A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Bare Root Plants??????

I finally contacted the online nursery that I bought about $100 worth of plants from this last spring. Only about 1/2 grew. They have a one year guarantee. They are shipping new product to replace the stuff that died or did not even grow. My ? is this: What is the best way to get bare root plants, or in some cases just the root to grow. Here is the list of what is "supposed to be shipping"
1) Mock Orange
2) Scabiosa "Butterfly Blue"
3) Dwarf Asters
4) Red Painted Daisy
5) Blue Columbine
6) Periwinkle
7) Creeping Phlox
8) Cushion Mums

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Well, you're lucky you had a good guarantee on those babies.

Lots can happen to a bare-root plant. They can get dehydrated, damaged or overheated on their way to you. still, they're a good value if you can get them to live.

I always get the poor things out of the package and into some water as soon as possible after delivery. I let the roots soak a good long time, at least an hour, sometimes as much as a week if I can't find time to plant them unti l then. You could also soak them in root hormone solution or dip the roots in root hormone powder prior to planting.

The main thing is to be sure to give them a drink and a rest after their long jouney.

I would add to keep them in the shade. Good luck.

Oh yes, definitely keep them in the shade. Those roots don't like the sun.

Plus, if they're really looking puny when you get them, you can try growing each in a pot in a sheltered situation for a few months until the plant leafs out and starts looking healthy.

Thank you for the info. I had already planned to put all the plants in pots to make sure they are going to grow before I go to the bother of planting them in my flower beds. Now to sound like a real dummy, what kind of soil mix should I use????? I have always used a mixture of composted manure and potting soil, but it did not work to well the first time around with bare root plants.

Frustratedattimes,
When you asked Where was that dirt, in the ground or a planter??

Also, Most of the plants you mentioned, don't like too much "good stuff" in the soil, like the columbine are more than happy on your crappiest dirt, or should I say, neglected dirt.
(You are from Georgia, do you have that red clay? NOT sure about growing things in that, hopefully someone like JIFFY will come thru and help)
But I would say, your regular soil and compost mixed together should be fine.
Direct plant, and not too deep....
*Direct seeding from the momma plant is alway the healthiest they are very hardy when they've dropped seed and a new plant starts there.

And for me, I am "basically" an organic gardener, but for transplant shock I do use a liquid soluable fertilizer, like Shultz Plus 10~60~10
*High middle number is great for roots/rooting and transplant shock and flowers / and fruiting of plant.
Just give them a splash on the roots, or you can even lay them in a shallow dish of the stuff, if you are planting right then, give them a good drink of it, and plant. Then every other day, feed some of it, not tooooooo much, and I like to foliar feed them, which is just making sure the leaves get some of the solution on it...
DO NOT DO IT WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING ON THE LEAVES. *Early morning is best*

Weezie

Thanks Weezie,

I use that soil mixture in my pots, for my plants. Yes, I have nothing but the red heavy clay Georgia is famous for having. So when I put a plant into the ground, I always amend the soil? with composted manure. Wish I had a truckload of chicken manure, best thing in the world for breaking up clay(or so my dad believed). The first time I received my plants/roots, I did plant them directly into the ground, and 1/2 of them just did nothing. The mock orange I had 5 out of 15 that put on any growth at all. I pulled a couple of the "dead" ones up and there was no root growth at all. The Scabiosa did nothing, and the root just rotted. I did use a rooting hormone on all of the plants. Guess I need to get a greener thumb is all.
Thanks again for the help all.

Can I ask what you did or how you applied this when you used it?????????

Weezie

You sure can ask. It is a liquid, and I mix it in small bucket, then place the roots in it, for a few minutes, and then put the plant into the ground. I started out planting about 50 creeping phlox to cover a clay bank in my back yard, and used a 5 gallon bucket. It seemed to work, as the phlox took off, and even bloomed after about 5 weeks. I hope this is the info you wanted. If not ask some more ?. I will give you all the info I can to make sure the plants will grow.

Yep, that sounds about right,
Did the phlox die after it bloomed???

And did you continue to use a liquid fertilizer for a few weeks until it becames established?

And rain, lot's or none???

Weezie

The phlox just keeps on growing, it is an evergreen I beleive that is why I am using it as ground cover on the bank. I think I actually used a fertilizer of any kind about twice on it. Someone at a local nursery told me not to fertilize anything planted bare root until it is established. As far as rain is concerned, not much until recently. Seems as if Georgia is the hot and very steamy state lately. We went from a 16 in. rainfall deficit to a 7 in. deficit in the last 2 weeks.

Creeping Phlox is pretty hard to kill,
unless less you plant it too deep..

I have several clumps of painted daisy's,
barely get to see a flower though,
darn woodchucks just looooooooooooooove them.

My mom has 2 Mock Oranges, I have to prune her's,
been very neglectful of those...It's on this year's list to absolutely have to do, as soon as it's done flowering.

Periwinkle grows like crazy and is hard to kill too, but then again, I don't have that red soil...

Do you do your own composting????
And what do you do to the beds before you start the beds????????

Weezie
*I'll be back, on and off, makin' the kids their breakfast*

I hope the periwinkle and phlox grow and grow and grow,, lol,, as for the mock orange, well, we shall see. I have a solution for your woodchuck problem, but you probably would not like it to much When I created my raised bed in my front yard, I did not do anything to them other than makes sure it was tilled deeply, and I put down a weed barrier.(some help that was,grrr). I have made sure no one walks in the beds, so the soil is not compacted. When I go to plant anything in the beds, I dig a much larger hole than needed, then amend the soil with the composted manure, and set the plant in the ground. I did put down pine bark over the entire bedding area after I planted most of the plants.

As for composting, well yes and no. I have a spot that all my clippings (grass/leaves/whatever goes into, but I do not use any chemicals or anything to aid it in breaking down. This is the first year I have done this, so next spring I should have enough compost to work with I hope.

We live in town and aren't allowed to " ", although I'd like to!!!

But..........
Make sure the pine bark is not touching the plants, that will keep tooooooo much moisture around the base of the plant or bark area of trees, and will promote mold, fungus's, critters' to come in and make a home right next to or in your plant...
Keep it to the about an 1" or more away from the base...


You technically don't need anything chemical to break it down, nature takes care of it....turning it, keeping it the right moisture and adding the correct ingredients and in a lasgna method works itself, brown green, brown, green!
And don't forget, you need to stop using that area, and start a new one, giving the first one a chance to render down and let it set a bit, and then start a new "working" pile somewhere's else.

Weezie

Thank you again weezie, the information is invaluable to me.

As for your woodchucks, do you see them alot? If you do, a Pellet gun, might train them to leave your daisies alone. Or live trap them and relocate them to somewhere else.(See person you do not like very much lol)

I will start a new mulch area next mowing(if it quits raining enough to dry out.)

My motto here is
"It only takes ONE gardener to know the answer,
and that one gardener may be YOU!!"

That's all it takes is ONE person,
to be here, read a post, and have had it happen to them, or a "old gardener" always did this or that, or what ever the circumstances...

I learn alot from ALL the gardener's here,
every day!

Glad to of helped!

Weezie

Keep us posted though, we love updates

Will definately keep everyone updated. It is a pleasant experience here, no seems to be judgemental about anything you have to say. They may not agree, but no one gets "nasty about it"
Even when it comes from someone as inexperienced as I.