Re: bare root
Kris, let's see if I can help you clarify some issues. While I haven't had
a chance to read Noah's Garden yet, I understand that it is a wonderful
book and Sara Stein certainly knows of what she speaks.
There are some kinds of plants that you can purchase bare root, which means
that the plant was dug out of its pot or out of the ground, the roots and
branches were trimmed back, and all (or most) of the dirt was removed. You
buy these plants in the winter when they are dormant, plant them and then
they leaf out in spring. The advantages are: bare root plants tend to be
less costly than potted plants, they ship more easily, and since you plant
them when they are "sleeping," they tend to transplant successfully.
To my knowledge, plants sold as bare root typically are fruit trees that
go dormant in winter (peaches, apples, etc.), roses, strawberries, rhubarb,
artichoke, grapes, cane berries (raspberries, etc.), and asparagus. Some
temperate region shrubs are sold bare root as well.
Then, there are 3" perennials that you can buy this time of year by mail
order that come with the dirt cleaned off the roots. I never thought of
them as being bare root, but I guess they'd fit the definition (I had
assumed that these plants were cleaned of dirt to avoid the phytosanitary
certifications required to ship plants between some states). Again, these
are all perennials that go into some kind of dormancy in the winter.
On the other hand, you won't find any tropical climate plants bare root (at
least I've never seen them).
In terms of sources, it would help us more if we knew what exactly you are
looking for. Any mail order source for the plants I listed above no doubt
ship bare root come January/February. If there is something else you are
looking for in particular, let us know.
Nan
>Does anyone know sources of bare root plants? I read a book called "Noah's
>Garden" by Sara Stein and she recommended bare root plants over nursery
>grown.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Kris
>
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Nan Sterman
San Diego County California
Sunset zone 24, USDA hardiness zone 10b or 11
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