thank god you healed them in .... and not soaking them in buckets ....

with seedlings.. always expect some losses .... when working in volume... it just happens ...

IMHO .... its up to you as to permanent planting now or in fall ... you don't mention your zone ... so i don't know what to tell you in that regard ...

you are responsible for all water this year .. and in drought next year .... can you do this if they are planted permanently? if not.. you might be better off putting them in a nursery and growing the roots for a year ... so you can water them properly .. and that gives you all summer to start digging the holes for fall ...

it took me a long time to understand how much digging is involved when you get 100 plants in the mail ... much easier to plant if the holes were previously dug ...

good luck

ken

Thanks, Ken.

I hadn't considered the watering issue -- or digging holes ahead of time.

For plants at a distance from the house (and hose), I carry jugs of water in a cart behind a lawn tractor - this isn't difficult now but will take much longer in a few weeks, when the temps go up. If the seedlings are in a nursery bed close to the house, it will be easier to monitor their needs for water.

Fall is a good time to plant most things in this part of Virginia. Our first freeze is usually late Nov or early Dec.

I am learning the lesson about digging holes for 100 plants the hard way. For some reason, you don't think about this when you place an order (at least, I don't). Experience is the best teacher.

And thanks for telling me to expect a few casualties. That will help.

Take care,
Pam

Heeling in is strictly a temporary measure, unless you allow enough room for root growth for each individual tree. You REALLY don't want to be untangling roots, one tree from its neighbor(s), come the fall. A good nursery bed, with plants set at least 12" apart - 2-3' would be better - is the best. Second best is to use nursery pots - most landscape gardeners and nurseries will either give them to you or charge a small fee. Clean them well before planting in them again, and don't use straight garden soil in them - you can use up to one third garden soil to potting soil, but more tends to compact in post, unless your soil has a lot of organic matter in it. I would suggest using 2, 3 or 5 gallon pots, so the tree roots have plenty of room to spread out. If the trees are still dormant, they can be in the sun, but will need more water than if they are in light shade. I would suggest shade if they are already growing leaves. Move the pots once a month, to be sure no roots grow out the bottom hole and into the soil.

dibbit:

Thanks for these suggestions. Yes, I thought heeling in was temporary although the NH state nursery recommended doing this until the trees could be planted the next year.(?)

Maybe things don't grow as fast in NH.

I have a new nursery bed that may be big enough. I appreciate your advice re: spacing and pots. I am new to this, was underestimating, thinking about planting the seedlings no more than 1 foot apart. I also have a fair collection of pots (you never know when you'll need a few dozen) and a large shady area under the deck with a faucet and hose.

I'll try both methods, see if one is clearly superior.

Many thanks,
Pam

Well, one foot would probably be OK, but I was thinking in terms of room to dig them up as much as how much the roots would grow. If a foot is all the spacing you have, go for it. I'm not saying they wouldn't survive still heeled in, but they wouldn't grow as well, they might develop some odd branching patterns, and I can almost guarantee that you would be untangling roots in the fall, or trying to do so.

Do mulch the beds, up to 4" thick, no mulch in the couple of inches close to the trunk(s), and as wide as you can make it. It will cool the roots and moderate moisture swings. Don't water the trees until you have checked the top 4-6" beneath the surface and the soil is dry. Then water really well and slowly, so the water gets to the bottom of the roots and doesn't just run off.

I wouldn't put the pots in full shade, especially if you want them to grow well this year and if they will end up in the sun. Part shade is usually better, certainly afternoon shade. If they will end up in heavy shade, go ahead. But you are right, close to a hose will really help in getting them watered!

In ground and mulched should do better than in pots, except for the very smallest, which might be better in pots. I have dug up and babied things in pots that might have died in the ground, because I can control watering and shade more easily. One of the horses ate a young holly to nubs, so I dug it up - after a year, it was big enough to go back out by the road. But I never would have made it out there to water it as it needed, if it had stayed out in the sun, so I think it might well have died, if I had left it.

And that sentence should read "you can use up to one third garden soil to potting soil, but more tends to compact in POTS, unless your soil has a lot of organic matter in it", not 'post'. I hope you figured it out, anyway.