Frequently Asked Questions about buying and growing

Buying Trees

Q: When can I start purchasing?
Our start date for sales is in late summer. We have a limited quantity of trees, so please place your order early. You select your spring ship date at checkout. There is a minimum of 2 products per order due to shipping costs. (change for Spring 2027 ordering)

Q: What trees do you recommend for me?
Everyone has different goals. What you should buy depends on where you’re located and how you want to use the trees to feed deer. Use the website filters to sort by variety, growing zone, when you want fruit to fall, and disease resistance — it’s the fastest way to personalize your selection. That’s the same approach we use when making recommendations. (See How to Choose the Right Trees.)

Q: Can you explain the rootstock you use vs. other nurseries?
Think of a rural ranch house vs. a city skyscraper — by growing upward instead of outward, we produce significantly more fruit per tree, and the rootstock largely determines that potential. Many clonal rootstocks limit vigor and have shallow roots (poor anchorage, toppling risk). The rootstocks we use develop deeper, stronger roots for secure anchorage, better drought resistance, more vigor, and ultimately more fruit per tree. (See the Rootstock Guide.)

Q: When do my trees ship?
You select a ship date or pickup date at checkout. We ship in early December, March, and April (some are also pickup days). If it gets too cold to ship, we may adjust your date. Email ryan@bluehillwildlifenursery.com to change a date. We notify you when your trees ship. Ship dates are approximate mailing dates from our location.

Q: Can I pick up my order?
Yes — local pickup is available March into April. We’re here 8–4, Monday–Friday. Please notify us before coming so your trees are packed and ready.

Q: Tell me about shipping boxes.
Our largest box is 66″ × 14″ and holds around 17 two-year-old trees. Orders needing multiple boxes cost more to ship; all rates are shown at checkout.

Q: How do product stock alerts work?
Don’t use the contact form for stock alerts. Instead, open the product, choose a size, and enter your email in the notification box. Not every size of every tree will be available — sign up for multiple sizes to improve your chances.

Q: How does adding items to my cart work?
When you add a product, you have 30 minutes to check out (this protects your items from other shoppers). Adding another item resets the 30-minute timer. Wondering if there’s room for more trees in your box? Email us.

Q: What’s your shipping policy / restrictions?
Due to phytosanitary regulations, we do not ship to California, and we do not ship chestnut trees to Washington, Florida, or Oregon. Trees are packaged to meet requirements for Idaho and all other states.

Growing Trees

Q: How do you recommend I plant my trees?
We have YouTube videos walking through our recommended planting methods (e.g., “Planting trees for deer,” “Growing apple trees in tree tubes”). Remember there’s more to it than digging a hole — lots of critters want to eat a newly planted tree, so protect it right away. (See Planting Your Trees and Protecting Young Trees.)

Q: How deep should I plant my new trees? Do I bury the graft?
Ryan covers planting depth in his “fruit tree planting depths” video. Plant at the tree’s original soil line (set ~1″ high to allow for settling). As a general rule, don’t bury the graft unless there’s a specific reason. For persimmons, the black roots make the root-to-trunk transition easy to find.

Q: Should I fertilize my trees? Which fertilizer?
Usually yes, but it’s site-specific. The best answer comes from a soil test (many university extensions/labs offer economical testing). Penn State publishes general fruit-tree soil fertility guidance that growers use with their test results. Never apply nitrogen directly to the roots at planting. (See Soil, Fertilizer & pH.)

Q: When is the right time to fertilize fruit trees?
In Pennsylvania, the best window is late winter to early spring (just before/after bud swell), with an optional feeding after bloom:

Late winter–early spring (before bud break): supports shoots, blossoms, roots — wait until ~a week before last frost.
Shortly after blooming: helps fruit set.
Early summer (after fruit set): light nitrogen only if growth is weak.
Avoid late summer/fall: it pushes tender growth that won’t harden off before winter.

Q: When will my newly planted trees push their first leaves?
Trees leaf out when they’re ready — there’s no exact date. Weather, soil, sunlight, and other factors all matter. Please be patient; timing varies.

Q: How should I prune my fruit trees for wildlife?
We show our recommended approach in the “Pruning Fruit Trees for Wildlife” video. In short: grow a big tree, keep one central leader (never a double), keep the lower ~4–5′ clean, and build scaffolds — or simply let productive trees train themselves under fruit load. (See Pruning & Training.)

Still have a question?

Check out all of our learning content, where we cover these topics in depth!

Email: ryan@bluehillwildlifenursery.com
Phone: 570-259-2171
Facebook: facebook.com/bluehillwildlifenursery