Planting pear trees in freezing weather

[ToddG]

I have 4 pear trees being delivered tomorrow from the wildlife group and they are calling for temperatures down to 20 degrees tomorrow night. I already have the holes dug. Will it be ok to plant them tomorrow or would I be better off waiting a day or two. Will it hurt the trees to wait until Thursday to plant them? The weather that day isn't supposed to be as cold.
Thanks.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I don't think planting them would hurt anything if they are dormant, but if you aren't sure then keep them cool in your garage for a couple days and you will be fine. I planted some 4 years ago in frozen ground I had to chip away at with a pick axe. Those trees did great despite being planted in frozen ground in cold weather. I've kept bare root fruit trees in my cool garage for up to two weeks and they did fine as well. If you go that route just make sure the roots stay moist. Good luck

 

[Apple Junkie]

Personally, I'd wait for better weather. The trees you getting will still be pretty dormant, so just keep them in a cool dark location for a few days and you should be fine. Just make sure the roots are kept moist. March - the cruelest month.

 

[Neahawg]

Yeah open the box up an inspect the roots mine were completely exposed after shipping. We're still damp but I added damp potting mix on them as well to keep them good until planting day

 

[yoderjac]

Todd,

I've got a bunch of pawpaw seedlings in my cold room in 3 gal RB2s. My plan is to drive the farm tomorrow night and plant them on Thursday. I'm using a tractor auger so digging in hard ground is not an issue for me. When I get to the farm, I'll leave the trees in my car. I'll put an oil filled electric heater in the car to keep the temperature above freezing over night. The issue is letting the roots freeze hard. It will be above freezing (but not much) when I plant them on Thursday. Once they are in the ground, I'm not worried about them freezing.

Thanks,

Jack