The Willow Glen Resident Community Cold weather is perfect for bare-root planting Tony Tomeo Winter is here, and it's time to plant bare-root roses, berries, grapes, fruit and shade trees. Bare-root plants are now becoming available in nurseries and may be planted any time before warmer weather begins in the spring. I enjoy planting in this manner because it gives plants the healthiest transition from the grower to the landscape by taking advantage of the natural dormancy cycle. The plants literally go to sleep in their growing field and wake up in your yard with no idea of how they got there! Consequently, they get established in their new environment much faster than they would if they were grown in containers and planted in the ground later. Bare-root planting also spares plants the stress of confinement in containers. Another advantage is that bare-root plants cost about half the price of plants in containers. Always be sure the plants you select are healthy. Examine the root systems, making sure they are moist and fresh. Roots can be damaged by desiccation during shipping. Also note the viability of the dormant buds. It is unlikely you will find poor quality in any of our local nurseries. However, many of the large home improvement centers that sell nursery stock are not staffed by experienced nurserymen, so material may become damaged without anyone being aware of it. Last year in one such store in Santa Clara, I found several hundred apple and peach trees, all of which were dead! When planting your selections, it is best to amend the soil as minimally as you are comfortable with. Backfill soil that is homogenous with surrounding soil will encourage roots to spread out. If soil is too rich around the tree, an excess of fibrous feeder roots will form in direct proximity. After digging the hole, form a cone of soil at the bottom. The roots should be spread evenly over this cone as the hole is backfilled. The plant will need to be adjusted so that the graft union is a few inches above the soil level. Even though the plant is dormant, it should be soaked to saturate the roots. If you are not installing your plants the same day, they should be kept with their roots in a bucket of water, but not for more than a few days. Some thinning is also helpful in reducing stress. I recommend doing this last, because the extra branches protect other branches during handling. Aside from bare-root trees, other trees planted this time of year are those cute little potted Christmas trees. Many of these trees are useful species, but it is imperative that you know exactly what you are planting and how it will behave. Many of my clients have problems with large trees that were once Christmas trees. They may start out innocent looking, but all will become large trees that can present serious problems in the average landscape. Italian stone pines, for example, are those two very large, broad, flat-topped trees where Saratoga-Los Gatos Road meets Big Basin Way in downtown Saratoga. One client had five of these trees in her yard, one of which was within six feet of the swimming pool! Christmas trees that present fewer problems and can live in containers several years are Colorado blue spruce, dwarf Alberta spruce, Scotts pine, Japanese black pine or Austrian black pine. Tree of the Week: Austrian Black Pine When I was very young, my father brought home a young Austrian black pine, Pinus nigra, for our Christmas tree. It grew in half of an old wine barrel, and we used it for several years until it was finally planted in 1976. It is now only about 15 feet tall. Austrian black pines are among the best behaved pines. They grow slowly to 30 feet, but I have never seen one taller than 20 feet. They are susceptible to various insect pests, but healthy trees have good resistance. The canopy is dense and somewhat symmetrical, but has the potential of developing an irregular form. The tree has a cleaner appearance than most pines because the needles do not accumulate as they are shed, but fall through the foliage to the ground. These trees do best in full sun with well-drained soil. They require no soil amendment or fertilizer, but tolerate fertilizer used on nearby plants. Excessive fertilizer causes stems to elongate and form irregular structure. They grow well in containers for many years and respond well to pruning and root pruning that may be employed to keep them in their containers even longer. Austrian black pines are handsome specimen trees and may be pruned to encourage a more irregular form. They are also good trees if left alone to develop their own form. Some gardeners prefer them over the Japanese black pine, which is faster growing and larger. Their minimal requirements and slow growth make them low-maintenance trees. If you prefer live Christmas trees or just like pines, the Austrian black pine is worth considering. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, January 6, 1999. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.