Plant Care

Customer Level Maintenance

Rootstock Close Up

Once you’ve placed an order, we ensure your plants are true to name. Prior to being placed in cold storage our rootstocks are carefully hand sorted to the highest grading standards in the industry. The conditions under which TRECO® stores, handles and ships your rootstock order helps to eliminate the potential problems that may occur with root dryness and heat or freeze damage to the tender rootstock tissues.

Getting Your Nursery Ready

Before our rootstocks reach you, you must first be ready for them. Preparing the soil is an important first step. After a site has been chosen, cover crops should be used to help build up the soil at least one year in preparation prior to planting. This should allow ample time to determine soil nutrient composition and also provide sufficient time for correcting deficiencies.

Treco Lab Hands

While proper nutrient levels are being established, steps should also be taken to eliminate all nematodes and other potentially destructive diseases and pests. Since soil and growing conditions vary widely, no one system can be considered best in all cases. Regardless of local conditions, fumigation and sterilization of soil are vitally important. Typically Methyl Bromide and Chloropicrin are the most common fumigants used. They are effective particularly when used in combination with other agents that may be warranted by your specific soil conditions. To determine your specific needs it is best to consult with local soil specialists.

When desired by customers, rootstocks are transported by refrigerated trucks in safe reinforced containers. Make sure soil is well aerated after fumigation and before planting!

Root Pruning Helps to Ensure Optimum Rooting

Before planting your rootstocks it is highly recommended that you trim back the roots to within 1/2” to 3/4” of the rootstock shank. This will help promote new root growth.

Planting Your Rootstocks

Treco Rootstock Conveyor

After your soil has been worked up and you have planted the rootstocks, be sure to pack the soil around roots carefully avoiding gaps between soil and rootstock so the roots don’t dry out. Finally, keep a careful eye on moisture levels throughout the first growing year. Maintaining proper water levels is absolutely essential to ensure optimum tree growth and health.

A Word of Warning in Handling Rootstocks!

Ethylene gas concentration will cause extensive damage or kill your rootstock or trees if stored with apples or in a storage room that has not been completely ventilated. Cedar tow shavings normally packed around tree roots for shipping should not be used for prolonged packing or extended storing of rootstocks as they can cause damage to the root.