We’ve started despatching bare root trees!

15/11/2023

The first of our bare root trees are now lifted out of the ground and we have started despatching them to our customers. We always begin with the two year old trees before we lift the one year ‘maidens’ because the two year trees fall dormant first. The lifting programme takes about eight weeks and is usually finished before Christmas. This year we will have approximately 300,000 trees to lift so the field team have to work fast! Very wet weather can slow the process down. So far this year progress has been good despite the rain.

What is a bare root tree?

A bare root tree is a tree that has been grown in the field and then lifted out of the ground when dormant. Sometimes referred to as ‘open ground’ trees, they are available from early November to March. The soil is knocked off the roots after lifting, hence the common name of ‘bare root’. This is the traditional method of growing and transporting trees and has been the usual practice for many centuries, long before it became normal to use containers.

How old are the bare root trees?

The bare root trees we grow for sale will have been grown in the field for one or two years. The two year trees will be in various forms, such as bush, half-standard or straight lead. For more information about tree forms, click here. The one year old trees are usually called ‘maidens’ and will be unpruned. Some varieties will naturally form little branches in this first year, often called ‘feathers’. Some varieties can be just a single stem or a ‘whip’ with very little branching.

How are bare root trees lifted out of the ground?

The trees are carefully lifted in the field using a tractor with a ‘lifter’ pulled behind. The lifter cuts into the ground underneath the trees and gently lifts them out with their roots mostly intact. Our field team follow behind to pull the trees free and knock the soil away from the roots. The trees are then tied into bundles of five and loaded onto a trailer to be taken to our heeling in beds where the roots are covered in sawdust for protection. In exceptional circumstances the trees can be dug out by hand with a spade but this is hard work and not efficient enough for our large scale planting.

When should you plant a bare root tree?

The best time to plant a bare root tree is just after it has been lifted out of the ground. The sooner it is planted in its final home the better. If the tree has been stored correctly, it can be kept until it starts growing again when it will need to be planted. This is usually March before the buds begin to burst. We would advise not planting the trees if the soil is frozen hard or very waterlogged, this isn’t good for the roots and can make the tree struggle to get going. It is important to remember to water the trees the spring and summer after they are planted, especially if the weather is hot and dry.

How are bare root trees delivered?

For small orders we can send bare root trees in a box by courier. We can fit several in a box which makes it more economical. The exact number of boxes will be calculated when an order is placed with us. Trees sent in boxes will sometimes need to be pruned to fit into the box, this is done by trained horticulturalists and does no harm to the tree, in fact it can be beneficial. Orders that have several hundred trees are usually sent on wooden pallet crates via our logistics network on lorries. Some bare root orders can be several thousand trees, e.g. orders for commercial fruit growers. These are delivered on metal stillages that can be easily offloaded using a forklift truck.

What are the advantages of bare root trees?

The two main advantages of bare root trees are price and ease of establishment. Because they don’t have the added production costs of pots and compost they are usually about half the price of container grown trees. Bare root trees also often establish more readily than container grown trees. The roots are more open and the direct contact with the soil encourages them to settle in and anchor down quickly. Trees grown in a container can sometimes have a more restricted root system which takes longer to reach out into the surrounding soil and establish.

How should you store a bare root tree?

The best way to store bare root trees until they are ready to be planted is to bury the roots in sawdust or compost. ‘Heeling in’ is the process and helps to protect the roots from frost or drying out. Alternatively, they can be stored in a cool building or a cold store. Our nursery cold stores can contain hundreds of thousands of trees in winter and are kept at about 4 degrees Celsius with a high humidity. The key thing is to ensure that the roots don’t freeze or dry out. Bare root trees are quite tough though so it is always best to plant them out and the chances are they will grow back perfectly in the spring.

How long can you store bare root trees before planting?

When stored correctly, they are fine for several weeks. The most important factor is that they are planted before they start growing again in March. Cold stores can keep them dormant for a while longer but it is still better to plant them before they would naturally burst bud. We would recommend soaking the roots with water prior to planting to give them a good start. If possible, stand the roots in a bucket of water for at least an hour.

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