FAQs

What are bare root trees and why do you sell these instead of potted plants?

Bare roots trees provide an opportunity to grow many trees in a particular bed or growing area, but also allow the trees and woody perennials to grow a heartier root system, not being confined to a circular pot. These are then dug up and distributed during the plant's dormant season. Planting a dormant bare root tree can often times skip or greatly shorten any transplant shock, as opposed to planting a botted tree during the growing season.

How are bare root trees sold and distributed?

Bare root trees are dug up once dormant and kept in a moist medium to live out their dormant season. When sold, they will arrive to you in a wrapped bag with moistened shredded paper or wood shavings to keep the roots hydrated. The ultimate goal is to plant these dormant trees immediately and plants in their new and final home.

What if I can't plant my trees immediately?

Do not fret; you still have time. When receiving your tree(s), ideally the roots should be soaked in a bucket for an hour or so to completely rehydrate them. If you cannot plant them immediately in their final home, you have a couple of options. You can heal them into a moist medium such as wood chips, crumbly soil, compost, sawdust, etc. This can be done in a pot or directly in the ground. If done in a pot, it is advised to keep it protected from the elements out of the harsh winter wind and cold, but not in a heated area. If it gets too warm for a sustained amount of time, they could wake up prematurely. You can then plant them in their new home before the dormant season ends with the tree leafing out. If all else fails, you can plant them in a large enough pot for a season, but note that they will require more upkeep and may restrict their growth potential.

What if my tree has not leafed out in the spring? Is it dead?

Some trees will take longer than others to wake up even amongst the same species. Please give it 3 to 4 weeks after you have seen other trees of the same species wake up and leaf out. If after this time your tree still doesn't show any sign of leaves appearing from their buds, please contact us. We will do our best to provide a comparable replacement or refund.

Do you offer any discounts?

We proudly offer a veteran discount of 10% off your entire order. We also offer general dicounted pricing for bulk orders. If you have a large planting project, we may be able to offer smaller seedlings at a greater discount in bulk. Please reach out with details of your specific situation! 

Do you use any chemical fertilizers or -cides?

We do not use any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides. We try to use a healthy biological soil made up of copious amounts of organic matter mixed with native soils. We also encourage beneficial insects, bacteria, and fungi to outcompete the pests and diseases as nature intended. With that said, sometimes our trees and plants will have some imperfections caused by some pest nibbling or a non fatal fungal occurrence. Often this will be completely harmless to the trees development and will take care of itself with proper watering and nutrition. We will not sell any plants that have any more serious issues.