Now is the time to plant bare root

Well bare root planting time is full swing right now till the end of February! Fruit and shade trees, flowering trees and shrubs, lilacs, berries and grapes are available now at great savings over canned prices! 25 to 50% Savings are standard and even greater on the giant shade trees.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the term bare root, I will attempt an explanation. Bare root plants are those that come to the nursery without soil around the roots, hence saving money on cans, soil, amendments and labor. This can only be accomplished in the dormant season, after the leaves have fallen! CAUTION! Buying trees and shrubs that have been stored inside a store can be FATAL in Tehachapi! The plants start to leaf out too early and are traumatized when planted in the frigid outdoors!

After the rain, the soil is very nice to dig right now. So everything is in your favor: low cost, soil conditions, weather, and the enjoyment of making your yard beautiful and more productive. These along with some much needed winter exercise are all beneficial!

Every year, the BIGGEST mistake people make is procrastination... they wait till Spring, when the weather is nice to buy bare root. That’s too late for most plants! Again bare root is only sold in the winter months! In our climate, we are fortunate to be able to plant NOW! Other regions, like Zone 1-3 may be frozen nearly all winter or more tropical zones have a very short dormant season, so even though its chilly, we are fortunate! “Think of planting trees and bushes as a positive return from the production of fruit, shade for summer cooling and the enjoyment of flowering trees and shrubs!”

New this year we have Thomcord grape, Yankee Doodle Lilac, and Olallile berries. We also have Catalpa, an antique tree that’s hard to find.

There is a difference in fruit! That’s why there are so many varieties! Why not buy something you really enjoy and grow it in your backyard, rather than buy only what the fruit stands might have available!

Here at Mountain Gardens’ Nursery & Pet we have availability lists and planting instructions on request. Also, now is the time to dormant spray and apply preemergent herbicide for Spring weed control!