Savvy shopping for bare-root trees

Sunset, Jan, 1994 by Jim McCausland

The best ones are a few years old with full root systems and pleasing shapes

OLDER IS BETTER WHEN it comes to planting a bare-root tree (a dormant tree with no soil around the roots). An older tree will flower or fruit one or two seasons earlier than a smaller, less expensive one, or--if it's a shade tree--fill out faster.

Bare-root trees are 15 to 25 percent cheaper than those sold in containers, and they adapt more easily to your native garden soil. But all bare-root trees are not created equal, and finding the best deal may take some shopping around. The photograph above shows the difference in the sizes of bare-root trees found at two sources--a retail nursery and a discount department store--within a mile of each other.

THE LOWDOWN ON FRUIT TREES

At mass merchandisers (typically 25 to 50 percent less than nurseries), we found generally small, young trees with bare roots stapled into plastic bags full of damp sawdust. If you're planting lots of fruit trees, the total cost savings might justify the extra year or two you'll have to wait for a crop. (Keep in mind that roots sometimes have to be heavily pruned to fit into those plastic bags; this might affect the health of the trees.)

At full-service nurseries, we looked at the same variety/rootstock combinations and found generally larger, older, better-branched trees with roots sunk into sawdust-filled raised beds. Nursery workers were willing to pull trees out so that we could examine the roots, and to prune the tree for shape at purchase.

These trees averaged $4 to $7 more than similar (but younger) trees sold at discount stores--a cheap price for moving the date of first harvest up a year or two.

Size alone won't tell you the age of a given fruit tree. Some varieties of apple, for example, are naturally large and vigorous, and some aren't; some come on dwarf rootstocks, some on semi-dwarf. If in doubt, ask your nurseryman the tree's age; the best ones to start with are at least 2 years old.

WHAT ABOUT ORNAMENTAL TREES?

Bare-root ornamentals--mostly flowering and shade trees--are virtually all less than 4 years old. One of the West's largest growers says that about half his sales are 1-year-old trees, and half 2-year-olds. There's also some demand for 3-year-olds.

One-year-olds usually have only a single central leader and a few twiggy branches. However, by pruning during the first summer, growers can force the leader to branch. A branched, 7-foot-tall, 1-year-old London plane tree might cost $18 retail.

Two-year-old trees are naturally branched and large enough to give some hint of what they will become. A London plane this age might be 10 feet tall and cost $30.

Three-year-olds are better branched, have thicker trunks, and make a more immediate impact in the landscape. But their larger size makes them more vulnerable to transplant shock: if you don't keep them well watered, they'll die or their growth will be checked. A 3-year-old London plane would be around 15 feet tall, have perhaps a 2-inch trunk, and cost around $40.

If you're prepared to give a 3-year-old tree the care it demands (plant it as soon as you get it home and keep it watered), it's a better bargain in the long run. Otherwise, choose a 2-year-old. If you need enough trees to line your driveway or property line, buy the 1-year-olds.

The bottom line: don't buy on price alone. Remember, you're buying something that will probably be on your property longer than you will. Look for a tree that is evenly branched all the way around (unless you want to espalier it to a wall).