Bareroot plants are usually only sold by on-line and mail-order providers. Since you don’t actually get to see the plants before they are shipped it is worth it to take the time to find a reputable dealer. In this day and age it is not enough for a company to just have a snazzy looking website. Check out their customer reviews and comments. I have personally been impressed by bareroot plants from quality dealers and severely let down by scraggly twigs shipped to me by charlatans with a fancy webpage.
Bareroot plants are selected for shipping during the dormant phase of their growing season. As a result most are only available in spring. Only a handful of bareroot plants are available in the fall. Since they are shipped just before they come out of dormancy you will need to plant them immediately. Most providers will tell you the earliest possible date for shipping. This will give you enough advanced notice to dig the holes and prepare the planting site.
Bareroot plants straight out of the shipping container can look a little strange. The roots have been persuaded to hold a straight shape. When they come loose they look like a strange tentacle tree monster hungry to burrow into the soil. While they might look a bit pathetic in this stage they are none-the-less primed to grow.
The hole should be deep and wide enough to allow the roots to spread out and anchor themselves deep. Many bareroot trees will need a small mound of dirt placed under them to help support them in the hole. This mound is especially handy because the tree can rest on it allowing you to take the time to spread the roots out.
When it comes to the tree’s final planting depth, you need to be mindful of the crown or grafting swell. This is the place where the tree was grafted onto the rootstock. It usually looks like a knob a few inches above the sprawl or the roots. In grafted fruit trees and vines you want to make sure this crown is planted 2 to 3 inches above the ground. If you are planning to apply a thick amount of organic mulch every year I would personally advocate planting it 3 to 4 inches above ground. Keep adding soil to the mound until you feel you’ve gotten the final height correct.
It is also a good idea to give the roots some additional fertilizer at planting time. The preferred organic method is to soak the bareroots in a compost tea. I personally also augment with additional phosphorus by scattering bonemeal into the hole. This additional phosphorus will help promote root growth, while the nitrogen of the compost tea will promote leaf development.