As soon as your plants arrive check their condition. If temperatures have been warm, the plants may be partially or completely sweated-in. Buds that have broken dormancy do not require further sweating in.
After your stock arrives, dipping in a wetting agent before planting will keep roots wet for two weeks without rain. The first two weeks after planting is a critical period for your stock. If available, irrigation will promote early and stronger growth, as well as, help sustain survivability. Additional measures to provide shade and wind protection may also be beneficial. If for any reason, you are unable to plant immediately upon the arrival of your stock proper storage is necessary.
- Store at the correct temperature
- Adequate ventilation
- Protection from freeze, heat, and drying out
- Remove plants from box
- Keep tops dry and roots moist
Check your plants to see if they have broken dormancy. Plants that are still dormant can be kept in a cold storage facility under controlled conditions (34-38°F) until approximately the first of May. Maintain 85% humidity level and keep plants moist, but not wet.
Sweating In of Stock
Sweating in of plants is fairly easy and can be completed in only a few days. Knowing when to sweat in plants is essential to your plants survival, as it forces new growth. Plants are more susceptible to drying out or damage from frost during that period. If your plants require sweating, they should be kept refrigerated until the danger of frost has passed and until adequate water is available. Sweated plants transplanted too early run the risk of drying.
While most plants can be stored bareroot in refrigeration during winter and then transplanted in the spring, there are some plants whose buds remain dormant. These buds must then be forced into dormancy before planting. Failure to do so will result in plants dying in the ground. The process of forcing plants top break dormancy is called seating. By increasing the humidity and temperature around the plants, buds are forced to swell and break dormancy
Ways to Sweat in Stock
- Place plants in a warm, humid environment, such as a greenhouse, until the buds open.
- Unpack plants from shipping boxm saving the packing material for later use. Plants that require sweating should have roots soaked in water overnight. Take care to place the shipping box in a protected area (see instructions on storing plants). Replace plants in box with moistened packing materials under and around the plants and covered in polysheeting. Close box and check each day to see that plants are moist, until buds break dormancy.
- Place plants in a single layer on either burlap or straw in a flat area of a building that can maintain a temperature of 60-70°F. Moisten, but do not over water plants, and then cover with more moistened burlap/straw, making sure to keep the covering moist. Check daily until plants have broken dormancy. If mold should develop, rinse plants with clean water, removing any excess water if needed.
