Do your homework. Make sure the plants you are purchasing have a good home that can be prepared in advance of arrival. Fall preparation for spring planting is most effective but, late winter or early spring can work just as well with the right planning. Match the plants to the site - make sure you have enough space, sun exposure, and the right soil type for the plant you are purchasing. Consider long-term use, maintenance, and potential failure rate, planting dense and thinning over time can often be an effective strategy.

Ideally, in the fall that precedes spring planting, cut back any existing vegetation tight to the ground, loosen the soil with a broadfork, and sheet mulch with several layers of biodegradable material, mulch with 2-3” of spent hay, straw, or wood chips. This is the easiest way, let the materials do the work for you over the winter. If thats not the case just make sure you have a nice big bed or hole with ~9-12” depth of loose soil, shaped to provide good drainage, add compost if/as desired, free the area of perennial weeds, and be ready to cover with a 2-3” layer of mulch. Use spent cardboard, burlap, or several layers of newspaper for a biodegradable weed suppression layer under the mulch and around the base. When digging (and planting), try to keep the soil organized and near the hole. 

Plants are typically transported in moistened recycled newspaper, mulch, sawdust, or burlap to keep the roots from drying out. Old plastic garbage or shopping bags can be used to wrap the material and retain moisture. Ideally, you should start planting the same day or within 24 hrs of receiving the plants. If you can’t get to planting right away, keep them in a cool moist place like a root cellar, back corner of a basement, or a spare refrigerator, and check the roots often, making sure they are still moist and there are no signs of mold. Ideal temps for storage are hovering just above freezing. Remove moldy roots immediately with pruning. Plant as soon as possible, before the buds start to swell.

Lightly prune roots and soak the plant in a bucket while getting ready. If you’re new to the process, go slow. Make sure the root collar of the plant is at or slightly above the top of the hole (“at grade”), not too far above or below. Spread the roots out around the hole, making sure to disperse and layer them as much as possible instead of twisting them up. Prune really big or very leggy roots that would be unreasonable to fit in the hole otherwise and any damaged roots. Ideal standard metrics apply for the width of the hole - about 1.5 times the depth of the roots, 2-3 times the width. Backfill the hole to roughly ½ way, lightly tamp down by hand to make sure there are no airpockets, and add water. Once the water infiltrates completely, fill the hole the rest of the way, light tamp down again, shape the soil for good drainage, and topdress with compost and minerals as desired. Add biodegradable weed barrier, mulch and water-in one more time.

Don’t overdue it. Remember that the roots of the plant will eventually extend well beyond the hole or bed you have made. When they do, they will be in native soil, not a heavily amended mixture. For a good jumpstart, you can add some fish and seaweed emulsion to the water that the plants soak in (check labels for amounts) and use the same bucket to water them in. A thin layer of compost around the base of the tree should be enough, more than enough for conservation and/or wildlife plantings. Fruit trees may need or want some additional topping off over the years or the addition of a slow-release fertilizer like Pro-Gro or bone meal. Consider micronutrients that are often lacking in soils - rock dust or azomite make great choices for remineralization that you can sprinkle lightly around the hole after planting. Do soil tests if you really want to be thorough. Mychroizzae root dips, additives, and the study of mycellium networks in general are a fairly new science. While the use of some product might be beneficial, the jury is still largely out on just how much. Rich mycellium networks typically coevolve over extended periods of time in areas of limited disturbance. A handful of rich healthy soil from a nearby forest (or a more advanced form of harvesting indigenous microorganisms) will likely go farther than a store bought product.

Some folks are surprised to learn how much to prune a large bare root plant. Unless you’re installing small stock (~ less than 3’), the rule of thumb is to prune ⅓-⅔ of the material above ground. Remember some  of the roots have been lost or damaged during the digging and transplant process and the plant needs time to recover. The benefits of having a well-balanced root to mass ratio when the plant is young will make up for what feels like a lot of pruning at the outset. Too much material above ground will overtax the plant during establishment.   

The benefit of planting in early spring is typically a wet weather window that takes care of your irrigation needs BUT make sure to keep an eye on the plant and water as needed. Ideally you are giving the plant the equivalent of 1” of water per week over the growing season, pay special attention in the hot summer months of the first year. A good layer of mulch will help hold and retain moisture. Lack of water, bad siting, planting too late, and inadequate maintenance are the biggest factors in initial plant failure. Young fruit trees can benefit from foliar sprays but make sure not to spray beyond mid-summer so any new material has time to harden off. Use deer and rodent protection as needed - a 2-3 FT high section of ¼” steel mesh or window screen buried slightly into the soil around the base of the tree works well for rodents and a 4-6 FT wide x 4-6 FT high wire mesh with fiberglass or wooden stakes around individual trees will keep the deer off. Vented tree tubes with fiberglass or wooden stake are also an option, especially for nut, timber, or wildlife trees, less so (or not at all) for fruit trees and shrubs.

If you can’t get to planting bare root plants before the buds start to break, don’t push it. Heel them in or plant them in a well-prepped temporary nursery bed. Once heeled in or in their temporary spot, use the growing season to prepare the areas where those trees really want to be located for the long term. At the end of the season or even next spring, while they are fully dormant, dig them out and replant.