# Bare-root trees on arrival: the first hour, the first week and the first spring

> Bare-root trees on arrival: checking roots, soaking, heeling in, depth and backfill, cages, watering, and how late a first spring can run before a tree is dead.

Published 2026-09-22, updated 2026-10-08. Tags: Planting, Protection & care. By Blue Whale Trees, a native tree nursery in the United States. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/planting-bare-root-trees-on-arrival/

Open the box the day it arrives, keep the roots damp and out of sun and wind, and plant within a week. Set the topmost root just under the soil and add nothing to the hole. If planting has to wait more than a few days, heel the plants in rather than leaving them in the box or standing in a bucket of water. Dried-out roots are behind most failures of bare-root plants, and a slow first spring is the plant growing roots before it grows a top.

![Row of bare-root shortleaf pine seedlings on a wet board, green tops above and bare branching roots below](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/articles/planting-bare-root-trees-on-arrival-1-1000.jpg?v=853f22db "Bare-root shortleaf pine seedlings laid out in February 2020. The crook at each root collar is where the species resprouts if fire kills the top.")
*Photo: FUchesco, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APinus_echinata_seedlings.jpg))*

## The day the box arrives

At Blue Whale Trees, live plants ship only while they are dormant, in February through May and in October and November. They ship mostly as [seedlings and young saplings](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/reading-a-nursery-listing/index.html.md) grown from seed. Whether a species travels bare-root or in a pot depends on the species and the time of year, and each plant's page says which:

- Some come only potted, among them [eastern leatherwood](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/eastern-leatherwood/index.html.md), [mountain laurel](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/mountain-laurel/index.html.md) and [mountain camellia](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/mountain-camellia/index.html.md), whose fine roots do not take bare-root handling.
- Others go in as bare-root saplings, [bald cypress](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/bald-cypress/index.html.md), [American plum](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-plum/index.html.md) and [American hazelnut](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-hazelnut/index.html.md) among them.

Open the box that day even if planting has to wait. Our plants ship damp, their roots wrapped in moisture-retaining packing that is kept short of wet so the roots do not rot. Dampen the packing if it has dried in transit, then keep the trees in their packaging, in shade and out of the wind, until you are ready to plant. Even brief exposure of the roots to direct sun can kill a bare-root seedling, and a week is the limit for planting. A day is better:

> "Plant seedlings soon after they arrive, preferably within 24 hours and no more than one week." (Penn State Extension, *Planting Bare-root Tree Seedlings in Spring*)

A potted plant can wait weeks if the pot is watered and kept in shade, as our [shipping page](https://bluewhaletrees.com/shipping/index.html.md) says. Photograph any damage the day the box arrives and email the photo to us, as our [guarantee](https://bluewhaletrees.com/terms/index.html.md#live-plants) asks. Acorns, nuts and seed are a different job, covered in [planting acorns, nuts and seed](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/planting-acorns-nuts-and-seed/index.html.md).

## What healthy bare-root stock looks like

The checklist on arrival is short: firm, heavy roots that are neither dry nor brittle, packing as damp as a wrung-out sponge, and firm buds. Scratch the bark of a small twig with a thumbnail; green tissue underneath means it is alive, and brown, dry tissue suggests it has died back. Discard seedlings with dark mold, badly damaged roots or shoots, or wrinkled, water-soaked bark, and any with mushy or foul-smelling roots.

Three things that look wrong are normal. A deciduous seedling arrives leafless because bare-root stock is lifted and shipped dormant. [A small top is no fault](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/small-sapling-or-big-transplant/index.html.md) on a sturdy stem. [White oak](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/white-oak/index.html.md) seedlings only 10 to 12 inches tall can be excellent if they have good [caliper](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/glossary/index.html.md). A top too large for its roots may die back. Cut roots are expected, since bare-root seedlings are lifted by cutting the taproot 8 to 10 inches down. Severed root ends are the main sites of new root growth. Trim only broken or ragged roots, with a clean cut.

## Soaking, storing and heeling in

The sources do not agree on how long to soak the roots. The Natural Resources Conservation Service dips them for a few seconds, the University of Kentucky soaks them for up to 30 minutes, and Iowa State for one to two hours. Maryland's forest service soaks them for four to seven hours before heeling leftover seedlings in. An hour or two just before planting sits inside that range. None of the sources stores plants in water, and plants should not be left standing in tubs. Roots that arrive coated in a water-holding gel still need a soak to rehydrate them, even though the soak washes some of the gel off.

The refrigerator is where the sources split. Iowa State lists one at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit alongside an unheated garage and a root cellar. Maryland's forest service says household refrigerators dry the air enough to damage seedlings, and asks for 33 to 50 degrees at 90 to 95 percent humidity. An unheated garage or cellar that stays between freezing and 50 degrees, with the packing kept damp, satisfies both.

When the wait runs past a few days, or the ground is frozen or waterlogged, heel the plants in, which means temporarily planting them in moist sand, sawdust, peat moss or soil. One way is a shaded trench deep enough for the roots, with the plants laid in at an angle and the roots covered with soil. A pot of well-drained potting mix kept from freezing also works. Meanwhile the [site check](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/site-check/index.html.md) says whether a species will thrive on the ground you have in mind.

### How long bare-root trees can wait before planting

About a week in the packing, kept cool, damp and shaded, and for weeks heeled in, so long as planting comes before the buds swell. The four points where the sources part company, side by side; the stake and the season are taken up below:

| Source | Soak | Storage | Stake | Season |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Natural Resources Conservation Service | A dip of a few seconds | 33 to 35 degrees in humid air, shaded and out of the wind, roots moist | | |
| University of Kentucky | Up to 30 minutes, never standing in a tub | Heeled into damp sawdust or loose compost when not planted at once | Only a top-heavy plant or one at risk of blowing over | Dormant, from leaf drop to bud break |
| Iowa State University | One to two hours for trees; four to six for fall seedlings | About 40 degrees, in a refrigerator, an unheated garage or a root cellar | For the first year | Spring first; fall from October 1 until the soil begins to freeze |
| Maryland Forest Service | Four to seven hours, before heeling in | 33 to 50 degrees at 90 to 95 percent humidity, not a household refrigerator | | |
| Penn State Extension | | Within a day, a week at most, cool and damp in the packaging, unfrozen | Bare-root trees and windy sites; off within a year | Early spring or early fall |
| USDA Forest Service | None; moist burlap or peat, never a bucket | 33 to 40 degrees, or a cool barn, shed or dense shade for a few weeks | | Spring, because freezing and thawing soil heaves fall-planted seedlings |

## Depth, hole and backfill

Depth matters most, and a bare-root seedling has no root ball to measure from, so the plant itself gives the depth. The first mark is the old soil line, often an abrupt change in bark color near the base of the stem, which shows how deep the plant grew in the nursery. The second is the root flare, where the topmost root leaves the stem, which forestry guides call the root collar. On a seedling it may barely show:

![A slender bare-root apple whip just planted, tied to a bamboo stake inside a black mesh cage on bare soil](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/articles/planting-bare-root-trees-on-arrival-3-1000.jpg?v=66a3f3b3 "A bare-root apple tree on the day it was planted in a National Park Service orchard, April 2, 2024: set on a low mound, tied to a stake, caged against rabbits and deer, and cut back to shape it.")
*Photo: NPS, [Public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACaged_and_Painted_Fruit_Tree_(c14c049a-e7d9-48af-a433-09788f7de487).jpg) ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACaged_and_Painted_Fruit_Tree_(c14c049a-e7d9-48af-a433-09788f7de487).jpg))*

> "The root flare may not be well-developed yet, so use the location of the uppermost root as your guide to planting depth." (University of Maryland Extension, *Planting a Tree or Shrub*)

Set that root just under the surface. Never bury the stem deeper than it grew. A buried flare heads the list of [planting mistakes that quietly kill trees](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/ten-planting-mistakes/index.html.md).

### Hole and backfill

Dig the hole wider than it is deep. Make it two to two and a half times the spread of the roots. The depth is only the distance from the flare to the bottom of the roots. Build a low cone of soil in the middle to drape the roots over. Widen the hole rather than bend a root to fit. A taprooted seedling, such as an oak, [shagbark hickory](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/shagbark-hickory/index.html.md), [black walnut](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/black-walnut/index.html.md) or [American persimmon](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-persimmon/index.html.md), needs a hole deep enough for the taproot to hang straight. A root bent into a J or an L is a fault.

Backfill with the soil that came out, with no compost and no fertilizer; nitrogen at planting seems to suppress root growth. Work the soil among the roots by hand, water when the hole is three quarters full and again when it is level, and do not stamp it down, which damages roots and soil structure. Leave a low ring of soil at the edge to hold water. Spread two or three inches of leaves over the root zone, a few inches off the stem: the mulch a [forest floor makes for itself](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/leaf-litter-not-wood-chips/index.html.md).

A potted plant goes in the same way, with circling roots teased apart or cut and the top of the ball level with the ground. [Pawpaw](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/pawpaw/index.html.md), mountain camellia and eastern leatherwood are exceptions: keep the ball whole or break it up as little as possible. A tree dug from your own ground follows the same order, as set out in [transplanting young trees](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/transplanting-young-trees/index.html.md).

## Cages, tubes and stakes

Put the guard on the day the plant goes in, since a seedling stands within reach of a deer's mouth and a rabbit's teeth. A tree tube keeps deer and rabbits off a seedling, a welded-wire cage keeps deer off a larger plant, and a collar of quarter-inch hardware cloth stops voles. The sizes and the drawbacks of each are set out in [protecting trees from animals](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/protecting-trees-from-animals/index.html.md). Use ventilated tubes. A tube needs a stake of its own and can stay on for about five years, coming off once the trunk is within an inch of its wall.

![Young black walnut with compound leaves growing out of a white tree tube, more tubes in a row behind](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/articles/planting-bare-root-trees-on-arrival-2-1000.jpg?v=f6182017 "A young black walnut grown out of the top of its tree tube, in an alley-cropping planting beside a cornfield in Illinois.")
*Photo: Savannainstitute, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AYoung_walnut_trees_growing_in_tubes_near_cornfield%2C_Illinois.jpg))*

The sources differ on stakes. Iowa State expects a bare-root tree to need one for its first year. The University of Kentucky finds staking often unnecessary and stakes only a plant at risk of blowing over or one that is top-heavy. Its reason is that a stem that moves in the wind grows a stronger trunk and deeper roots. Where a stake is needed, use a wide, flexible strap rather than wire, and take it off after a year.

## Water and the first spring

Water decides the first season, and supplemental watering is the single most important way to prevent transplant shock. Check the soil around the roots once or twice a week and water when it is dry, soaking the whole root zone and letting the surface dry between waterings. Overwatering starves roots of oxygen, above all in heavy clay. The [watering calculator](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/watering/index.html.md) takes a trunk as thin as a pencil, about a quarter inch of caliper, and turns it, the weeks since planting and the week's rain into gallons and a schedule. Keep watering in dry spells for two years, in winter too when the ground is not frozen.

Fall planting of bare-root stock divides the sources. The Forest Service's hardwood guide advises against it, because freezing and thawing soil can heave seedlings out and winter can dry them, while Penn State lists early fall alongside early spring. Iowa State reports fairly good results with hardwoods planted from October 1 until the soil begins to freeze. Late watering and an organic mulch reduce heaving on heavy clay.

### The first spring

A bare-root plant spends its first spring rebuilding roots, and it leafs out late while it does:

> "Recently planted trees and shrubs often leaf out later than established plants. This delay reflects the plant's effort to reestablish roots." (Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, *Late Leaf Emergence on Fruit and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs*)

Most of a new plant's energy goes to root growth while it establishes, so the top may grow little in the first year. A woody plant may take as long as [three to five years to establish](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/care-calendar-for-a-new-tree/index.html.md).

Some species are simply late. These are among the trees and shrubs that often leaf out after most others:

- Black walnut.
- The hickories.
- [Pecan](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/pecan/index.html.md).
- [Kentucky coffeetree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/kentucky-coffeetree/index.html.md).
- [Northern catalpa](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/northern-catalpa/index.html.md).
- [Devil's walking stick](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/devils-walking-stick/index.html.md).
- The beautyberries, of which we grow [American beautyberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/american-beautyberry/index.html.md).

Judge a slow plant against others of its species nearby, and scratch a twig for green. Wait until at least June 1 before calling a plant that has not leafed out dead. No bud swelling by then, or bark that splits or discolors, is the sign of a real problem. A top that dies back is not always a loss, because a hardwood seedling can resprout from the root collar, so cut out dead wood only once new growth shows where it ends. Some losses come with the method: seedling mortality of 10 to 20 percent is not uncommon in large plantings.

## Common questions

### How long can bare-root trees stay in the box?

A week at most, kept cool, damp, shaded and above freezing, and a day is better. Past a few days, heel them in or pot them up.

### How long should I soak bare-root trees before planting?

Published advice runs from a few seconds to several hours, and an hour or two just before planting falls inside that range; no source cited here stores plants in water.

### Why has my new bare-root tree not leafed out yet?

Newly planted trees leaf out later than established ones while they regrow roots, and some species, black walnut and the hickories among them, often leaf out after most others. Scratch a small twig for green tissue, and wait until at least June 1 before [deciding the plant is dead](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/is-my-bald-cypress-dead/index.html.md).

### Should I fertilize a bare-root tree when I plant it?

No: nitrogen at planting seems to suppress root growth, and any fertilizer should wait at least a year.

## Sources

- [Planting Bare-root Tree Seedlings in Spring](https://extension.psu.edu/planting-bare-root-tree-seedlings-in-spring): Penn State Extension: planting within a day and no more than a week, planting before the buds swell, and normal losses in large plantings.
- [Planting Ornamentals](https://extension.psu.edu/planting-ornamentals): Penn State Extension: mail-order plants that arrive on the dry side, heeling in when planting waits more than a few days, widening the hole rather than bending roots, and early spring or early fall for bare-root plants.
- [Planting a Tree or Shrub](https://extension.umd.edu/resource/planting-tree-or-shrub): University of Maryland Extension: dried roots as the main cause of bare-root failure, the uppermost root as the depth guide, potting up plants that cannot go in, nitrogen at planting, circling roots in containers, overwatering, root growth first, and water for two years including winter.
- [How to Plant Bare Root Trees](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/how-plant-bare-root-trees): Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: the arrival inspection, storage near 40 degrees, the one-to-two-hour soak, hole width and depth, the cone, watering in, the ring of soil, weekly checks and first-year staking.
- [Late Leaf Emergence on Fruit and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/late-leaf-emergence-fruit-and-ornamental-trees-and-shrubs): Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: late leaf-out after planting, the twig scratch test, the June 1 threshold, pruning after new growth, and the species that leaf out late.
- [Fall Planting of Bare Root Seedlings](https://naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/fall-planting-bare-root-seedlings): Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: results with fall-planted hardwoods, soaking that washes off root gel, and late watering and mulch against frost heaving.
- [Planting Hardwood Seedlings in the Central Hardwood Region](https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/12877.pdf): USDA Forest Service and Purdue University (P.M. Pijut, 2003): lifting by cutting the taproot, seedling height and caliper, dieback and resprouting from the root collar, sun on bare roots, the week's limit, the root collar just below the surface, J-rooting, and the case against fall planting.
- [Bare Root Seedling Planting Guide](https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Documents/Planting-Guide-Brochure.pdf): Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service: storage at 33 to 50 degrees and high humidity, household refrigerators, the soak and trench for heeling in, and tree shelter upkeep.
- [Transplant Shock: Disease or Cultural Problem?](https://plantpathology.mgcafe.uky.edu/files/ppfs-or-w-19.pdf): University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension (Gauthier, Kaiser and Klahr, 2014): severed root ends as the sites of new roots, a soak of up to 30 minutes and no standing in tubs, the old soil line, a year before any fertilizer, staking only when needed, watering, excess water in heavy clay, and three to five years to establish.
- [Hand-Planting Guidelines for Bareroot Trees and Shrubs](https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/mtpmcar5149.pdf): USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: culling moldy or water-soaked seedlings, the brief dip, J- and L-shaped roots, not stamping the backfill, and ventilated tubes.