Can anyone help me with how I should handle bare roots. I recieved some bare roots cuttings that were pretty dry. I'm praying that I can save them. What's the best way to handle these cuttings?

Hi Mocha. I suppose it depends what plants they are but I buy most of my plants off eBay because my local nurseries are boring and I like exotic plants.

Of course, when they are sent to me they are all bare root to save postage.

What I have found is ... not to panic and over water them. Just plant them up in the normal way BUT put a plastic bag over them for a few days, or create humidity in some other way. If they have gone too dry then it is goodbye. But drowning them is certainly not the answer and I've found that humidity often works.

With bare roots there is no part of the plant that is not covered with dirt...correct? All of the roots are covered? They are ferns and completely covered with dirt. They were sent to me from Malaysia in a moist paper towel! I was hoping they would at least insert them inside a plastic zip lock bag and maybe poke holes in it. I think it may be "goodbye" but I have to try for a while anyways. I have been wanting a Japanese Painted Fern for so long!

Looks like you may have a bummer. Completely covered in dirt? Never ever had that. The moist paper towel is fine and I can understand no holes. Water evaporates through holes and you don't want that in transit.

I suggest that you ignore the dirt, plant them up and, if you don't have a propagator, use the old plastic bag treatment. Bare roots just means that they are removed from their pot and most soil removed to save postage. (Understandable with current rates.) Not that they should be covered in mud. Still, I think that if they have been kept moist in transit then you should be OK as long as you don't panic. If you have grow lights then keep them under lights after planting, for a couple of days, but remember, if they are ferns, that they don't like too much sunshine so it is only a couple of days. You might try misting them with a water spray as well, if nothing else it may wash some mud off.

bare root usually means that the item is packed in some kind of inert material that is around the roots. usually something that retains some moisture - not too much tho because when things are sent as 'bare root' they are usually in a state of dormancy.

this sounds like a trade with someone, so that wouldn't really be the case here. the 'bare root' thing, i mean.

i would plant them anyway. you never know!! as long as the packing material was still somewhat moist, the fern may revive!!

Also, give them plenty of time. I have raised ferns from bare roots and they take quite a while to come up. I don't think they like the shock of being packaged like that. The times I've raised ferns from bare root, most of them have eventually come up. Since they are still dormant, I would go ahead and put them in the ground outside and they will come up when the weather is right for them. I got some real pretty Ostrich ferns going from bare roots. Good luck!

Geesh, I bought a bare root Ostrich fern in a package and it didn't come up for me!

Yes, this was a trade. She mailed them in a moist paper towel. Of course, the fern wasn't moist once I received it. I planted them (as roots) completely covered in moist soil. I wasn't sure what else to do with them. This person couldn't tell me what type of fern they were. It looked like the Japanese Painted but she didn't think it was the JPF. I'm keeping hope alive but everything was pretty dry once i received it. What should I do about trading for something that isn't viable?