Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 26, 1992                   TAG: 9203250255
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Joe Hunnings
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THE KEY TO HOLDING MAIL-ORDER PLANTS: KEEP THE ROOTS MOIST

If you plan to order plants by mail, first be sure they will grow successfully in your climate and garden conditions. Check the hardiness rating of each plant (usually noted as a zone number) against a zone hardiness map published in the catalog or a gardening book.

The New River Valley is in Hardiness Zone 6.

Keep a copy of your order form, including the company's name and address, order date, items ordered and the amount of payment sent. Do not send cash. Look for the replacement guarantee from the company before ordering.

As soon as your plants arrive, check them for shipping damage, insects and diseases. Inform the nursery immediately if any plants are injured, infected, dried out or dead.

New plants should be set out as soon as possible. If you cannot plant immediately, remove or open the plastic packaging to allow the plants some air. Place them in indirect light. Check the roots to see if they are moist. If they are dry, water immediately.

Trees and shrubs that arrive through the mail while the ground is till frozen or excessively wet can present a problem. However, these plants can be kept for as long as a month before planting if certain steps are taken.

Care must be taken to ensure the root system does not dry out or freeze.

If the air temperature is above freezing, bare-root plants may be held one or two days in a shaded, cool spot. To prevent dehydration, the root system should be covered with damp moss, peat, wood chips, leaves or other organic material. Usually plants are shipped with organic packing material surrounding the roots. Make sure it stays moist.

If planting must be delayed for more than a few days, the plants must be heeled in or stored in a cooler. When heeling in plants, the ground must not be frozen or water-soaked.

Dig a small trench in a shaded area. Put the roots into the trench and cover them with soil. Mulch the area with an organic material such as pine needles. This arrangement should keep the plants in good condition up to a month if they are periodically checked and watered as necessary to keep the roots from drying out.

Do not allow plants to go into active growth before they are moved to their permanent location.

If bare-root plants arrive in freezing weather, they should not be put outdoors. The plants should be removed from their packages and inspected as soon as they arrive. Any damaged or dead parts should be cut off. Place them in a shelter or garage where the temperature will not fall below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Again, the roots should be insulated with organic material and kept moist.

\ AUTHOR Joe Hunnings is the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agent for agriculture in Christiansburg. If you have questions call the Montgomery County extension office at 382-5790.