February March 2018

colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  February/March 2018 11 How to Select, Store, Prune, and Plant Bare Root Selecting a quality liner • Purchase from a reputable grower with proven quality that will guarantee its products and provide support if there is a problem. • Pick the liner based on sizes that work for your production style, with a good root ball, branching and structure. [Boxelder Tree Farm starts all its ornamentals with six-foot branched liners, and all its shade trees with six to seven foot whips. Whips allow the grower to determine where scaffold branches will eventually be set.] Storing properly The main goal in storage is to keep the plants as dormant as possible until they go into the field. If plants start pushing leaf, they are starting to take moisture from the roots up to the top, which shouldn’t happen before they are in the ground. Anything starting to break bud needs to get out quickly to prevent elongated growth. Cool temperature • Store in a closed building away from direct sunlight. • Keep the air temperature between 36 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit— the low 40s is optimal. • Refrigerate the building or use a refrigerator trailer equipped with irrigation if possible. • When refrigeration is not available, store in an insulated building (ensuring that insulation has a waterproof covering). Opening up the building at night helps to bring in cool air that can then be trapped inside during the day to help maintain lower temperatures. • Don’t assume the refrigeration is on or that indoor temperatures are cool—check temperatures at least once a day to ensure temperatures are adequate to avoid heat damage or plants going into bud too early. If a tree has leafed out before it is planted in early spring, it is more likely an early frost could kill the immature leaves. • Clean out the storage area each spring and make sure the air conditioner works. High humidity • Install, maintain, and utilize a misting system with a timer to use day and night or as necessary, even in combination with hand- watering, depending on the conditions. [Meyer of Boxelder said little water droplets hanging off the plants is a sign that he is watering sufficiently.] • For plants with heavy roots and less hair roots, provide more moisture to keep them from drying out. Limited storage • Store for 10 days or less if in a warmer temperature range of 45 to 55 degrees. • Store up to three weeks if in refrigeration (36 to 44 degrees). Steve Brown and Bob Mudra at Alameda Wholesale Nursery Photo courtesy of Carlton Plants continues » Brad Meyer of Boxelder Tree Farm