When you guys trade things like trees:
Red bud, Yellow tulip poplar, etc. Do you just dig them up and send bare root during growing season?
charlotte
plant trading question
Oh, I wish I had an answer to that. I haven't shipped a tree before. Let me see if I can find someone to help you.
~Carla
I do! LOL I rinse off all soil. Spray it thoroughly with the hose and prepare it for shipping :-D
The nursery that I use for my co-ops offers trees and shrubs bareroot. One of the most important things to remember is to wait until they've gone dormant before digging. Typically, the smaller the tree the easier and better. Dig all the roots (which is why smaller is better), rinse off, then pack the roots in some type of moist medium - barely-damp paper towel, shredded newspaper, spaghnum moss, or sawdust. Keep this medium around the roots with a bag, and keep the plants as cool as possible until they can be transplanted.
I haven't had too much success with this. Mainly because tree roots don't like being disturbed- at all.
I try to get as much of the roots as possible, and I soak them in a little plant food/vitamen b and lots of water indoors. If I'm transplanting a tree, I baby it until it picks up on it's self.
Basically, I try to ship them as soon as I dig them.