Bare Root Fruit Trees

It's the most wonderful time of the year, Bare Root Season. For those that have never handled bare roots, it can be a bit intimidating, but rest assured we will help you with every step. Many of you may be asking yourselves, why bare roots? What is so special about these bare sticks with roots sticking out from them? Is this thing even alive? We assure you, they are alive and here are a few reasons why we love them so much. 

1. Budget friendly. Bare root fruit trees are substantially less expensive for the buyer. 

2. Easier to transport. The buyer will not have to lug around a large heavy pot, they only have to transport the tree, which weighs substantially less. The most important thing to remember about transporting, keep the roots safe. You can wrap them in burlap or newspaper to keep them protected and moist. Damages will result from roots that have dried out. It is best to plant your trees within 24 hours after taking them from the nursery, but if that is not an option, keep them wrapped up or in a shallow amount of soil.

3. Environmentally friendly. Less plastic, less fertilizer, less waste. Trees grown solely in containers have twisted roots, salt build up (when conventional fertilizers are used) and most importantly, less of a chance of surviving after they have been planted. Here at Valley Hills Nursery, we pride ourselves in providing bare root fruit trees. If they don't all manage to sell by the time the trees start to break out of their dormancy, we use our own composted soil and recycled pots to plant them up. We avoid cutting back their roots too much, and we only use OMRI certified fertilizers and nutrients. We strive to give the trees the best chance for a long life, and would never sacrifice to health of the trees for the sale of a tree.

We invite you to join us this bare root season to start your own home orchard. Stay posted for more updates and posts on how to grow your orchard, including pruning, placement and how to protect your trees. We are here to help!