Finicky fruit trees need specific planting times

We normally plant fruit trees starting at the end of January and through February if they are bare-root. Bare-root are plants that are bought and planted without any soil around the roots. The roots must be well protected from drying out during shipment and held before planting and even as they are placed into the planting hole.

Container fruit trees can be planted well into early summer. They can struggle a lot if planted during the summer heat, so it is not a good idea to do it then. The next best time to plant container plants or even bare-root is in the fall.

Make sure your hole is dug before bringing the plant home and deep enough to accommodate the plant roots. It is more important to dig the hole wide than it is to dig it deep.

Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com. For more gardening advice, check the home section of Thursday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal.