is it too late to plant bare root trees??

abnormalnorman

I was going to plant 10 bare root trees next week, but have noticed that other trees in my garden are actually budding already.

does this mean its too late for planting?

Water John

Should be fine really up until March.

abnormalnorman

Water John wrote: »

Should be fine really up until March.

Thanks. but would early winter time be better ?

Lumen

abnormalnorman wrote: »

Thanks. but would early winter time be better ?

The reason bare root shouldn't be planted in the growing season is because the diminished roots are unable to keep up with water demand from leaves.

If there are no leaves then that problem doesn't exist.

Planting now might not be a good idea for other reasons, like frozen ground, but you know your own ground conditions.

my3cents

Planting in the autumn is the ideal time because it gives the roots a chance to get established before the plant starts growing in the spring. However that has to be balanced against the prevailing conditions overwinter. In exposed locations spring planting is preferred because the plants do not have to go through the winter. For example on a very windy site plants planted in the Autumn will have been buffeted around and potentially dried out before the Spring, equally plants may not establish well on very wet sites if planted in the Autumn. Picking your time knowing your own local conditions is better than relying on hard and fast rules.

abnormalnorman

thanks all. off planting i go so.

im on a windy site . . .. should i stake them , even if plants are only 4-5 ft high?

do i just drive the stake next to the tree, and tie the tree off the stake with rope?

my3cents

abnormalnorman wrote: »

thanks all. off planting i go so.

im on a windy site . . .. should i stake them , even if plants are only 4-5 ft high?

do i just drive the stake next to the tree, and tie the tree off the stake with rope?

What size trees are you planting. At 5ft you really need a stake only need to come a couple of feet up the stem then if you can get proper tree ties use old tights don't use rope of any kind.

Lumen

Use rubber tree ties like this

https://www.thegardenshop.ie/care/tree/ties/

Vertical stake for bare root, angled stake for potted.

my3cents

Dig hole then put the stake in then the plant that way you don't drive the stake through the roots.

Lumen

Also, arrange the stake so that the prevailing wind blows the tree away from it.

abnormalnorman

4-5 ft trees. thanks guys

abnormalnorman

while i have ye . . .. . shud i put all compost around the roots instead of the soil that i dug out?

and shud i mix in some organic fertiliser?

and mulch bark in top ?

thats what iv been reading on how its done

Lumen

Don't put compost under the roots, because compost shrinks over time and that will cause problems.

It's also the wrong time of year for fertiliser, which in any case should be not be applied in close contact with roots.

If you want to throw money into the ground, get some mycorrhizal fungi.

I tend to dig shallow saucer shaped holes with the minimum amount of soil amendment and digging, using the theory that the sooner the plant adjusts to the normal soil conditions the better. Others differ.

As I posted before, the most critical aspects are getting the planting depth right, and protecting the young tree from competition with grass and other weeds.

macraignil

abnormalnorman wrote: »

while i have ye . . .. . shud i put all compost around the roots instead of the soil that i dug out?

and shud i mix in some organic fertiliser?

and mulch bark in top ?

thats what iv been reading on how its done

BBC gardeners' world presenter Monty Donn did a tree planting segment a while back and he reckons adding compost to the hole the tree is planted in encourages the roots of the new tree to just stay where they are in the hole which means they are slower to spread deeper into the soil which would be better for the tree in the long term.


Once planted in the ground a mulch is a good idea to help keep competing weeds under control and retain moisture in the soil in the summer.

abnormalnorman

so no compost or no fertiliser when im plantings my trees ???????

my3cents

abnormalnorman wrote: »

so no compost or no fertiliser when im plantings my trees ???????

Like everything in gardening "depends". I wouldn't plant anything without adding a good couple of handfuls of bone meal (slow release).

macraignil

abnormalnorman wrote: »

so no compost or no fertiliser when im plantings my trees ???????

That's the way I've planted lots of trees and they have grown well without compost or fertiliser. The mulch I use at times is used horse bedding so when this breaks down it would add some nutrients to the ground over time. There was a particularly rocky section of ground under one of the driveway trees and I chucked a bucket of organic compost under where the tree was planted and the roots would be able to grow down to this. I made the exception for this one tree as there did not seem to be as much soil available to it where it needed to be planted. Some compost won't kill the tree so its up to yourself really. I agree with the Gardener's world segment though and think it's better to let the tree roots spread to find their own nutrients in a more natural manor.

abnormalnorman

Last question please . . . . .How deep should i dig the hole? trees are bare root.

mordeith

abnormalnorman wrote: »

Last question please . . . . .How deep should i dig the hole? trees are bare root.

Have you the trees already. Last lost I bought were dug out at the nursery and I just planted them back to the same depth. You can see the colour difference on the bark.

PS I've planted over 200 bare root trees over the last few years straight into the soil with no compost. Varying species but the majority grew no problem. Only the very small rowan I planted don't appear to be doing too well

abnormalnorman

mordeith wrote: »

Have you the trees already. Last lost I bought were dug out at the nursery and I just planted them back to the same depth. You can see the colour difference on the bark.

PS I've planted over 200 bare root trees over the last few years straight into the soil with no compost. Varying species but the majority grew no problem. Only the very small rowan I planted don't appear to be doing too well

got them just this afternoon . planting on Saturday.

Jonny303

Sorry to hijack, just wondering where people recommend buying their barefoot. Seems to be a big variance in pricing for the same size

Thanks

abnormalnorman

My trees will be planted in a very windy open spot - any point using these "tree shelters" ??

abnormalnorman

Jonny303 wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, just wondering where people recommend buying their barefoot. Seems to be a big variance in pricing for the same size

Thanks

i used "beachwood nurseries". so far so good. great price, great free delivery to southern Ireland, and very helpful for the many questions i have asked them to date!!!

Just hope now they grow, but the plants look very healthy.

https://3fatpigs.co.uk/

mordeith

abnormalnorman wrote: »

My trees will be planted in a very windy open spot - any point using these "tree shelters" ??

I used the plastic ones but only to keep off deer. Can't comment on how they would protect from wind. I'd imagine it'd would be dependent on what type of tree and just how windy the plot is

blackbox

abnormalnorman wrote: »

My trees will be planted in a very windy open spot - any point using these "tree shelters" ??

Those shelters are intended to protect them from animals, not from wind.

I guess they would be somewhat effective if the shelters are firmly attached to a stake, but when the trees outgrow the shelter you may still need a stake for the tree.

abnormalnorman

what size hole (length x width) shud i dig for bare root tree?

macraignil

abnormalnorman wrote: »

what size hole (length x width) shud i dig for bare root tree?

It depends on the amount of root you have on the tree. The more roots on the tree the bigger the hole required. You need to leave the roots as close to the way they were spread out before transplanting as you can manage as this will help them settle in their new position better. If the hole is too small the roots would have to be balled up to some extent to fit in and this will make them less likely to settle in properly. The usual guide I see on plant packaging is dig a hole twice the size of the root ball and back fill around the roots. Any bigger than that and you would be just doing unnecessary work.

Just posted a video earlier of planting the fruit trees I just got from LIDL and only needed a fairly small hole as the roots on the trees were so small. Just five or so sods of the grass and then a few scoops with a trowel gave plenty of space for the roots on these. They had been cut more severely than trees I have bought before. Hope the trees you got have better roots and need a bit more digging as looking at the ones I got I think they will take some time to settle in and start growing well.

abnormalnorman

well i planted my 10 bare root trees today.


not sure how it went. soil is very wet for some, and rock down about a foot for others!

For some, when i watered them after , the water just lodged for an age!


How often should i water these now, considering the land is very wet? Could too much water drown them??

Also, would it be good to put some organic manure on top now so it runs down through the soil? or bone manure i was told. or shud i not do this till later when they start budding?

macraignil

abnormalnorman wrote: »

well i planted my 10 bare root trees today.


not sure how it went. soil is very wet for some, and rock down about a foot for others!

For some, when i watered them after , the water just lodged for an age!


How often should i water these now, considering the land is very wet? Could too much water drown them??

Also, would it be good to put some organic manure on top now so it runs down through the soil? or bone manure i was told. or shud i not do this till later when they start budding?

I would only water to settle the roots in when planted first and then afterwards if there was no rain for a while. I only watered our driveway trees a handful of times in the driest part of their first summer and they have grown fine.

Some plants can be drowned if permanently sitting in water as the roots of most plants do need air to survive. Plants like rice have hollow stems to allow air travel down to the roots to help them grow in soil covered by water.

Once the organic manure is mature and not acidic freshly produced material it should be no problem and might help keep competing vegetation from growing around the tree. Just don't put it directly in contact with the trunk of the tree as sometimes this will stimulate the production of new stems or suckers that will lead to you having a shrub instead of a tree. Not used bone manure so not sure what the rules are in relation to this. I read about bone meal been incorporated into the soil to improve structure and reduce acidity but this might not be necessary in normal healthy soil.

looksee

blackbox wrote: »

Those shelters are intended to protect them from animals, not from wind.

I guess they would be somewhat effective if the shelters are firmly attached to a stake, but when the trees outgrow the shelter you may still need a stake for the tree.

Trees only need stakes to prevent root rock - ie stop them being pulled out of the hole or rootball moving in the wind. Stakes that support the lower part of the stem really well are better than wobbly 5' stakes that don't really do anything. (I have in my past done plenty of the wobbly stake efforts!)

Lumen

looksee wrote: »

Trees only need stakes to prevent root rock - ie stop them being pulled out of the hole or rootball moving in the wind. Stakes that support the lower part of the stem really well are better than wobbly 5' stakes that don't really do anything. (I have in my past done plenty of the wobbly stake efforts!)

Yeah, but as I found out to my cost this winter, a low stake is easer for a growing tree to snap due to leverage, although this was only an issue with the one monster 3m eucalpytus that was feeding on my septic tank discharge.