The Do’s & Don’ts of Buying Fruit Trees Online

The ability to buy fruit trees from an online nursery is a luxurious convenience. You can pick out the perfect tree without having to leave your couch—and (when you purchase from Plant Me Green) your fruit tree ships directly to your front door! No more driving across town, feeling the pressure to choose the perfect plant, hauling home a live tree, and getting dirt all over your car’s carpeting.

The only thing is, how exactly do you ensure that you’re choosing the right fruit tree if you’re buying online? How do you know the tree you order is healthy and from a reputable source? We’ve got the answers in our guide to the do’s and don’ts of buying fruit trees online.

Check the Nursery First

First and foremost, make sure you’re buying from a reputable nursery. Take the time to read the reviews. You can even call the nursery up and speak to a live human about your questions or concerns.

Container or Bare Root

Fruit trees often come in two styles: in containers or bare root. There are pros and cons to each. Fruit trees planted in containers don’t necessarily need to be planted right away, while bare-root varieties do. Container grown trees can also be purchased and planted year-round, while bare root trees are seasonal and only available for a few months out of the year. Bare root trees tend to be more economical, while trees grown in containers tend to be a bit more expensive. The successful transplant of a tree is about 60% live rate with a bare root tree where you will see 90% success rate when you plant a container tree.

Consider Your Location

Online nurseries are fun because you can see a huge variety of different fruit trees. However, not all fruit trees will grow in your climate, and not all fruit trees will do well when you grow them indoors. Before you buy from an online fruit tree nursery, ensure that the fruit tree you want will thrive in your climate. In addition, you want to ensure that the area you wish to plant your tree is conducive to your tree’s health and growth. For example, some trees do better on hilltops with excellent drainage.

Pollination Requirements

Considering pollination is an important factor in our list of do’s and don’ts of buying fruit trees online. Some fruit trees are self-pollinating, which means you don’t need to buy any other fruit trees to help them cross-pollinate and bear fruit. Other fruit trees are not, which means you do need to buy two different types of trees in order for you to get fruit.