Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will be able to find information that will answer most commonly asked questions.

As you go to the individual plant pages on our On-Line Catalog or Print Catalog you will see that all of the plants are listed by their age classification and actual size.

Container Grown Liners are available in 2 forms:
A/G (Accelerated Growth) Jiffy Plug Liners: A/G Jiffy Plugs are either 1 year or 2 year seedlings directly sown into 36mm, 42mm or 50mm plugs. One year plugs are designed to be planted in maintained transplant beds or containers. Two year Jiffy Plugs and Plug in Plug liners can be planted directly into the field. Good weed control and irrigation are important for planting success.	1 Gal. Super Potted Liners: 1 Gal. Super Potted Liners are container grown liners that are designed for growers who want a larger sized container grown plant than we offer in our a/g Jiffy Plug Liners. They provide No Transplant Shock, establish quickly and will work well on most sites including dificult to plant sites. They are unsheared liners and are not Retail Garden Center ready.

Bareroot Transplants are listed in 3 age classifications:
Husky:	transplants are unsheared bareroot Plug+1 Transplants (1 Year plugs grown on for 1 season in the field).
Jumbo Husky:	transplants are unsheared bareroot Plug+2 Transplants (1 Year plugs grown on for 2 seasons in the field).
Super Husky:	transplants are comprised of primarily Plug+1+2 twice transplanted, twice sheared transplants.

Download the Vans Pines Planting Guide here!

Care for Bare Root Stock upon receipt

• Take your plants to a cool and shady area. Keep plants as cool as possible without freezing them!


• Open Package Immediately Upon Arrival. a) If cardboard packing material has settled,redistribute throughout the box. Packing material is added to maintain moisture and humidity levels in the box. Sufficient packing is added at the time of packing. b) Remoisten the roots and packing material and reseal the plastic liner. c) Keep cool until you are ready to plant!


• Plant as soon as possible. MOISTURE IS EVERYTHING! DO NOT ALLOW YOUR PLANTS TO DRY OUT! Prepare a hole large enough to allow the roots to be spread outwards. DO NOT WRAP OR TWIST ROOTS around themselves... and ...DO NOT PLANT TOO DEEP. Always replant trees at the same depth at which they were originally growing.


• DO NOT attempt to store the trees in the original package for more than 5 days. CHECK PLANTS DAILY- ALL BOXES - DO NOT LET THEM DRY OUT! 'HEAL THE PLANTS IN' if you will be unable to plant for a week or longer, and the plants are not in cold storage.


• To HEAL IN:
  • Dig a 'V' shaped trench in a protected area.
  • Place the flattened bundles in the trench with the tops upright.
  • Pack dirt over the roots to seal out air.
  • Keep the soil moist until ready to plant.

Planting Instructions for Bare Root Seedlings and Transplants

• Dig a hole slightly larger than the size of the plant's root system.


• Use a sharp pruning shears to snip off any damaged roots or broken branches just above the bud.


• Hold the tree so that the roots spread out naturally without being bent.


• Holding the tree in the hole so that the original soil mark on the plant is at ground level, carefully back fill around the roots so that the tree stands straight.


• MUDDY IN - gently settle the soil around the roots with water.


• Smooth the soil around the plant and make a slight depression all around sloping torward the tree.


• Make sure that your plants stay moist, but not overly wet, in the days following planting. Thereafter, water weekly or as needed to prevent the roots from drying out. General rule of thumb...most plants like 1 inch of water per week.


• If fertilizing at planting time, use Vans Tree Gro Fertilizer tablets and then repeat every other year.

Planting Instructions a/g Jiffy Plugs and Plug in Plugs

• WE LIKE FRESH AIR! - Upon arrival don't store plugs in unopened cartons for more than 5 days. Closed cartons encourage mold growth in the tops unless the plants are stored between 28 and 32 degrees.


• KEEP OUR SOCKS ON! - Don't mess with the netting. It does not need to be removed and it will NOT interfere with root growth.


• PULL THE BLANKET UP JUST RIGHT! - Plant plugs so that the netting is covered with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil (no More)! If you plant deeper in heavy soils, you will kill the trees slowly over time as the crown line rots thus girdling the tree.

Special Instructions for the Fall Planting of Jiffy Plugs

• Open Box Immediately.


• Stand the Plants up in the Box.


• Water the Plants to Keep Plugs Moist.


• Plant as quickly as possible.

Following the above steps and making sure the plants are in the ground 4-6 weeks prior to soil temperatures dropping below 50 degrees should allow for the best possible success rate.

Planting Instructions for Dune Grass

The most common tool for planting is a transplanting spade with a 12 inch blade. The blade is driven about 10 inches into the sand and work sideways to open a hole 2-3 inches across. The roots of the Dune Grass plant are then pressed down as least 8 inches deep. The sand is firmly tamped around the roots with your foot. On steep hills, the spade is driven into the slope at a 90 degree angle. The blade is pushed upward and the dunegrass plant is pressed into the hole while the hole is held open with the blade of the spade. After the plant is pressed into place, the spade is removed and the sand will settle down over the plant's root system.