Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

I've been thinking of ordering some soft fruit plants from J
Parkers: http://www.jparkers.co.uk/
All their stock is sent bare root. I know it's very late in the year to do
this, but they say they'll ship until end of April.

However, their delivery times are fairly lax ('28 days'). Since I can't
know when they'll arrive, I can't guarantee to have time to plant them
straightaway (even in pots). Given that the weather is warming up, is there
some way I can keep them (for a week or a fortnight, perhaps) without them
suffering?

For example, I know they're activated by soaking them in a bucket of water.
Could I leave them in that bucket for an extended period? Or I have a
spare (working) fridge: if they were put in the fridge would they go dormant
for the period (as if there's been a cold snap) or would that be too much of
a shock? Would the humidity in the fridge cause issues for mould?

Any other suggestions (other than 'buy from someone else')?

Thanks
Theo

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

On 25 Mar 2011 14:36:43 +0000 (GMT), Theo Markettos
wrote:

I've been thinking of ordering some soft fruit plants from J
Parkers: http://www.jparkers.co.uk/
All their stock is sent bare root. I know it's very late in the year to do
this, but they say they'll ship until end of April.

However, their delivery times are fairly lax ('28 days'). Since I can't
know when they'll arrive, I can't guarantee to have time to plant them
straightaway (even in pots). Given that the weather is warming up, is there
some way I can keep them (for a week or a fortnight, perhaps) without them
suffering?

Just hack a hole in a convenient spot, and temporarily plant them all
in it, covering gently but firmly. See "heeling in" at, e.g.:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2272122_heel...ot-plants.html
Getting very late, though. They shouldn't really have started into
growth when you plant them finally, and two apple trees I had from
Parker's during the winter are now bursting their buds.

For example, I know they're activated by soaking them in a bucket of water.
Could I leave them in that bucket for an extended period? Or I have a
spare (working) fridge: if they were put in the fridge would they go dormant
for the period (as if there's been a cold snap) or would that be too much of
a shock? Would the humidity in the fridge cause issues for mould?

The bucket is an absolute "no": an hour in water would be about the
safe maximum. I think you're right to be worried about the conditions
in a domestic fridge: no air circulation, and that's something plants
can't stand.

Any other suggestions (other than 'buy from someone else')?

Pity about that. I'd have suggested going to a nursery, or maybe a
garden centre, as soon as you have a day free: that way, you could
plant them as soon as you got home.

Thanks
Theo

The usual is to "heel them in". Find a bare bit of soil, make a slit using a spade, drop them into the slit, close it firmly with your foot. Plant properly as soon as you reasonably can.

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

Mike Lyle wrote:
Just hack a hole in a convenient spot, and temporarily plant them all
in it, covering gently but firmly. See "heeling in" at, e.g.:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2272122_heel...ot-plants.html
Getting very late, though. They shouldn't really have started into
growth when you plant them finally, and two apple trees I had from
Parker's during the winter are now bursting their buds.

Thanks. In the end I had a look around and found what I wanted wasn't
vastly more expensive at Blackmoor (being a place I've visited and trust).
When I went to checkout it said delivery was a tenner, but I went back a
screen to check something then went forward again and a 'free delivery'
option appeared. Also using the discount code 'facebook' got another 10%
off. Which reduced the price to about the same as Parker's for a few fewer
plants.

Ordered on Sunday, dispatched on Tuesday (last day this year for bare root),
received this morning, now in the ground. Which is a good thing, because
the blackcurrants were already sprouting.

Should I be doing winter pruning on newly-planted fruit bushes, or is it too
late when they're sprouting?

Pity about that. I'd have suggested going to a nursery, or maybe a
garden centre, as soon as you have a day free: that way, you could
plant them as soon as you got home.

I had a look at our local (within walking distance), but it's something of a
'leisure destination' place - all patio furniture and coffee shop. The
selection of fruit wasn't too bad (almost no raspberries left though), but
prices were about 3x Parker's.

Theo

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

On 31 Mar 2011 20:24:45 +0100 (BST), Theo Markettos
wrote:

Mike Lyle wrote:
Just hack a hole in a convenient spot, and temporarily plant them all
in it, covering gently but firmly. See "heeling in" at, e.g.:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2272122_heel...ot-plants.html
Getting very late, though. They shouldn't really have started into
growth when you plant them finally, and two apple trees I had from
Parker's during the winter are now bursting their buds.

Thanks. In the end I had a look around and found what I wanted wasn't
vastly more expensive at Blackmoor (being a place I've visited and trust).
When I went to checkout it said delivery was a tenner, but I went back a
screen to check something then went forward again and a 'free delivery'
option appeared. Also using the discount code 'facebook' got another 10%
off. Which reduced the price to about the same as Parker's for a few fewer
plants.

Ordered on Sunday, dispatched on Tuesday (last day this year for bare root),
received this morning, now in the ground. Which is a good thing, because
the blackcurrants were already sprouting.

Should I be doing winter pruning on newly-planted fruit bushes, or is it too
late when they're sprouting?

Oh, gosh! I'm scared to take responsibility for this decision, so
don't blame me... I don't really know, but intuition tells me to prune
red and white currants and gooseberries lightly right away, but to
leave black currants alone till next winter. As long as your new
plants are allowed to produce a good root system in their first years,
it probably doesn't matter *too* much.
[...]

--
Mike.

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

On Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:00:48 +0100, Mike Lyle


Should I be doing winter pruning on newly-planted fruit bushes, or is it too
late when they're sprouting?

Blackcurrant should be hard pruned, so that the framework builds up
this year, fruit next year.

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

Mike Lyle wrote:
Oh, gosh! I'm scared to take responsibility for this decision, so
don't blame me... I don't really know, but intuition tells me to prune
red and white currants and gooseberries lightly right away, but to
leave black currants alone till next winter. As long as your new
plants are allowed to produce a good root system in their first years,
it probably doesn't matter *too* much.

The only problem I would have with that is that I've found blackcurrants
will fruit no matter what you do to them, and red and white currants will
only fruit if they feel like it. I'd be very nervous of pruning anything at
this time of year. But then, I'm notoriously light handed with the seceturs
around here.

Speaking of which, I have a suspicion Nick may have masacred our summer crop
of raspberries by hacking them down at the same time as his late chop on the
autumn fruiting ones (which was /very/ late this year!). I thin kin the
past they have forgiven him cos he's hacked them back all at the same time,
but a lot earlier. Ho hum, will have to see how it goes. Always get too
many raspberries and strawberries anyhow.

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

Theo Markettos wrote:
Ah well, tis done now. The instructions that came with them quite strongly
emphasised that blackcurrants should be cut back almost to the base. Given
they started about 3' tall, I didn't feel that's the sort of thing that can
be ignored.

Fair enough. I noticed my original 'ribena' blackcurrant is doing well
today. That arrived as a 3" stick which you just shoved into the ground. I
had 2, but one just died off and never rooted (despite leafing up for a
while), no idea why. But since then we've inheritted someone else's plot
with a whole host of blackcurrants, a couple of redcurrants, and one
whitecurrant (which we put in ourselves a few years ago). We get billions
of blackcurrants!

The pre-existing redcurrants seem to fruit quite happily... despite being in
a buddleia thicket. This is a cunning plan for stopping the birds getting
at them - let the weeds grow so densely they can't get in. The currants
don't seem to mind.

Last year was the first decent crop I've had from the redcurrants.

I've hacked the newly planted (autumn) raspberries too. At least it means I
can see which canes are still alive...

I was just thinking how depressing it was that it was showing up all the
weeds. :-(

Keeping bare root soft fruit
 

In article ,
says...

wrote:
The only problem I would have with that is that I've found blackcurrants
will fruit no matter what you do to them, and red and white currants will
only fruit if they feel like it. I'd be very nervous of pruning anything at
this time of year. But then, I'm notoriously light handed with the seceturs
around here.

Ah well, tis done now. The instructions that came with them quite strongly
emphasised that blackcurrants should be cut back almost to the base. Given
they started about 3' tall, I didn't feel that's the sort of thing that can
be ignored.

Poke the prunings into the ground, some if not most of them will root
and give you more bushes.

Janet