supplied fruit first year. I dig a good planting hole, and I always use 2 ounces of mycorrhizae to the roots before planting, and also sprinkled in the planting hole. Last year I got a fig and is now providing fruit for the second time. Late frost took flowers from a peach I got but the tree is now 15ft, looks great, and is going through high temps here in FL. I use Willis Orchard.

[@ElderandOakFarm]

I'm glad you wrote this comment! I just discoverer Willis Orchards & have been contemplating putting a large order in with them. I have a small flower & vegetable farm & in wanting to increase my fruit production. Yes it depends on the company that ships, & if you keep itlwell watered after, & got big of a tap root that it had/how damaged it was.

[@CraftEccentricity]

@@ElderandOakFarm My whole orchard was purchased from Willis Orchard. I am very satisfied with them.

[@garyhidalgo5460]

What about west coast wholesale outlets. Looking for starts, whips,

[@robkeller3431]

​@CraftEccentricity There is only DWN that's left that grows bare root trees. Most nurseries buy from them and resell to the public. Doesn't matter where you get them, just ensure to prune them back when you plant them as Alex said to give them the best chance at surviving. I've purchased several DWN bare root trees from different nurseries some online and some local. They have fruited the very next season. Water them plenty right at the root ball. DWN uses citation root stock for most of its stone fruit which is not drought tolerant at all. Watering is everything. Best to avoid planting in summer unless you can shade them.

[@jingles1963]

This is the best explanation of what a bareroot tree is and what happens to it after it's been yanked out of the ground, not to mention it's so important to prune it back. I don't think I will ever buy a bare root tree again! Thank you!

[@kenebarb5377]

You have to water a bare root tree every 4-5 days after it wakes up for the first year

[@pongop]

This is very eye opening! Good info that I hadn't come across elsewhere. I'm now reconsidering getting a bare root tree. Thank you!

[@dawsonian2000]

This video truly helped me to understand what is happening to my Amling pecan tree that I planted nearly a couple of years ago, as a bareroot specimen. This year, despite producing some foliage last year, it produced none! I thought it was dead. But, I scratched the bark to see if the cambium layer was still green, and to my amazement it was! Based on the info I gained from this video, I surmise that my bareroot Amling pecan tree is suffering from root damage and is going through a recovery stage. So, with the spring season temperatures hanging in the mid to upper 90s in my area, I will be shielding the bark from those harsh solar rays while it develop a better root structure. I plan on providing an update on my efforts... Thanks for the awesome insight!

[@donaldkasper8346]

One fruit tree whose type I forgot as it was planted 5 years ago just lingered and barely made it through each summer. I almost threw it out last year. This spring, it finally decided it was a tree and put out new branches. One leader is over a foot. Several others close to that. In all past years it just leafed out with no noticeable new branching, or maybe an inch or so.

[@gatetres]

Thanks for those unheard truth i hear the very first time! This video is real honest with distinction from many other

[@jeffconboy7146]

Great video , good advice as hard as it is to chop your tree in half it’s the only way . I have tried both ways and the trees I didn’t cut always die or struggle for years before they take off

[@qctropicals]

Yep, I got tired of seeing all the hype about bareroots. Especially seeing all these "TM (trademark)" varieties that literally taste the same as common varieties just to justify their prices.

[@griffsgarage6028]

I work in a commercial orchard and we grow our own stock. Dig them dormant and try to transplant in the fall. Weather doesn't always allow planting so they stay bare root in the cooler. We dig and plant hundreds of thousands of fruit trees a year. We have very few fatalities. Its best not to prune before winter as you are opening up wounds allowing infection. Wait to cut back after buds are pushing. Potted trees are rootbound and never push like a bare root tree planted properly

[@gopxrock4950]

Potted trees does push, if not better than the bare root trees. The trick is to break the roots up if they are root bound. It may take more time for them to get use to their new location than the bare root trees. Once they start pushing, it's faster. They are faster because all their leaves and roots are there. The leaves provide energy to the root. The root provide nutrient and water to the leaves and branches.

[@selaw21]

I ordered three bare root muscadines last year and they struggled to grow. Two of them died. I planted them in the ground in direct sunlight per the instruction, but it was too much for these plants to handle. Now when I get bare root plants I put them in a pot, and I put them in a shaded area. I don't prune them or cut them back. I realized it was too much stress for them to handle. I just let them sit in the pots until they get healthy and aclimate to the weather. You are right bare root plants are sick and they must be cared back to health.

[@robertwren8878]

Cheers mate i learnt much from this and i am grateful for you doing this. May your God be with you! 👍

[@yulduzrakhimova4376]

thanks! I got 2 barefoot trees this winter and they already started to wake up. I will prune them 75% tomorrow. I hope they survive.

[@marklynch8781]

I planted a bare root cherry tree yesturday. The root system had heavy pruning. Yes it did cost a lot. The tree was from one of the best and oldest suppliers. The "legal fine print" was restrictive, according to them I can never re-sell the tree, so if I move I guess I have to take the tree. Otherwise they might hunt me down and take me to court. They even have their own "patented version" of heirloom varities. I also find it interesting that every fruit tree has to have grafted root stock. A few years ago I bought a colorado blue spruce from a big box retailer at Christmas, in a container. It didn't live and when digging it up I noticed the roots had heavy pruning, to fit it in the container. So as pointed out in the video going either way can have issues. Frasier fir trees are another tree I have had no luck buying bare root, they just seem to live for a while, not grow, then die in about a year. It's human nature to buy the biggest tree, yet this might not be the best idea. It's routine for me to have a 100 percent sucess rate when starting seed, yet a lower percent of the bare root trees I plant survive.

[@Sam-lk6eo]

I'd be trying to airlayer and regrow the part you cut off as well ! Thanks for sharing the good information !

[@FruitparidiseAZ]

I pulled a mullberry out of a clients yard and wrapped the roots in a garbage bag and threw in some water, it’s now growing in my front yard. Free tree babeeee

[@qctropicals]

those are the best!

[@fcuk_x]

lol.

[@williambryce8527]

Your channel Rocks! Wish I would have stumbled on it years ago! Well done my friend!

[@oscarj5544]

Love your videos man.. Ur like a Og Big bro who knows his trees. My first experience with bareroot were the lowes trees I even got em at a discount bought a bunch and potted em in 5-15 gal containers had to prune roots like u mentioned. Didn’t think of pruning canopy ,, I’d say 40% or em died on me. The rest did good because common sense told me they can’t take full sun. Grew em out all season in shade . This season they dormant alive and I’m getting ready to put em in ground! … the wait is real with bare root trees. .. gotta go sprinkle magic juice to make em grow faster 😂

[@qctropicals]

don't forget the weekly " fish emulsion" otherwise your trees won't make it 🤣🤣🤣

[@segapena5033]

I just got a bare root dwarf Fuji apple tree from Home Depot even though I swore off buying bareroot plants after I had wisteria, raspberry and hydrangea barefoots either never wake up or die shortly after waking up. I couldn't resist. However I also had a star fruit shipped to me last week and I did notice they already pruned back branches even thought it was in a pot. Waiting to see the conditions of the palmer mango I ordered but I never thought about pruning bare root trees before.

[@ElderandOakFarm]

The ones that are at your local big box stores are almost always dead, because they sit there too long, at the incorrect temperature, with either not enough moisture or too much because the employees are not knowledgeable about how to care for them.

[@segapena5033]

@@ElderandOakFarm both of my barefoot trees are still alive. One is struggling but that's only because a branch from the neighbors oak tree fell on it and bent it over a month after I planted it

[@shiboy08]

Stark bros prunes there trees back I got two apples last year and exploded and I just but a plum and peach one i just planted today. I've had worse luck with home Depot trees in containers tbh. But I learned allot about bare root trees here I didn't know before

[@lennapelayo3252]

I really like that you're very genuine very authentic and super down-to-earth so glad I found you I'm here in Southern California yes I do have quite a number of bare root trees and I did buy some that were in pods but I'm hoping cross my fingers that everything will be okay but if not then I do have my receipt from Home Depot and Lowe's and it looks like Lowe's will no longer be selling bareroots any longer from what I was told

[@qctropicals]

thank you :)

[@sifat9667]

Maaaaaaaan! I needed this video before I bought that c---! It's mid summer and just 4 tiny leaves. :(

[@P0150n3d]

very well put together video, thanks so much

[@drdaveyjones6216]

Great video! Best I've seen on this topic! Could you just strip the leaves from the tree, rather than pruning the trunk to avoid shock?

[@qctropicals]

It will simply try to grow new leaves using up even more energy. Pruning is best.

[@topherrho]

In Bonsai you can trim leaves every other year because the second set will be smaller. But wouldn't do it for any tree in the ground

[@drdaveyjones6216]

@@qctropicals thanks for your reply

[@critterdude311]

I guess I've been lucky because I've had good success with bare root trees. The only thing I have trouble with is keeping the deer off them ;-)

[@carloz8625]

best informative video ever❤

[@ll3174]

I bought 4 bare root trees last year in May 2022 they were trimmed( tyty nursery pruned before sending)when they arrived 3 (Cherryx2 & applex1)were 4-5 ft tall the jujube was 6-7 ft I immediately planted them they all died after growing leafs looking like they were going to survive, the jujube it had three leafs during the summer in fall they all fell it has gone threw our central Texas heat and our 4 day 17 degrees freeze on December I check the trunk often and it’s still green I dug the hole a lot deeper than it needed so it would not struggle to extend its roots. 300.00$ later I have nothing left from my trees the only surviving tree I thought maybe it was something I did wrong but this information makes sense to me as the roots are the heart of a plant. I order on line because many of the trees I order are not available here in San Antonio all the potted avocados that I’ve ordered are thriving it’s so disappointing to lose my much wanted trees. I was getting ready to order 4 more bare root trees from a different company to give it another chance but after this I will never order another bare root tree. Thank you for much needed educating information. My jujube has been in ground for 9 months now still green but just a bare 6-7 ft stick😢

[@fcuk_x]

May is a bit too late to plant trees. Stark Bros offer 1 year survival guarantee warranty on all their stuff. I've ordered bunch from them. Something is yet to die... 😂🤣

[@lemontea128]

Don’t think it has anything to do with bare root trees. It’s either the company you got the trees from didn’t sell you healthy trees to begin with , or you either made a mistake during planting time, over watered or under watered , or like the commenter above stated, planted wrong time. Bare root trees need to be in ground before it starts to wake up.

[@Dbb27]

I’m thinking you might have bought trees that just won’t do well in your area.

[@kenebarb5377]

Try you a Orient pear and a keifer pear tree they are pretty tough trees in North Louisiana.

[@emiliebova]

Admire your honesty!

[@kalizya]

Your a great teacher, thanks for the tips. 😊

[@TRUFIVE50]

I live in New Mexico--also very hot in the summer. Do you think potting them up for the first summer to control the sun/shade is a good idea? Or is it better to put them in ground and shade them where planted? Also, I would like to start learning how to graft my own scion onto root stock, so I don't have to deal with the large growers, but don't want to grow trade marked stuff. Is there a source to find out when those TM patents expire?

[@gopxrock4950]

Do what I do, plant them in the location you want. Shade them in that location. If it's impossible to provide shade, then planting it in the pot with morning sun and shade in the afternoon until the tree recovery.

[@undercovergardener5632]

I’ve killed more potted trees than bareroot trees …lol

[@fcuk_x]

LOL. You should be working in morgue, not planting trees!

[@LoganShelton-rh3lp]

Me too

[@robkeller3431]

I've never killed a tree so far.

[@LoganShelton-rh3lp]

@@robkeller3431 how many do you have?

[@LoganShelton-rh3lp]

Rob*. I have probably 85 trees. The rest vines, bushes, Cane's, etc. very diverse coloctection for zone 8a. In total I would say about 125 different varieties of fruits. Just got my first cold Hardy avocado the other day.

[@Pamsgarden213]

What a great educational video, thank you!

[@AlarKemmotar]

My wife bought a bareroot peach tree and planted it in a large pot. It leafed out, but now the leaves are wilting badly. It had been pruned back a little by the seller, but probably not more than 20%. Would it be helpful to prune it back some more at this point?

[@qctropicals]

I'd prune it asap and keep in shade if it's not too late.

[@mmrobison6720]

My 8 bareroot trees are now cut back and in pots sitting in the shade. One of them was already drying out and had very little root. We'll see what happens to Miss Plum.

[@parvathitiruviluamala9870]

Please post a video of how to plant bare root trees in the ground. Thank you.

[@garyhidalgo5460]

How would you suggest here in s. Cal. I have about 2k scions off my stone fruit trees. I have 2000 5gal trades. Leaeve cuttings in ground until next fall? Then plant in pots for winter? Sell spring?

[@qctropicals]

pot in 5 gal containers now and sell during summer. No inground needed unless youre doing bareroot.

[@em286]

Great info thanks! 😎

[@katastrofikRQ]

Question on the bear root tree. Some are just stick and some of them actually have leaves that are starting to come out green ones. Would you recommend getting one that still looks dead or one that looks like it is coming alive?

[@qctropicals]

It's all about the root system. I would buy the one that has been pruned.

[@gopxrock4950]

Get the one that's barely coming out. Put the root in the bucket of water for 2 hours, but no more than 8 hours. Then plant them in the evening time when the sun is not hitting it hard. The plant will have the night and the early morning to recover. If it's not prune, then you should prune when you are planting it. If you summer are hot, then shade it or plant in partial sun. All my bare root tree comes alive during shipment and after 1 year, all are still live.

[@HeatherDuffy1313]

As above, so below. Good advice

[@Raised-Right]

Thank you for your honesty

[@oh_k8]

Wouldn't reducing the canopy reduce the leaf production which is paramount to the tree creating enough energy to grow roots and survive winter?

[@qctropicals]

no, I explain this in the video

[@alexhongchoon8175]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@ellena858]

Love your videos, i learn so much

[@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.

[@qctropicals]

Most nurseries are for profit only and nothing else. Original owners who opened them no longer work there.

[@herremadave]

I am receiving some 3-4 foot crab apple trees next week. So you are telling me that I should cut off 1-2 feet before I plant them? This will be in the upper peninsula of Michigan

[@qctropicals]

This video is for bareroot trees only. Are your trees bareroot and still dormant?

[@herremadave]

@@qctropicals Yep! The trees are bareroot and dormant

[@qctropicals]

@@herremadave if they haven't been pruned, yes follow the video.

[@cs7717]

New sub here. I like your attitude and your videos.

[@jaybolinger2865]

I just bought a bareroot incense cedar from the johnsteen company. Its about 6 inches tall and the roots on it are even longer. Should I still cut the top off? I put it in a pot

[@qctropicals]

your tree is evergreen. Most likely they simply removed the dirt to ship it to you. It wasn't grown in the ground. I would not do anything to it if i were you.

[@jaybolinger2865]

Thanks for the advice. Really appreciate it

[@bob_frazier]

Did your tree survive? I transplant and grow incense cedars by the dozen that volunteer in my forest. Oregon, where we grow tress by accident.

[@lorenbush8876]

I put the bareroot trees I got in containers last year and they went through the summer and winter now they are waking up, I was going to plant them in the ground this winter but never got around to it. should I go ahead and plant them in the ground and shade them or what? Thanks

[@george-ek7vs]

how are they doing now

[@geaj4214]

Mine just came today from home depot with 1 little root. What should I do? My other trees did well bt had more roots when they came 1 year ago.

[@qctropicals]

if it hasn't been pruned, prune it back. Not much else you can do.

[@gopxrock4950]

Plant it in the pot. Move it to a place with morning sun and shade in the afternoon. Let it recover and plant it in the ground during Fall or early Spring next year.

[@Tyler-gd7yw]

seeing the machinery ripping up the trees like that makes me want to grow my own trees in the ground and dig them out nice and gently by hand and sell them with nice GIANT healthy fully intact roots😍lol, they would look SO good in comparison, you should do that at your nursery! except just dig them up a lot younger so its not a nightmare to do it by hand i would fricking decorate my nursery walls with them as well hanging them like trophies for a nice aesthetic display😍haha

[@qctropicals]

I thought about it, definitely in the to do list. Trying to learn this summer how to sprout peach and apricot seeds for root stock first.

[@Tyler-gd7yw]

@@qctropicals awesome man cant wait to see! ive been trying to sprout some apple and lemon seeds, no luck yet but still waiting🤞

[@salexxavier]

So, trim them back to at LEAST 50% and more if you think the roots won't sustain 50%. I would have cut that peach tree another 8" - 10" and wrapped the cut end in parafilm. Rooted that sucker in the best dirt I had in a pot that would fit all the roots it has. And hope for the best. I hate bare root trees. Bare root little plants, yeah, OK, I can deal. But large trees, no way. No Dirt, No Sale to Salex. Thanks Alex for letting me know what I did wrong with my dead trees (and yeah, they were dead, the scratch test proved that down to the graft point). I just wish I would have seen this before I bought the stupid things.

[@fcuk_x]

I've had little bare roots shrubs never wake up on me. 5 gooseberries and 2 black currants. All my bare root 5' trees are doing well though. Maybe it's genetics? I do prefer potted plants though. even if it costs a bit more due to shipping. Gonna plant 5 pawpaws this fall. Can't wait!

[@kenebarb5377]

@@fcuk_xI planted 9 pawpaw bare root this fall 3 were seedlings and 2 grafted and 4 about 3 feet tall and lost 1 seedling and 1 of the 3 foot tall ones it didn’t hardly have any roots when I received it, I didn’t think it would probably live but another one that I got the same day hardly had any roots it’s barely has a few leaves ordered 2 more from the same place and they came with a better root system.

[@devbachu7072]

Thanks big guy

[@donaldkasper8346]

Bare root is one third the cost of potted plants still here in Southern CA.

[@kristianandi1993]

Thank you SO MUCH!!!

[@donaldkasper8346]

Bare root trees are not mainly sold in winter, they are only sold in late winter.

[@ckennedy309]

But the container tree will have girdling roots and a buried root flare.

[@qctropicals]

myth

[@ckennedy309]

@@qctropicalsNot if you buy it from say, your local home improvement center. If you have circling roots you have to do something about it before planting. A nursery is usually going to change pots out if needed. But the kids at the chain store won't. If the tree lingers the roots can become a mess affecting the health of the tree. May look good when you plant it then struggle. I realize your just speaking on your trees but most people just buy where they can.

[@eddieleal777]

Yes u have a good point but trith is most nurserys not talking about yours wich u obviously now what ure douing buy bare root plant them a month or 2 and sell so same damage so most new plants just treat as a sick plant ast start specialy if re planting facts

[@Translucent6000]

Thanks

[@terra448]

Half of my bareroot trees never woke up. Some just put out a handful of leaves and stayed that way. I learned my lesson that year.

[@sillies1]

The summer heat and sun is what killed my bare root trees. They have no protection from the full sun.

[@WaldoG-b9j]

I buy bare root then rooted one then swap them 😮

[@TIPSheets]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@hippo-potamus]

A Beirut tree is a tree from Lebanon.

[@JD-mm7ur]

just got my mummies in the mail. specifically never wanted bareroot and accidentally purchased. and they charged $24 for shipping to ship within the same state. don't even bother.

[@juliosdiy3206]

Too late my trees has been burned already should have found ur video sooner i would have.protected it moore.

[@priscillamakinita6903]

Yah! I did not prune my stone fruit trees , after flowering they died(rip, apricot, rip plum) and now am watching one last bare root avocado, 1 year old and retarded I think! Am learning.

[@zmblion]

I bought like 9 bare root trees from ty ty nursies 2 years ago and every one of them died they looks nice when i got them i did what i could and they just dropped out a complete waste of money

[@gopxrock4950]

Ty Ty nursery, I heard they are not good. I can't judge them because I don't buy from them. Some say that even if it's alive, you may get something different. It may be a different variety, than the one you ordered. From your experience, it's the worst since all of your trees died.

[@scottlangert8574]

A lot of good information but it could have been a 5 minute video

[@qctropicals]

for in ground plants I use a drip system

[@klee88029]

Oy vey, I am on the verge of crying 😥🧓

[@JoseGonzales-ul9sv]

Good info I would always wonder why would they die on me now I know

[@foodforestretirement2799]

Every single potted tree and had to remove or move has had poor root development. The bareroot trees have never had problems.

[@qctropicals]

ofcourse, I explained why in the video...

[@fcuk_x]

It's probably 'cause you didn't sprinkle fish bones around it every month. 😏

[@bungalobill7941]

How come this tree is not dead........Yet? 😂

[@melissahollister1405]

Too much of the same words. Took too long to get to the actual information

[@qctropicals]

be my script writer

[@MonkeyBoy-sd9vc]

Sounds like you just don't like the people who sell bare root trees...

[@qctropicals]

I dont like people who lie to make a sale.