Raintree Growing Guide

Unboxing & Planting

Your box of dormant plants has just arrived. Here's exactly what to do — from opening the carton, to heeling in if you can't plant today, to digging the right hole, to watering through the first critical summer.

AT A GLANCE

Plant Within Plants in their shipping bags can wait several days; sooner is always better

Hole Size Twice as wide as the roots, same depth as the roots — never deeper

Soaking Roots 1–8 hours in water before planting; up to 24 hours maximum

Graft Union Must remain at least 2 inches above the soil line for grafted/budded trees

First-Year Water ~1 inch per week (≈10 gallons for a 3-ft planting zone) over root zone

Mulch Depth 2–4 inches of straw, wood chips, or bark — kept 2+ inches off the trunk

Before you open the box

Your order has been a long time in the making. Most Raintree plants are field-grown for one to three years, lifted in dormancy, and shipped bare-root in late winter or early spring. The plants that arrive on your doorstep are alive, but dormant — they look like sticks because that's exactly what a dormant plant should look like. The next few hours and days of care matter more than almost anything else you will do in the plant's first year. This guide walks you through every step, in order.

ℹ How Raintree ships bare-root plants

Bare-root plants travel with their roots dipped in hydrogel— a moisture-retaining substance that coats the roots and keeps them hydrated for up to 10 days in transit. The hydrogel-coated roots are sealed inside a plastic bag, and the bagged plants are cushioned in the carton with shredded paper and cardboard for protection and additional moisture retention. Several plants are often packed in one bag to save shipping costs and reduce moisture loss. None of this is damage or waste — it is the system that gets your plants to you alive.

Step 1 — Unbox and inventory

Open the outer carton carefully

Use a box cutter or scissors and cut shallowly — the plants inside are packed close to the top edges. Set aside all of the cardboard and shredded paper. You will use it as mulch (see below).

Remove each plant from the inner plastic bag

Check the tag attached to each plant against your packing slip to confirm you received what you ordered. Small seedlings or berry plants may be bundled at the base of larger trees inside the same bag — we flag them to make them easier to spot. Open every bag fully to be certain a single tag isn't actually attached to a bundle of two or three plants.

Inspect the plants

The cane or trunk should be firm, not slimy or foul-smelling. The roots should be moist and pliable, not brittle or dried out. The hydrogel coating may look strange — gel-like, sometimes greenish — but this is normal and helpful. A bareroot plant that looks like a dead stick with no leaves is what a dormant bareroot plant looks like. Do not assume a plant is dead because it isn't leafed out.

If you are concerned the plant might actually be dead, perform a scratch test: use a thumbnail to lightly scratch the bark of a small branch or the upper trunk. Green tissue just under the bark means the plant is alive. Brown, dry wood all the way around means that section is dead — test progressively lower on the plant before concluding the whole thing is gone. See When to worry later in this guide for the full procedure.

Notify us right away if anything is wrong

If a plant is broken, the order is incorrect, or a plant arrives clearly damaged or with roots that have dried out, contact Raintree customer service the same day. We can resolve issues quickly when notified within the first few days of delivery.

Can't find your plant tag?

Bareroot plants ship with a tag tied directly to a stem or cane — visible as soon as the plant is unwrapped.

Potted plants have a nursery tag stuck into the soil, not tied to the plant. These tags frequently slide down between the soil and the pot liner during shipping, so they aren't visible when you first look at the pot. Before assuming a potted plant arrived untagged, gently lift the plant out of the pot or feel down along the inside of the pot liner — the tag is almost always there. If you've checked thoroughly and truly can't find one, contact Raintree customer service and we'll confirm what was shipped.

Save the box and packing material

The cardboard, shredded paper, and packing material that came with your order are intended to be reused as mulch around your newly planted tree. Spread shredded paper and cardboard pieces around the base (kept a couple of inches away from the trunk) to suppress grass, shade the soil, and improve water retention. Cardboard sheets laid flat under wood chips are a particularly effective long-term weed barrier. Don't throw it away.

Step 2 — Decide if you can plant today

Most bareroot plants can go directly into the ground the day they arrive, as long as two conditions are true:

The ground isn't frozen at the planting site — if a shovel can't penetrate, wait
The air temperature during planting is above freezing — once planted, the plant tolerates a return to freezing temperatures fine

Dormant cold-hardy potted plants can also be unpotted and planted directly into the ground using the same procedure as bareroot plants. Actively growing potted plants — those already pushing leaves — need extra care, especially in warm weather (see Warm Weather Planting below).

⚠ If your plants arrived but you can't plant today

That's fine — bareroot plants in their shipping bags can wait several days if handled correctly. Skip to the next section on holding your plants. If you can plant within 24–48 hours, leaving them in the sealed bag in a cool place is the easiest option. If it will be longer than a few days, heel them in (see below).

Step 3 — If you can't plant yet, hold the plants properly

Bareroot plants need three things during the holding period: moisture, cool temperatures, and shade. You have three good options depending on how long you need to wait and your climate.

Option 1 — Heel in

The most reliable option for any wait longer than a few days, and especially in mild weather above freezing.

Dig a shallow trench in a shady spot, big enough to fit the roots of the entire bundle
Remove the plastic bag from around the roots — the hydrogel coating can stay; it will dissolve into the soil and continue to protect the roots
Lay the bundle on its side in the trench with the roots covered
Mound soil or moist sawdust completely over the roots
Keep moist — not waterlogged — until you plant

Best for: 3+ day wait, mild weather

Option 2 — Cool storage in the bag

Quickest, lowest-effort option for short waits — leaves the plant largely as it was shipped.

Keep the plant in its original plastic bag
Store in a garage, shed, or unheated outbuilding — ideally 35–45°F
Do not store in a warm house or basement for more than a couple of days
Check the roots every few days for moisture and any sign of mold

Best for: 1–5 day wait, cool weather

Option 3 — Inspect and refresh in the bag

Use this if heeling in isn't possible, the wait will be more than a few days, or you want to inspect roots periodically without disturbing the plant.

Open the bag and check that the hydrogel coating still feels moist and gel-like — not dried out
If the hydrogel feels dry, lightly mist the roots with clean water to rehydrate the gel; do not flood the bag
Inspect roots for any sign of mold or rot — discoloration, slimy texture, or foul smell
Re-close the top of the bag loosely to retain humidity while still allowing some air exchange
Store in a cool, shaded place — ideally 35–45°F; check every few days

Best for: 3–7 day wait

⚠ Do not store dormant plants in a warm room

The single most common mistake when holding bareroot plants is keeping them in a heated indoor space — a kitchen, a living room, a heated basement. Warmth signals to the plant that it is time to grow. Buds begin to push, the plant loses its cold hardiness, and a return to outdoor conditions then damages or kills the newly tender growth. Cool storage (35–45°F) preserves dormancy and the plant's full cold hardiness. A garage, shed, or unheated breezeway is much better than a closet.

Whichever option you choose, plant the trees and shrubs as soon as practical. The sooner the roots are back in real soil and connected to natural moisture, the better the plant's chance of establishing well.

Step 4 — Dig the planting hole

The shape, size, and depth of the planting hole sets the stage for the next several decades. A common saying among extension horticulturists is "a $10 plant in a $100 hole, not a $100 plant in a $10 hole." Spend the time here.

Anatomy of a properly dug planting hole

A wide, saucer-shaped hole with fractured walls — not a narrow deep cylinder — gives roots room to grow into the surrounding native soil.

Size and shape

Dig a hole that is at least twice as wide as the root spread and the same depth as the roots — never deeper than the roots. A hole dug too deep will allow the loose backfill soil to settle, and the plant will sink — burying the crown or graft union and causing long-term problems. Width is good; depth is risky.

Use a shovel — or better, a spading fork — to fracture and crack the walls and bottom of the hole. Smooth-sided holes in clay soil create what soil scientists call a "container effect": roots circle the smooth walls instead of penetrating outward, and the hole acts like a pot buried in the ground. Loose, broken walls let new roots punch through into the native soil where they belong.

Soil moisture

The soil should be moist but workable. If it crumbles in your hand when squeezed, it's ready. If a squeezed clump stays as a wet ball that won't break apart, it's too wet — wait if you can. This isn't always possible in the Pacific Northwest, where rain may make "perfect" conditions rare; we have had good results planting in wet soil here, but we work the soil as gently as possible to avoid compacting it.

Amending the backfill

There is a long-standing debate about whether to amend planting holes. Current research from extension horticulturists generally recommends minimal amendment — the goal is for the plant to root quickly into the native soil it will live in for decades, not into a rich "container" that ends at the edge of the hole. A small amount of organic matter is reasonable as a transition.

Add up to 20% (about two shovelfuls in a typical planting hole) of finished compost, leaf mold, or peat moss to the backfill — no more
Avoid potting mixes in the planting hole — they are too rich and retain too much water
Avoid manure, fertilizer, or rapidly available nitrogen in the planting hole — these can burn tender new roots and push top growth before roots can support it
If a soil test indicates pH adjustment is needed, lime or elemental sulfur can be incorporated; consult your local cooperative extension office for amendment rates specific to your soil type and starting pH

ℹ The depth question — and grafted trees

Plant trees atthe depth they were planted in the nursery, or at most two to three inches deeper. You can usually identify the original soil line on the trunk as a slight color change. If your tree is grafted or budded, thegraft union must remain at least two inches above the ground. The graft union appears as a slight bend, swelling, or color change a few inches above the roots. If it gets buried, the scion variety can root above the graft — and any dwarfing or disease-resistance qualities of the rootstock are lost permanently.

Step 5 — Plant the tree

By now your plant is out of its shipping bag (from Step 1) and either ready for the ground or recovering from your holding period (from Step 3). Two practical reminders before you start: the hydrogel coating on the roots— if it is still there — can stay; it will dissolve into the soil after planting and continue retaining moisture around the developing root system. The shredded paper and cardboard from the carton are intended as above-ground mulch later, not as material to put into the planting hole.

Soak the roots while you dig

Place the bareroot plant's roots in a bucket of water while you finish digging the hole. The roots can soak for up to 24 hours; 6 to 8 hours is optimal; even an hour helps if you are pressed for time. Peach trees especially benefit from soaking. On a sunny day, keep covered any plants waiting to be planted, and pull plants out of the soaking bucket one at a time so the roots of others don't dry out.

The hydrogel coating will wash off during soaking — this is expected and fine. Soaking has its own value beyond what the hydrogel provides: it directly rehydrates the root tissue itself, which is especially helpful for any plants that traveled a long distance or arrived looking dry.

Prune the plant before it goes in the ground

This is the single most-skipped step in fruit-tree planting — and skipping it causes problems that show up months later. We strongly recommend pruning your bareroot tree before you set it in the planting hole, for two distinct reasons:

1. Root-shoot balance. Bareroot trees are grown in nursery rows for one to three years and lifted in dormancy. The lifting process unavoidably breaks many of the tree's fine feeder roots — the structures responsible for water and nutrient uptake. The root system that arrives at your house is smaller than the root system that was supporting the tree's branches in the nursery field. If you plant the tree without reducing the top, the diminished root system cannot supply enough water to support all of the existing branches when bud break comes, and the tree will struggle — sometimes severely. Reducing top growth at planting restores the root-to-shoot ratio the tree needs to establish well. This is the most consistent finding across the extension horticulture literature on transplant shock in bareroot fruit trees.

2. Structural framework. The cuts you make at planting also set the scaffold structure for the entire life of the tree (Penn State Extension, NMSU Extension, USU Extension). For an unbranched whip, this means heading the central leader at 26–36 inches above the ground to force lateral branching at the height where you want your future scaffolds. For a feathered tree (one that arrived with side branches), this means selecting 3–4 well-placed scaffolds at wide crotch angles, removing the rest, and heading the retained scaffolds back by roughly one-half to a healthy outside-facing bud.

What to do, in order:

First, with clean sharp bypass pruners, trim any broken, frayed, or clearly dead roots back to clean tissue. Clean cuts heal faster than ragged tears.
Next, remove any broken branches back to a healthy bud or to the branch collar.
Then perform the structural cuts — heading the whip at 26–36 inches, or selecting scaffolds and heading them back on a feathered tree.
Disinfect tools (70% isopropyl alcohol or 10% bleach) between trees if you are planting more than one.

Go deeper For specifics on whip vs. feathered tree cuts, training systems (central leader, open center, modified central leader), how to read crotch angles, and the principles behind every cut you'll make in the years to come: Pruning Fundamentals.

Make a small mound in the bottom of the hole

Form a low mound of soil in the center of the hole. Spread the roots over the mound so they fan outward and slightly downward, the way they would naturally grow. Avoid bunching, circling, or kinking the roots.

Position the plant at the correct depth

The original soil line (visible on the trunk) should be even with the surrounding ground, or at most 1–2 inches below it. For grafted trees, confirm the graft union sits at least 2 inches above the final soil line. Lay a shovel handle across the top of the hole to gauge — the soil line on the trunk should align with the underside of the handle.

Add mycorrhizal inoculant if using

If you are planting with Mycopaks or another mycorrhizal product, place them in direct contact with the roots in the planting hole as the bag directs — typically one Mycopak per foot of tree height. Mycorrhizal fungi form beneficial partnerships with roots, helping the plant access water and nutrients.

Backfill the soil

Shovel the (lightly amended) native soil back into the hole. In normal soils: gently tamp every few shovelfuls with the back of the shovel or your foot to eliminate large air pockets — but don't compact the soil hard. Roots need air spaces. In clay soils: do not tamp at all. Backfill the hole halfway, flood it with water, jiggle the trunk gently to work air out of the soil, finish backfilling, then flood and jiggle once more.

Loosen surrounding soil

Use a digging fork to loosen the soil 1 to 3 feet out from the trunk, beyond the planting hole. This makes it easier for roots to expand into the surrounding area as they grow.

Mulch the area

Spread 2–4 inches of straw, wood chips, shredded bark, or aged compost over the entire root zone — out to about a foot beyond the branch spread. Keep the mulch at least 2 inches off the trunk itself. Mulch piled against the trunk holds moisture against the bark and creates a corridor for voles in winter.

Water deeply

Apply a slow, deep watering when planting is complete — enough to fully saturate the root zone, not just dampen the surface. About 5–10 gallons for a typical young tree is a reasonable target. This first watering settles the soil and eliminates any remaining air pockets.

Pacific Northwest tip

West of the Cascades, the rainy late-winter and early-spring planting season usually provides enough natural moisture that supplemental watering after planting is rarely needed until dry weather sets in. East of the Cascades and in drier regions nationally, even early-spring plantings need a deep watering at planting and then continued attention through establishment. Don't assume rainfall is doing the job — check the soil moisture down at root depth, not just at the surface.

Warm-weather planting

If your area's daytime temperatures are regularly into the 70s°F (about 21°C) or higher when your plants arrive, you need to take extra care. Warm air encourages the top of the plant to push leaves and shoots before the root system has time to grow and supply water — this creates immediate water stress that can damage or kill an otherwise healthy plant.

Planting in warm weather, if you must

Plant in the early evening or early morning — never at midday on a hot sunny day
Aim for an overcast or rainy stretch of weather for the planting day and several days following
Mulch 2 inches deep around the base immediately after planting (not touching the trunk or canes)
Water deeply at planting, then provide shade until the plant is well-established
Throughout spring and summer, water the plant deeply about once a week if it has not rained meaningfully
Keep the area around the plant weed-free; weeds compete for the water and nutrients the new plant needs

Providing shade

For a new plant in warm sun, shade is more important than people often realize. Options:

Shade cloth: 30–50% shade cloth on a simple frame of stakes, covering the plant during the hottest hours of the day
Temporary windbreak/shade structure: a section of burlap or row cover material on stakes positioned on the south and west sides of the plant
Existing shade: if you can temporarily plant in a spot already shaded by a tree, fence, or structure, you can move the plant to its permanent location in the fall

Whitewashing — an alternative to shade cloth

For dormant trees and shrubs going into warm weather, you can whitewash the trunk and branches to reflect heat. Mix 50/50 interior white latex paint and water. Apply with a brush from the bottom up (top-down brushing can damage buds), or as a low-pressure spray. The whitewash reflects sunlight, keeps the bark and buds cool, and weathers off over the first growing season.

Sprinkling for cooling

Light overhead sprinkling can lower air temperature around a stressed plant by raising humidity. Timing matters:

Morning sprinkling raises humidity and helps; the foliage dries quickly as the day warms
Midday sprinkling can leave water droplets on leaves that act as small lenses, causing leaf burn on sunny days
Evening sprinkling keeps foliage wet overnight, which encourages fungal diseases

ℹ Drooping leaves in summer heat

Even a well-watered plant may droop in extreme heat — this is normal and usually resolves overnight as temperatures cool. If the soil is already moist at root depth, adding more water will not help and may actually harm the plant by saturating the root zone. Occasionally a stressed plant will drop all its leaves and grow a fresh set a few weeks later; do not fertilize until you see the new growth emerging, and never fertilize a newly planted plant for at least the first two weeks.

The temporary-location strategy

One excellent option in warm weather is to not plant in the permanent location immediately. Instead:

Plant in a temporary shady spot in the garden — even a partly shaded vegetable bed works
Or pot up the plant in a container at least an inch larger than the root system, filled with quality potting mix (not garden soil), kept in afternoon shade with wind protection
Mulch and water consistently through summer
Transplant to the permanent location in fall once the worst summer heat has passed
By the following spring, the plant will be well-established and ready to perform from its permanent spot

Watering the first year

The first growing season — and the second, almost as much — determines whether your plant establishes and thrives or struggles indefinitely. The single biggest cause of new-plant failure is incorrect watering. Both too little and too much can kill, and the symptoms can look identical.

How much, how often

The general rule of thumb is 1 inch of water per week applied over the root zone — provided by rainfall, irrigation, or both. For a typical 3-foot-diameter planting zone, this is about 10 gallons per week.

Conditions	Frequency	Why
Cool, moderate weather (60–75°F)	Once per week	Plant uses water steadily; one deep watering replenishes
Hot weather (above 80°F)	Twice per week	Higher evapotranspiration; soil dries faster
Fast-draining sandy soil	Twice per week	Water moves through quickly; less is stored at root depth
Heavy clay soil	Once per week, slower application	Soaks in slowly; water deeply but less often
Container plant	When top 1–2" of soil is dry	Containers dry from all sides; more variable than ground

Apply the full week's water in one or two deep applications rather than light daily watering. Daily light watering keeps the soil surface wet but never reaches the root zone where the plant needs it. Deep weekly watering encourages roots to grow downward to find moisture — building drought tolerance and a strong root system.

How to know the soil is wet enough

The top inch or two of soil can feel dry while the root zone is well-watered. The trick is to check at root depth, not at the surface. A long screwdriver pushed into the soil will slide easily where the soil is moist and stop at the depth where the soil is dry. The goal is moist but not soggy soil to a depth of about 12 inches. A soil moisture probe (available inexpensively at most garden stores) makes this easy.

⚠ Wilting can mean too little OR too much water

A wilted plant is asking for help, but the help it needs depends on what's actually going on. Before reaching for the hose, check the soil at root depth. If the soil is dry to 6+ inches down, water deeply. If the soil is already moist or wet at root depth, more water will make things worse— the roots may be drowning, oxygen-starved, or beginning to rot. In that case, hold off watering, ensure the site has drainage, and let the soil dry to "moist" before re-watering.

Mulch is part of watering

A 2–4 inch mulch layer of straw, wood chips, shredded bark, or aged compost reduces evaporative loss from the soil surface dramatically — in hot, dry summer weather, mulched soil can hold its moisture three or four times longer than bare soil. Mulch also moderates soil temperature, suppresses competing weeds, and slowly improves soil structure as it breaks down. Renew the mulch each spring as the previous year's layer decomposes.

Long-term watering after establishment

After the first two growing seasons, most plants in the Pacific Northwest and similar maritime climates need relatively little supplemental irrigation — the natural rainfall pattern matches the plant's needs reasonably well. In drier regions, in eastern WA and OR, and across most of the Mountain West and Southwest, permanent irrigation is essential even for established plants. Even in wet climates, established trees benefit from deep summer watering, particularly when carrying a fruit crop.

Mulching and weed control

For the first three to five years of a plant's life, the single most important thing you can do to support its growth is keep weeds and grass out of the root zone. Lawn grass and weeds compete aggressively for water and nutrients — and in the case of established lawn grass, they almost always win the competition with a young tree.

⚠ You cannot plant a tree directly in a lawn and expect it to grow well

This is one of the most common mistakes new orchardists make. A young tree planted into a hole cut into established lawn — with no mulch ring and no weed control around the trunk — will often barely grow. The shallow feeder roots of grass dominate the upper soil layer where young tree roots are trying to establish. The tree stays the same size year after year, struggling but not dying, and the grower assumes the plant is "slow" or "weak." It is the grass that is winning, not the plant that is failing.

How to mulch correctly

Maintain a mulched ring extending from the base of the trunk (kept 2 inches off the trunk itself) out to about one foot beyond the branch spread
Use leaves, newspaper, cardboard, bark, wood chips, well-aged compost, or straw
Apply 2–4 inches deep; renew each spring as the layer breaks down
Oat straw over loosened soil works particularly well in the Pacific Northwest — it encourages earthworm activity and improves soil tilth rapidly

A note on rock mulch and landscape fabric

Decorative rock or gravel — sometimes installed over landscape fabric for what looks like a permanent, low-maintenance solution around fruit trees — is one of the most common landscape choices that actively harms fruit trees. The picture from extension and arboricultural research is unusually consistent on this:

Rock mulch raises soil temperature and reflects heat back at the tree. Stone and gravel absorb solar radiation during the day and re-radiate it at night, raising soil temperature in the root zone and stressing the canopy. Organic mulches do the opposite — they moderate soil temperature in both directions (Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory; Colorado State University Extension).
Rock mulch adds nothing to soil health. Unlike organic mulches, which slowly decompose to feed soil biology and build structure, rock contributes no organic matter, no nutrients, and no habitat for the beneficial fungi and microbes that fruit tree roots depend on (University of Illinois Extension).
Landscape fabric under rock cuts off the root zone. Research from WSU Extension (Linda Chalker-Scott) and other arboricultural sources shows that landscape fabric reduces oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange between soil and air by a factor of 100 or more compared to a 4-inch arborist wood chip layer. Tree roots need to respire — to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Fabric chokes that exchange and stresses the root system.
Fabric does not solve the weed problem. Over a few years, dust and organic matter blow in, accumulate on top of the fabric, and create a perfect seedbed for weeds — which then root through the fabric, making them harder to remove than weeds in plain soil. Landscape fabric provides "short-term weed control and moisture retention but blocks water and nutrients" (University of Illinois Extension; WSU Extension).
Roots can grow into fabric. As the tree matures, surface feeder roots routinely grow upward into landscape fabric and become entangled or girdled — damage that's only discovered if the fabric is later removed.

⚠ Don't use rock mulch or landscape fabric around fruit trees

If you've already installed rock or fabric around an existing tree, the kindest thing you can do is remove both — pull the rock back, lift the fabric, and replace with a 2–4 inch layer of arborist wood chips or other organic mulch. The tree may take a season to respond, but feeder root development and overall vigor typically improve markedly within a year. Rock and gravel have legitimate uses elsewhere in a landscape — alpine rock gardens, pathways, drainage areas — but the root zones of fruit trees are not among them.

If you have rodent pressure

In areas with serious gopher, vole, or mouse pressure — common in rural sites and in areas with lots of mulch or grass cover — line the planting hole with galvanized fencing or hardware cloth (½-inch or smaller mesh). Wrap the lower trunk of the tree in hardware cloth or a vinyl tree guard before the first snow to prevent winter bark damage from voles and rabbits. Replace and adjust guards as the trunk grows.

⚠ Never use "weed and feed" lawn products near fruit trees

Combination herbicide-fertilizer "weed and feed" products contain broadleaf herbicides that can severely damage or kill fruit trees, berry plants, and many ornamentals — even when applied to a lawn at a distance. Tree feeder roots extend well beyond the canopy, and the herbicide is taken up systemically. If you are growing fruit, do not use any "weed and feed" product anywhere on the property, and check that any landscaper or lawn-care service has the same instructions.

Soaker hoses under mulch

If you use a soaker hose for irrigation — an excellent choice for new plantings, since it applies water exactly where the roots are — install the hose under the mulch layer, not on top of it. The mulch then protects the hose from UV degradation, retains the applied water in the root zone, and prevents water loss to evaporation before it soaks in.

What to expect in the first year

A newly planted bareroot tree is doing most of its work underground in the first year. Above-ground growth often looks unimpressive, even on a healthy plant — sometimes just a few inches of new shoot growth. This is normal. The plant is investing in its root system before it invests in canopy. The second year typically shows visibly more shoot growth, and the third year is when most trees begin to look like the tree the customer imagined when they ordered it.

Other normal first-year observations:

Late bud break — bareroot plants often leaf out a week or two later than established neighbors of the same species; their root systems are still rebuilding
Sparse or small leaves — the plant is rationing energy while the root system catches up
Some shoot dieback — minor twig dieback can occur in the first year as the plant calibrates its canopy to what its roots can support; prune off clearly dead tips back to live wood once growth is well underway
No flowering or fruiting — a fruit tree should not be allowed to set fruit in its first growing season even if flowers appear; remove any developing fruit to direct energy to root and shoot growth

ℹ When to worry

A bareroot plant that produces no leaves at all by mid-June (in normal climates) is likely struggling. Before concluding it is dead, perform a scratch test: use a thumbnail to lightly scratch the bark of a small branch or the upper trunk. If green tissue shows just under the bark, the plant is alive — give it more time. If the wood is brown and dry the whole way around, that section is dead. Test progressively lower on the plant; sometimes the upper canopy dies back but the lower trunk and roots are still alive and will push new growth from the base. If the entire above-ground plant is brown and dry, contact Raintree customer service about your plant guarantee.

Planting day checklist

Before you start digging

Site selected with full sun (or the correct light level for the species)
Soil tested if pH-sensitive plants are involved (blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
Drainage confirmed — no standing water after rain
Distance from buildings, fences, and other plants verified for mature size
Hardware cloth or rodent guards on hand if needed for your site
Bucket of water ready for root soaking
Mulch material available
Stake and soft tie ready (for dwarf rootstocks or windy sites)

At planting

Hole 2× as wide as roots, no deeper than root depth
Walls fractured/loosened, not smooth
Roots fanned outward over a small central mound
Original soil line at ground level (or 1–2 inches below)
Graft union, if present, at least 2 inches above final soil line
Native soil backfilled with up to 20% compost (no fertilizer or manure in the hole)
Soil tamped gently or settled with water (clay soils)
2–4 inches of mulch applied, kept 2 inches off the trunk
Deep watering completed

First week after planting

Soil moisture checked at root depth, not just the surface
No fertilizer applied (wait at least 2 weeks)
Plant label saved and recorded somewhere permanent (with location)
Photo taken — this baseline helps a lot for tracking growth and diagnosing problems later
Mulch ring kept clear of trunk contact
Watering schedule planned for the first growing season

In this guide

1. Unbox and inventory

2. Can you plant today?

3. Holding plants if you wait

4. Dig the planting hole

5. Plant the tree

Warm-weather planting

Watering the first year

Mulching & weed control

What to expect

Planting day checklist

Quick answers

Plant looks dead? Scratch the bark. Green underneath = alive.

Can't find a potted-plant tag? It's likely slid down between the soil and pot liner — lift the plant out to find it.

Ground frozen? Heel in or store cool until thaw.

Hot weather? Plant at dawn or dusk. Provide shade.

Wilted plant? Check soil before watering — could be drowning.

Haven't picked a site yet?

Read the Getting Started guide for site selection, sun mapping, soil testing, and matching plants to your climate.

After planting

Plants are in the ground? The next reference you'll need is our pruning guide — most fruit trees need their first formative cuts in the planting year or the next dormant season.

Find your hardiness zone

Confirm your USDA zone by zip code on the official map before planting.

Plant guarantee

Raintree stands behind every plant we ship. Contact customer service promptly if a plant arrives damaged, doesn't leaf out, or fails to establish in the first season.

Authored by

Raintree Nursery in partnership with Jason Adams and the WSU Lewis County Master Gardener Program