Dormant plants ship better because a tree, shrub or perennial at rest has no leaves to feed, bruise or dry out, so its stored energy stays in the roots. We dig ours fresh to order in the dormant season and dip the roots in Terra-Sorb gel in the field. A healthy one arrives leafless, with damp, firm roots.
Tennessee Wholesale Nursery is a family-owned wholesale nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, near McMinnville, growing trees, shrubs, perennials, wetland and native plants. We opened in 1959 and are now in our fourth generation. Every plant we sell ships bare-root, and our trees and shrubs ship dormant. This is how that works, and what you should find when you open the box.
Why dormant plants ship better
A dormant plant is resting. With no leaves, blooms or berries, it has no soft growth to crush and nothing above ground drawing water from the roots in transit. That only helps if the roots stay moist from the field to your door, which is why we dig to order and gel the roots on the spot instead of holding stock in a cooler. Our bare-root info page adds that dormant-season planting reduces transplant shock.
How we dig, dip and pack dormant plants
Many nurseries lift their stock and hold it in a cooler until it ships. In the dormant season we do it differently. We take large tubs of Terra-Sorb gel out to the fields, dig your order, and dip the roots in the gel right there. Then the plants go straight to the shipping warehouse. The roots are never left sitting in the open air.
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Dug fresh to order
In the dormant season, plants are dug for your order, not lifted weeks ahead. Our farms use mechanical transplanters and tree digging spades.
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Dipped and soaked
Roots are dipped in Terra-Sorb gel in the field. Before packing, they soak for 2 to 4 hours in cattle feeder troughs filled with water and Terra-Sorb.
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Packed to hold moisture
Wet paper filler goes around the roots, plastic wraps the moist root system, and the bundle goes into a corrugated shipping box, packed to American Nurseryman standards.
Cold storage still has a job. The plants we ship outside the dormant season come from commercial coolers, where they are kept dormant. Our packaging page covers each step. Large bare-root orders travel by common carrier on a semi. Smaller homeowner orders go by US Mail and are delivered within 3 to 5 days.
When dormant plants ship
Bare-root trees and shrubs ship only in the dormant season, which our bare-root info page gives as September through April. Perennials, ferns, vines, live stakes and mosses can ship year-round, because our packaging keeps them dormant and fresh in transit. Grass plugs are the exception: they ship only in warmer months, when they can be identified properly.
Tip: Temperature is the planting signal. Do not plant in freezing weather: plant once temperatures are above 31°F. At about 58°F, plants leave dormancy and start to bud, so plant before then for the best results.
What dormant plants look like when you open the box
A dormant plant can look lifeless the first time you see one. That is expected. Every plant arrives bare-root, with no pot and no soil, with its roots coated in Terra-Sorb gel and wrapped in packing paper. Here is what each kind should look like.
Dormant bare-root trees
A bare-root tree such as our redbud arrives as a woody stem with bare branches and no leaves or flowers. Below that, you will see the gel-coated roots. Expect a plain, brown look. The growth comes after planting.
Dormant bare-root shrubs
Shrubs look much the same: bare, upright stems over a mass of gel-coated roots. Our bare-root page shows crepe myrtles exactly like this, with no foliage or blooms, beside a crepe myrtle in full flower after a dormant-season planting. A red crepe myrtle or a smooth hydrangea ordered in winter will arrive as bare stems, not as the flowering shrub in the photos.
Dormant perennials and ferns
Perennials and ferns ship as roots with little or no top growth. A black-eyed Susan or a Christmas fern may look like a small clump of roots and crowns, with no fronds or blooms. The leaves come back when the plant leaves dormancy.
Dormant live stakes
Live stakes are dormant cuttings, not rooted plants, so check for firm, moist stems instead of roots. Buttonbush live stakes arrive as a bundle of slender, bare stems, ready to plant deep in moist ground.
How to tell if a bare-root tree is alive
Open the box as soon as it arrives and look at the roots first. They tell you more than the bare stems do. Iowa State University Extension gives these signs of a healthy bare-root tree:
- Roots that are firm and heavy, not dry or brittle.
- Packing material that is damp, like a wrung-out sponge: not dripping wet and not dry.
- No mushy roots, no foul smell, and few broken stems or roots.
Our planting instructions also ask you to check each plant for insects, dead spots and other signs of a declining plant before it goes in the ground. Bare stems and no leaves are not on that list. On a dormant plant, they are normal.
What to do with bare-root plants when they arrive
Plant right away, as our bare-root info page advises, once temperatures are above 31°F. Then follow our planting instructions: dig a hole twice the size of the roots, set the plant in with fertilizer, fill the hole and water immediately. Keep watering regularly and mulch around the trunk.
If you cannot plant the same day, keep the plants cold enough to stay dormant:
- Ferns, ground covers and perennials: store them at 38°F to 42°F, in a basement, cellar or garage. Take them out of the packaging, cover them with potting soil and mist them lightly every other day. Small orders can stay in their bags in the refrigerator's crisper drawer.
- Wetland plants: set the roots in a pond, trough or container of water. Change the water every couple of days and clear out any algae.
- Live stakes: keep them moist or wet, in buckets or wet burlap sacks, and plant them within 24 hours for the best results.
- Bare-root trees: Iowa State University Extension recommends a cool, non-freezing spot at around 40°F, such as a refrigerator, unheated garage or root cellar. Keep the packing damp and never let the roots dry out.
Dormant plants: common questions
Why are plants shipped dormant in the fall?
Fall is when trees and shrubs go dormant, so they can be dug, packed and shipped with no leaves to lose water or get damaged. Planting in the dormant season also reduces transplant shock and gives the roots time to settle before spring growth begins.
How long does it take for plants to come out of dormancy?
It depends on the weather, not the calendar. Our bare-root plants leave dormancy and start budding once temperatures reach about 58°F. In a warm spring that comes early; in a cold one it comes later. Planting before that point gives the roots a head start.
How to store bare-root plants until planting day?
Plant as soon as you can. If you must wait, keep the roots damp and the plants cold but not freezing, at about 38°F to 42°F, so they stay dormant. A basement, cellar, unheated garage or refrigerator works. Never let the roots dry out.
What does a dormant bare-root tree look like?
A woody stem with bare branches and no leaves, flowers or soil. Ours arrive with the roots coated in Terra-Sorb gel and wrapped in packing paper inside a plastic wrap. It looks plain, but firm, damp roots mean it is healthy and ready to plant.
