Can I bareroot dormant fruit tree in colder weather?

3 years ago

I have a Katy apricot tree that I'm keeping in a container. I bought it at the end of summer and never repotted it because it was so hot in Phoenix. I want to repot it in some good mix and do winter the pruning at the same time. Our daily highs are in the 60s-70s right now but we still get cold at night. This coming week will bring some cloudy/sprinkly days and our overnight lows will dip into the mid 30s for a few hours. My grapefruit tree is forming its spring buds right now. I don't know if the apricot buds are swelling yet but they are definitely bigger than the buds on my bonanza peach. I want to do this before the apricot tree starts to wake up. Is it okay to bareroot and repot it with those overnight lows, or am I better off waiting for warmer weather?

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Comments (4)

John D Zn6a PIT Pa
3 years ago
When a tree is dormant is the safest time to dig up or repot it. If it is dormant?
Travis in PHX (9b)
Original Author
3 years ago
It is dormant now, but I wasn't sure if doing so now would make it more sensitive to the cooler evenings forecasted for this week. Lately we've been around 40F overnight, but this week will hit mid 30s for a few hours.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years ago
Best to repot immediately before the tree's spring push gets underway. If the soil/root mass crumbles when you depot the plant, there is no pressing need to do a full repot (includes bare-rooting and root pruning along with a change of soil). If the soil/root mass comes away from the pot intact, root congestion will be taking a toll on growth/development rate, vitality, the tree's ability to defend itself, and likely eye appeal if that's a consideration, so a full repot would be a notably beneficial.

The tree is likely beyond the state of being truly dormant and has passed into quiescence, a state of quiet rest during which the tree is fully capable of growing but cold temperatures act to suppress bud activity. Once the tree has experienced warmth above about about 45* for several consecutive days and growth begins, the ability to withstand freezing temperatures will be significantly reduced, meaning the plant will need protection from frost. It's best not to wait that long to do any repotting.

Al
Travis in PHX (9b)
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Al! The root ball came out intact. I washed out as much of the old mix as I could and put it in a fresh version of 5-1-1 (modified for my hot and dry Phoenix summers). I will do it's winter pruning at my next chance.