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by Tim
(Chicago)

Tree seedlings in the nursery

Hi,
Home Depot is practically giving away the trees they have left. They are all outdoors. Do you think they are still alive if I plant them now will they live over the winter? They have crab apple, regular apple trees and pear trees. Zone 5
Thanks Tim

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Nov 20, 2019

Fall planting
by: Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist

Go for it! Fall is a great time to plant trees, especially almost free ones. Depending on how they are planted, just dig your hole as usual, water once, then stand back. You may need to stake them, to keep them from rocking in the wind, which breaks off new roots.

If they're in pots and it's obvious that they've been planted in these all summer, break apart the roots, spread them over a mound of soil in the bottom of the hole before you backfill it.

If they are 'ball and burlap' you can omit this step, but cut the strings or remove the wire to allow the roots to break through - the burlap will just rot away, no problem. Mulch with leaves to keep the soil from freezing too quickly to give them time to make new roots.

Deciding where to plant a tree is a whole other topic.

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