How You Shop for Trees at your Local Big Box Store

It’s so easy to be seduced by all the lovely flowers and varieties at your local Big Box store. It’s hard to resist the impulse to load up your cart with one of everything and hope to find room for it all in your limited garden. And the sale prices!! But the wise gardener comes with a game plan so you don’t waste your time and your money by choosing unwisely.

First, do your homework so you know generally what you are looking for. Most likely you will not be able to find the specific cultivar you desire, this is after all a Big Box store and these stores do not carry many exotic or unusual plants. Just the basics, Ma’am! But know, for example that you are looking for a spring flowering shrub, medium height, for full sun. Buyers for the Big Box stores are usually aware of which varieties are popular in their area and stock accordingly. The clerks, however, often cannot do much more than help you load your purchases and are usually unable to answer your questions.

Once you have zeroed in on your choice of plant it’s your task to choose the healthiest one you can find. You will need to examine the leaves, stems, trunk, branches, and even the roots. As long as you are careful you will not harm the plants, but if you are unsure ask for permission or help. Get a good look at the overall look of the plant. Is it wilted? Are the leaves discolored? All the leaves except for the new growth should be the same color; a yellow tinge, or brown edges or tips indicate root damage from improper watering or fertilizing. The branching should be balanced, which is crucial for deciduous and fruit trees as well as evergreens. Plants that make new stems at the base should show evidence of new shoots at the soil line. Leaves should be firm and pliable. Branches and twigs should be pliable as well. If you can snap off a twig that indicates that that part of the plant is dead. Leaves should be spaced evenly along the branches. Leaf color should be uniform. Check that upright trees and evergreens have a central leader. You can check to see if a plant is dormant or dead by gently scraping a small patch on a branch with your thumbnail. It should be green, not gray or beige.

Never, never buy a plant with noticeable insect or disease problems, intending to nurse it back to health. You may regret the time spent and may even spread the problem to your garden. Check the undersides of the leaves and the growing tips. Fungal disease or rust looks like black blotches, red or yellow spots, or holes surrounded by a bulls eye discoloration. Little bumps or a sticky honeydew may signal a scale infestation. Spider mites spin tiny webs on leaves and twigs.

Now time to check the roots. Trees and shrubs are sold as either balled and burlap (known as B & B) or as container-grown plants. One positive aspect of container-grown plants is that the roots have never been disturbed, as are the roots of B & B plants. B & B trees and shrubs were initially grown in a field, dug up and root pruned, re-planted and allowed to grow feeder roots, then dug up again with a root ball and wrapped in burlap. The root pruning allows feeder roots to grow within the small root ball. Container-grown plants were started as small seeds or cuttings and transplanted into increasing larger pots as they became larger. For both types of plants, look to see if the top of the plant is in proportion to the root ball. This may be difficult to do with B & B trees. For container-grown plants check if the roots are coming out of the bottom of the container and are dried out. Gently lift the plant out of the container to see if it is pot-bound, which means that very little soil is visible and the roots are circling inside of the pot. If you do buy a plant that is pot-bound you will need to gently tease the roots apart and spread them out when installing the plant in your garden. Some gardeners even slash the roots to encourage new roots to develop. Poke the roots with your finger; they should be firm, not mushy or dried out. The soil should smell earthy and there should be lots of tiny feeder roots. Often an overgrown plant in a small pot is just popped into a larger pot with soil added, without getting the roots to spread out.

B & B plants generally have a compact root system with lots of little feeder roots and are usually not root-bound, but the porous burlap makes the roots prone to drying out. Gentry move the trunk of a tree back and forth; the whole root ball should move and not wobble loosely like a sloppy stick shift. Make sure there are no cracks in the soil ball which indicates that the roots were damaged due to rough handling.

Lastly, take care in transporting your carefully selected tree or shrub home. Don’t drop the container or manhandle the root ball as that will destroy the fine feeder roots. Don’t bend a sapling into an enclosed car; once you break a central leader the tree will not develop its desired shape. You may need to wrap the top branches of a tree so they are not battered by the wind. If possible have the planting hole prepared ahead of time so that your new plant is installed as soon as possible. It will need frequent watering for its first growing season and slow drip ‘alligator bags’ (shown at right) are often recommended for trees. You may want to apply a very diluted liquid fertilizer which encourages new roots to develop.

In summary, you must look, touch, and sniff to choose the healthiest plant. Don’t be tempted to buy an inferior plant just because it’s on sale. With careful shopping you can purchase a healthy tree or shrub from your local Big Box store.

Linda Ward, Loudoun County Master Gardener