How to Select Dormant Fruit Trees in Southern California

By Richard Flowers, ACCNP-Green Thumb Nursery-Ventura

A dormant fruit tree is a deciduous fruit tree that has dropped its leaves and paused its growth for winter. These trees are sold and planted bare-root during that resting period, which is the ideal time to get them established. In Southern California, buy and plant during the dormant season, choose a low-chill variety suited to our mild winters, and pick a tree with firm, moist roots, healthy bark, and a good branch framework. Plant it promptly and never let the roots dry out.

Question	What to know
What is a dormant fruit tree	A deciduous fruit tree that has dropped its leaves and paused growth for winter
When to plant	During the dormant season, winter into early spring; plant within a few days of buying
Why bare-root	Lighter and easier to handle, you can see the roots, cost less, and transplant with less stress
What to look for	A healthy young tree with firm, moist, vigorous roots; sound bark; well-spaced branches
Chill hours	Choose a low-chill variety; SoCal winters provide limited chill
After you buy	Keep roots moist, soak before planting, and set the graft union above the soil line

What Is a Dormant Fruit Tree (and Why Buy One Bare-Root)

Deciduous fruit trees, the ones that lose their leaves each year, naturally go dormant in winter: they drop their foliage and pause active growth until the weather warms. Because the tree is resting, nurseries can lift it from the field, wash the soil off its roots, and sell it bare-root, meaning with no pot or soil around the roots. Buying bare-root has real advantages. University of California Master Gardeners note that bare-root trees are lighter and easier to handle, let you get a good look at the roots before you buy, cost less than leafed-out potted trees, and are dormant and therefore less likely to be stressed by handling, so the roots do not have to adapt again to new soil.^[1]

This is why most deciduous fruit and nut trees, such as apple, peach, nectarine, plum, pear, apricot, cherry, fig, and pomegranate, are offered bare-root in winter. Evergreen trees are a different story: citrus and avocado keep their leaves year-round, so they are not sold bare-root and instead stay in containers that you can plant any time of year.

When Fruit Trees Go Dormant and When to Plant in SoCal

Deciduous fruit trees go dormant after they drop their leaves in late fall and stay dormant through winter. That dormant stretch is exactly when you want to plant: Oregon State University Extension advises planting in winter or early spring while the tree is still resting.^[2] Once you bring a bare-root tree home, plant it as soon as you can, ideally within a few days.^[1]

If you cannot plant right away, protect the roots from drying out. Cover them with damp sawdust, bark chips, or loose soil to keep them moist until planting.^[2] Before planting, soak the roots in water for 6 to 12 hours if they are not already moist, and if you must wait longer, heel the tree in by covering the roots with soil.^[3] When you set the tree, keep the graft or bud union no more than 2 inches above the soil line so the tree sits at the right depth.^[4] For more on the best planting window, see our guide to when to plant fruit trees.

How to Pick a Healthy Dormant Fruit Tree

At the nursery, the roots matter more than the size of the top. Clemson Cooperative Extension recommends a healthy 1-year-old whip or a 2-year-old feathered tree about 4 to 6 feet tall with a vigorous root system, and makes the key point plainly: a small tree with a good root system is more desirable than a large tree with a poor root system.^[3] Look for roots that are firm, plump, and moist rather than dried out or shriveled, bark that is sound and undamaged, and a framework of well-spaced branches. Avoid a tree whose roots are kinked or circling, a habit that develops when a tree sits in a container too long and keeps the roots from spreading.^[1] Trim off any broken or damaged root parts with clean pruners, but keep root pruning to a minimum.^[4] Pass on trees showing mold or that have already begun to leaf out. For choosing the right tree for your specific area, see our guide to selecting bare-root fruit trees for your area.

Chill Hours: Choosing Low-Chill Varieties for Southern California

Deciduous fruit trees need a certain amount of winter cold to break dormancy and leaf, flower, and fruit properly. That cold is measured in chill hours, which University of California defines as the number of hours the temperature stays below 45 degrees F. When a tree does not get enough chill, the result is delayed foliation and uneven fruit development.^[5] This is the single most important thing to get right in Southern California, because our mild winters provide only limited chill. Choose a low-chill variety, one bred to fruit well with less winter cold, and check the variety tag for its chill requirement before you buy. If you are not sure whether a variety suits our climate, ask the staff at your local Green Thumb Nursery, who can point you to low-chill fruit trees that perform here. For a deeper look at caring for your tree after planting, see our guide to fruit tree pruning basics.

Dormant, bare-root season is short, so it pays to plan. Stop by any Green Thumb Nursery during the winter and our team can help you choose a healthy, low-chill fruit tree for your yard.

Dormant Fruit Tree FAQ

What is a dormant fruit tree?

It is a deciduous fruit tree, such as an apple, peach, plum, or pear, that has dropped its leaves and paused growth for the winter. During dormancy the tree can be sold and planted bare-root, with no soil around its roots, which is the ideal time to establish it.

When do fruit trees go dormant?

Deciduous fruit trees go dormant after dropping their leaves in late fall and remain dormant through winter. That dormant season, winter into early spring, is when bare-root trees are sold and when you should plant them.^[2]

Why buy bare-root dormant fruit trees?

Bare-root trees are lighter and easier to handle, let you inspect the roots before buying, cost less than potted trees, and transplant with less stress because the tree is resting.^[1]

How do you pick a healthy dormant fruit tree?

Choose a healthy young tree, a 1-year-old whip or 2-year-old feathered tree about 4 to 6 feet tall, with a vigorous, moist root system. A small tree with good roots beats a large tree with poor roots. Look for sound bark and well-spaced branches, and avoid dried, kinked, or damaged roots.^[3]

What fruit trees grow in Southern California?

Many deciduous fruit trees grow well here, including apple, peach, nectarine, plum, pear, apricot, fig, and pomegranate, as long as you choose a low-chill variety suited to our mild winters. Chill hours are the hours below 45 degrees F, and too little chill causes delayed leafing and uneven fruit, so match the variety to our limited winter chill.^[5]

Sources

• [1] UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County, Selecting and Planting Bare Root Fruit Trees: ucanr.edu
• [2] Oregon State University Extension, EC 819 Growing Tree Fruits and Nuts at Home: extension.oregonstate.edu
• [3] Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC 1350, Apple: hgic.clemson.edu
• [4] Penn State Extension, Planting Pome Fruit in Home Fruit Plantings: extension.psu.edu
• [5] University of California IPM, Site Selection for Fruit Trees (chill hours): ipm.ucanr.edu

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