Temporary planting for crab apples

Gross144

A good 3 year old buck
I was looking for some input or suggestions as I am new to planting trees. I ordered 4 crab apples from Northern Whitetail Crabs and received an email that they will be here this week. I was planning on going upstate New York this weekend to plant but that is just not going to happen with the Coronavirus and quarantine and other issues that popped up.

Instead I was looking for an alternative, saw somewhere that I could plant them here on Long Island and then transplant them in the fall after October upstate to their final spot. So the question is, since they are being delivered as bare root trees, should I just plant them in a flower bed somewhere and then dig them up later or plant them in a large pot or five gallon bucket so then in transplanting them later this fall, I don't have to dig them up, as they will be in buckets, and cut any roots in doing so. Also if in a bucket will regular soil suffice.

All input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
If it is only a few trees, I would consider using 3 or 5 gal Rootbuilder II containers with Promix depending on size. This will allow them to develop good root systems and won't disturb the roots when you transport and transplant when they go dormant. This will put much less stress on these trees than planting them in the garden and digging them up, transporting them and replanting them.

I actually do this intentionally with many of my apple trees. Rather than spending the money on trees and shipping, I go to the local orchard and buy M111 rootstock. It happens to be the best semi-dwarf rootstock for my soils. The specific rootstock may be different for yours. I then get scions. I either get them from GRIN or buy them on-line from commercial sources. The are inexpensive and shipping cost is low. I then graft my own and put them in 3 gal RB3 containers. I grow them for at least one growing season on my deck where they get very good care compared to what they get in the field. The promix with Osmocote slow release fertilizer added and regular watering makes them grow much faster on my deck and the root pruning containers help them develop very fibrous root systems. Because the roots systems are undisturbed, the don't have the normal year of sleep, year of creep, and then the year of leap like bare root trees do. They continue growing almost immediately because there is minimal transplant shock.

This is not for everyone but it works best for me because I live an hour and a half from my farm. I have so many planted trees at the farm, I don't have time to give them special care there. My soils are heavy clay and not especially fertile. Planting trees that have had the head-start on my deck also do better than bare root trees. This may not be the best method for folks with more favorable soils and who live a their farm and have a few trees they can care for on a regular basis. I also have grown trees in the root pruning container system for year from nuts and seeds, so now that I've moved on to apples, I the containers are no added cost for me.

Given your description, this might be a fit for you.

Thanks,

Jack
 
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