posted 7 years ago
Some nurseries will stock bare-root trees, and then when they don't sell, they'll stuff them down into a pot a few weeks later and keep them alive that way. That way they can keep the tree and sell it to a customer long after the tree breaks bare root dormancy. This can be a problem for a couple of reasons.
First, bare root trees have an imbalanced "root to shoot" ratio. That is, they have far too much biomass growing above the soil line to be supported by the limited root mass growing below. It really stresses the tree when there isn't enough space for the tree to push out enough roots to support that larger tree.
Second (and related to point #1), trees in pots have to deal with much greater swings of temperature and moisture than trees in the ground. If the sun is beating on the side of a black plastic pot, it can easily heat that soil up to over 100 degrees. You won't find this happening in nature very often. But a potted tree with a limited root ball (as you'd have with a bare root tree) will suffer this heating/cooling cycle on a daily basis.
Third, you'll have the same thing happening with moisture --- saturated, then dry, then saturated, then dry. There just isn't enough soil there to keep evenly moist.
For this reason, when I buy a potted fruit tree, I'll tip it over and give the pot a couple of firm thumps and then I'll pull it out to check on the root ball. Is there a clear and healthy tap root? Is it root bound? Are there ANY fine feeder roots, or is it just the stump/club of a bareroot tree, stuffed in a bunch of wet sawdust and topped with a bit of potting soil above?
If it was once a bare root tree, did they plant it at proper depth, or was it planted too deep (a common mistake) where the soil level is well above the level of the first root? Is the scion clearly well above the soil level? If not, I steer clear of that tree.
"The rule of no realm is mine. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, these are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail in my task if anything that passes through this night can still grow fairer or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I too am a steward. Did you not know?" Gandolf