Why I Buy Bare Root Plants Instead of Pretty Flowering PlantsYour local garden center can be full of inspiration with its aisles and aisles of abundant, flowering plants in the prime of their lives. It certainly makes sense that when purchasing a plant, you'd gravitate toward one full of blooms and, possibly, fruit. However, bare root plants are actually a better way to go.
What are bare root plants?
Plenty of plants can either be cut back each year and still grow, or die back naturally. The roots, however, are where all the energy for the plant are stored. Bare root plants lack much in the way of branches—instead, they tend to be just the root ball out of soil. In the case of bare root trees, they are usually quite young and are little more than a stick with some roots attached. Rosebushes, for example, are commonly sold in their bare root state in late winter through spring and are little more than the crown, with the roots attached and the rose branches cut down to a few inches height.
Once you’ve planted the rosebushes, they quickly sprout new green branches and leaves and can become big quite quickly. Bare root trees can produce fruit within the first season, and bare root flowers like dahlias can produce flowers in the first year.
this is how bare root plants arrive
Credit: Amanda Blum
Bare root plants are cheaper
So long as you take care to plant them correctly, bare root plants can be a fantastic way to fill out a large space inexpensively. Because bare root plants are lighter and smaller (there’s no soil or moisture to account for), they’re also easier to ship, and are, therefore, less expensive. Bare root trees can be bought in bulk for a small fraction of what you pay per tree in a nursery: Bare root chestnut trees, bought in bulk, can be had for a few dollars, whereas in a nursery, a potted and leafed out chestnut would start at $29, depending on size.
Bare root roses can usually be had for $4 to $10 a piece, while a potted rose would cost three or four times as much. This is true of bare root flowers and shrubs, as well. In fact, most nurseries receive their stock as bare root, and plant them on site—that’s how they make their markup.
It’s easier to plant bare root, and they acclimate better
The common approach when planting almost anything is that you want a hole three times the depth and width of your root ball. When you take a plant out of a pot from a nursery, that “root ball” includes all the soil, so it’s bigger, even though the roots aren’t any larger. Planting bare root, for that reason, usually means a smaller hole, which is less work.
Planting a bare root plant doesn’t require more care, either. It’s wise to saturate the roots before planting, and you should add fertilizer to the water you drench the roots in. However, once it’s time to plant, you simply dig a big enough hole, plant to the appropriate depth, cover to the appropriate level, and walk away.
Bare root plants also acclimate better to their environment, and the roots are therefore stronger. When you transplant, the plant undergoes stress, and every branch, leaf, flower, and fruit is another resource-draining dependent. By planting bare root, you’re allowing the plant to focus on root health and grow out when it has the resources to do so.
Bare root plants are easy to examine when they arrive, so rotten, moldy, or desiccated roots can easily be cut away, and any infestations are easy to catch. It’s a way of ensuring only the healthiest plants go in the ground.
Where to find bare root plants
The first place you should look for bare root trees is your state nursery, and every state has one. Your state nursery likely has saplings or bare root trees native to your state at a low cost. Other good sources include Fedco Seeds and Stark Bro's, which have deep catalogs to choose from.
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Why I Buy Bare Root Plants Instead of Pretty Flowering Plants
Topic: Why I Buy Bare Root Plants Instead of Pretty Flowering Plants (Read 186 times)
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January 16, 2017, 12:43:12 AM