An X-mas surprise--what to do with them?

[Knehrke]

A buddy of mine who comes over from Boston to hunt with me near L. Ontario in NY sent me some 5-6' bare root Norway Spruce as an X-mas gift. I have no clue what to do with them. The ground isn't frozen yet, but it's coming fast, and I've never stored bare root anything over the winter before. The only place I have is probably my garage. I'd love to hear suggestions on how to keep these guys viable for the spring.

 

[Bill]

Did you me 5 to 6 inch or feet?
Small ones I'd pot, water them and store them in the garage so the roots don't freeze.

Plant in the spring. If they woke up during shipping planting now might kill them.

Five footers im not sure about.

 

[buckdeer1]

We move cedars this time of year so I don't know why you couldn't plant if able just don't let roots dry out for sure.How big are roots

 

[Knehrke]

I actually did mean 5-6 foot trees. I have a bunch of small stuff over-wintering in pots, but nothing this big and certainly not bare root. The root systems look like they've been severely pruned, as if whoever he bought these from used a shovel to dig them up and cut off the roots about where the shovel blade ends. I'm skeptical that they're going to grow at all, but I figure I'll give it a shot anyway. At least they were shipped with the roots damp, although I worry about whether they froze solid with the weather last week. I thanked my buddy nicely and asked him to check with me prior to pulling the trigger on anything like this in the future.

The way I see it is I either try to hold them as bare root until spring or plant them in a temporary location until then, if I can get at the ground.

 

[Bill]

I have no experience with anything like that so this is sheer speculation. I think of you don't get them into something the roots will dry out by spring.

 

[Buckly]

How many did you get? If the ground isn't froze I would start digging and stake them well after you plant. Otherwise you're going to have to heal them into big piles of sawdust and dirt or something. Odds are they're not going to make it whatever you do so keep that in mind as to how much work you have to do.

 

[Knehrke]

He sent me four. I'm betting that they won't make it, either, but I feel like I should try. I'll bury the root systems, such as they are, and keep my finger's crossed.