Fruit trees planting in Winter ?

United Kingdom

I have today received from a Garden Centre 3 fruit trees.The instructions for planting say that the roots of these trees need to be immersed in water 6-12 hours before planting.Can I plant these trees now whilst the weather is bad or wait until it gets dryer?If I wait until the weather gets dryer before planting do I Iimmerse the roots in water now ? Thanking you for a answer

5 Feb, 2009

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Answers

Doctorbob1

If you have a bag of compost at hand, cover the roots of your trees in a bucket of it. Keep in a cool shed until the ground is frost free. Soak the roots before planting.

5 Feb, 2009

Treeman

Hi, Doctorbob1 is quite correct. However, the thing is not how dry the weather is, but how cold. Frosty weather is never a good time for planting as the severe cold can damage the plants fine roots. Mild damp weather is much better. Also, avoid planting bare-rooted plants in really dry weather unless you are able to water copiously.

6 Feb, 2009

Hillyc

I'd wait until the ground warms up a bit. Even if you could dig the ground, frost damage is far too likely now. Leave them in a shed or cool place. Keep the roots covered in compost and water ONLY if they're drying out.

6 Feb, 2009

Juliano

i would plant a fruit tree in 2 weeks time i would cover the spot where im gonna plant the tree with a black sheet or a piece of carpet just to warm the earth

11 Feb, 2009

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