Confused on How Deep to Plant Bare Roots

I've done a lot of searching and the most common answer seems to be to plant it at the "soil" level of the plant (assuming there is one). However, if the bare root plant comes with instructions to plant 4 inches deep should I follow that regardless of whether or not part of the bare root plant was previously above ground?

Also, if the bare root plant does not have a part that is above soil and it has instructions to plant, say, 6 inches deep - is this 6 inches from the top of the bare root or from the bottom?

I'm sorry my first post is such a stupid question but I'm feeling a bit frustrated with the answers I'm finding. I will post specific plant information if needed but I was hoping for a general rule to follow since I'll have others to plant later.

TIA for any help you can provide.

Wow! I never really gave it much thought.I have planted a few bare root plants.Mostly roses.I remember being slightly confused by roses.They would tell you to bury up to the crown.Then they would tell you to bury deeper if you lived in a harsher climate?I elected to bury mine deeper because winters here are nasty.>>>> Anyways.You can tell where the roots meet the stem.I would bury up to the stem,leaving a couple of inches of the stem exposed.Too bury 6 inches deep.I would think they would mean from the bottom.If you bury plants too deep,they will never come up.If you plant a potted plant,you try to bury it the same as it was in the pot.Plants are pretty forgiving.Even when you do something wrong,they generally survive.They may not reach their full potential,but they live.For example;every year I transplant stuff.It gets too large in that area or its getting too much sun or not enough or whatever.Plant away,guess at it.You will be ok.I will share some tips with you that I learned about bare root planting.Soak in water over night before planting.Fish emulsion will help bring them out of dormancy and start growing.Hope this info helps,good luck,Edge

You should plant them all so that the crown of the plant (i.e. base of stem, or top of root system if there is no upper plant) is just below soil level, say no more than an inch or so. To put a perennial root ball 6" deep would be quite bizarre (though fine, say, for some bulbs).

Sometimes you can't believe what you read. haha.
I read an article a couple days ago about daffodils; it said to plant the bulbs AT LEAST 12" deep! I hope nobody does that.

Well, for a daffodil, 12" is even on the outside of the range, but at least it's in the ballpark.

Can you tell us what sort of plant it is? Is there any obvious place on it where it transitions from roots to stems/leaves? If there is, that's probably where the soil line ought to be.

Sorry, didn't mean to take so long to get back to my post but my computer monitor decided to short out (lovely!).

Anyways, I had 3 types that I wanted to plant now, but I'll have some more later. The 3 types I have now are Delphiniums (Giant Hybrids?), Phlox Paniculata & Aster Dumosus. The Phlox and Aster seem to be mostly roots with a slight stem on a few. The Delphiniums have very clear stems starting at the top of a very short root system.

The package for Delphs say 4 inches deep, the Phlox 6 and the Aster 4. The one that really concerns me is the Delphiniums...it's such a tall plant that 4 inches deep seems like a good idea, but since it has such a clear place where the stems start (there are like 5 on each), I'm not sure!

I already planted them all, about 4 inches deep because I didn't want to wait too long but I have them all clearly marked so that I can pull them up to soil level.

I was always taught to plant so that the crown (where root and stem meet) was at ground level. here is some info on planting delphs.

http://nga-gardenshop.stores.yahoo.net/delphinium.html

I also think the crown should be at ground level. To plant too deep could cause crown rot. Soaking dry roots at least one hour in water is recommended, Check roots to see if they are plump and healthy, cut off damaged roots. Roots will also grow to balance the height of the plant.