8 Thursday, January 30, t997 Pahrump Valley Gazette
Bare root season is now. All of our local nurseries have
bare root stock. Visit all three to enjoy a full selection. Jordan/
Chelsa Nursery on Highway 372 near Highway 160 has
number one bare root roses from an Arizona grower. The
selection features the 1997 AARS winners: hybrid teas,
Aristry and Timeless, and the captivating floribunda
Scentimental, the first striped rose to win the coveted award.
The rose has a delightful scent to compliment it's burgundy
and white beauty. Also in stock is an appealing selection of
other winning favorites.
Fruitless Mulberry trees provide more bare root choices.
And, there is food: asparagus, strawberries, Quinault and
Sequoia, and Texas onions that taste like the Walla/Wallas,
This is the place to purchase bare root artichokes. Many
gardeners think they will only grow in moderate coastal
climates. Not true. I have enjoyed great success with arti-
choke plants, all purchased from Jordan/Chelsa. Six plants
provide all we can eat, some to give away and a few to mature
to voluptuous blue flowers. Art Bell, the king of talk radio,
says his wife Ramona grows the biggest, best tasting arti-
chokes he has ever eaten in her PV Valley garden.
Pahrump Nursery located on Wilson just west of Linda
has a garden building selection of bare root food plants. There
are Everbearing and Sequoia strawberries and Mary Wash-
ington asparagus. I was delighted to discover Victoria Cherry
rhubarb and even horseradish, l'm going to give both a try.
The nursery also has bare root roses.
Jensen Nursery on Dyer Road, a few streets north of
Wilson and just west of David, has limited their bare root
stock to trees. Truly wonderful ornamental and fruit trees.
One I've wanted since I first saw Betty Jensen's is the
Chaparral Weeping Fruitless Mulberry. I bought one at first
sight as the supply is limited. It' s a spreading umbrella shaped
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tree that grows 15 to 19 feet high and can spread 12 to 15 feet.
It creates great summer shade and the shapely limbs add
interest to the winter garden.
The Purple Robe Locust has showy purple/pink flowers.
It is hardy and blooms earlier and longer than most other
locust varieties. Pink Dawn Chitalpa is adaptable and thrives
in our desert. The pink flowers are pleasing in all settings.
Another pink flowering bare root tree is the Mimosa. It's
flowers are puffballs unlike the fragile blooms of the Chitalpa.
So many promised delights, and there are more. The regular
Flowering Plum and the Purple Pony Dwarf Plum.
Nonflowering offerings are the Cottonwood and Fruit-
less Mulberry. There are also nut trees, almonds and walnuts.
The fruit trees are apple, peach and plum.
One of the advantages of bare root stock is price. It is less
expensive than container plants. If planted correctly, the
plant's roots have a better chance to adapt to the new environ-
ment and become established before the hot, dry winds and
long sun filled days arrive.
Several people have assured me recently that it is too early
to put in bare root plants. Not so. The UNR Cooperative
Extension says our bare root season is from the end of Decem-
ber through the middle of February. We are currently nearing
the end of the season. I planted three bare root roses on Janu,
4th and four more on January 7th. All are thriving but on,
grandiflora that didn't have a well developed root system.
Don't repeat my mistake. Examine the roots of your plant. If
they are one sided and sparse, as mine were, return the plant.
The Cooperative Extension office on the corner ofCal vada
Blvd. and Dandelion has a four page handout, Fact sheet 93-
83, that gives excellent detailed instructions for "planting
bare root trees and shrubs in Nevada."
One controversial topic addressed is pruning bare root
stock at" planting, not recommended. I received a "bare root"
planting guide this week that said to prune the stock severely,
as much as one-third of the tree. Don't. The Extension fact
sheet researched and compiled by four horticulture special-
ists familiar with Nevada, advises:
"Pruning bare root stock at planting is not recommended.
The concept of 'balancing the top with the bottom of the
plant' is an attempt to avoid excessive demand for water by
the leaves in order to prevent stress and poor root growth. In
fact, if properly planted, roots will have become established
before peak demand for water occurs. If the planting has been
delayed or warm, drying climatic conditions occur, then
selectively thin out some of the minor limbs, but do not round
over or head back the crown. Plant hormones that stimulate
root growth are produced in the terminal bud of branches and
removing all the terminal buds will inhibit root growth.
Likewise, removing too much foliage can slow the growth of
roots by reducing photosynthesis, the plant' s source of energy
required to grow new roots."
Other topics addressed in the fact sheet are planting site
considerations and preparation, evaluating the stock, han-
dling and storage, preparing the planting hole, fertilizers,
irrigation, staking, bark protection and pest management.
Another useful source of information is the detailed
planting instructions, which include diagrams, attached to
most bare root stock.
One more benefit derived from planting bare root stock
is exercise for our winter bound bodies. Let's get our shovels
and start digging.
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