Hi All

We've just taken delivery of two very nice looking young apple trees
from Wisley. I'm wondering what's the best next step as they are
bare-rooted. I've heard/read some advice saying they should be planted
or at least heeled-in ASAP, while others say that this isn't advisable
in very cold ground.

A the moment we have them inside the house in the unheated lobby, with
their roots wrapped in plastic.

Any advice would be gratefully received,

Will

Hi, plant them as soon as possible but not in frozen ground. Use the
same method of planting as any other shrub or tree planting up to the
nursery soil mark.
barerooted plants need good soil, stake the hole first and backfill the
hole and plant gradually making sure the roots have no air pockets,
then tie the tree with a tree tie.
We are soon to plant 700 trees that are bare rooted so your job should
not take too long!
Important to ensure the tree gets off to a good start so get some
compost and fertilizer into the planting hole. steve.

"landscapeadvice" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi, plant them as soon as possible but not in frozen ground. Use the
same method of planting as any other shrub or tree planting up to the
nursery soil mark.
barerooted plants need good soil, stake the hole first and backfill the
hole and plant gradually making sure the roots have no air pockets,
then tie the tree with a tree tie.
We are soon to plant 700 trees that are bare rooted so your job should
not take too long!
Important to ensure the tree gets off to a good start so get some
compost and fertilizer into the planting hole. steve.

What method (s) do you use for planting 700 trees?
Is notch planting used in these circumstances.
I recently read that Kew recommend planting trees in square holes and adding
no nutrients, which seems to go against what I have always believed.

wrote:
Hi All

We've just taken delivery of two very nice looking young apple trees
from Wisley. I'm wondering what's the best next step as they are
bare-rooted. I've heard/read some advice saying they should be planted
or at least heeled-in ASAP, while others say that this isn't advisable
in very cold ground.

A the moment we have them inside the house in the unheated lobby, with
their roots wrapped in plastic.

Any advice would be gratefully received,

Will

If the ground is not frozen and the soil is workeable and not too
waterlogged then I would plant them now. Heel in somewhere temporary if
the final location is too wet/cold. Possibly soak roots in water for a
day or so before planting, but don't leave soaking for too long.

Thanks for your replies. I'll aim to plant in the next few days, when
the conditions seem right.

A belated Happy New Year to everyone.

Will

s We've just taken delivery of two very nice looking young apple trees
from Wisley. I'm wondering what's the best next step as they are
bare-rooted.
Hi
Two years ago we planted 4 apple trees about now. The guy I bought
them from (PhD botanist, ex-head gardener at a large city botanic
gardens) said; "No, plant them straight in, no stakes no compost no
manure and then cut them to the height you want them to start spreading
out from". I said "ah but ah but ah but - I thought that........"
"trust me and look at the trees we're standing among". Oh all right
then. In spite of our windy location they have thrived(thriven?). Not
much fruit off them yet but pruning advice from same source has worked
well.
In spite of my initial scepticism I was encouraged by a programme seen
recently from Kew which pointed out that the great storm of '87 had
been seminal in changing the way in which they look at tree planting.
This revised approach supported what my man had been propounding a
couple of years before. HTH
Jayeff

wrote:
In spite of my initial scepticism I was encouraged by a programme seen
recently from Kew which pointed out that the great storm of '87 had
been seminal in changing the way in which they look at tree planting.
This revised approach supported what my man had been propounding a
couple of years before. HTH
Jayeff

i heard that programme too.

their new approach has

no compost in the hole - it rots away leaving a void

Hole only as deep as the pot you are planting - root plate is *very* shallow
roots do not go deeper

plus others i forget

pk

The reason for no manure/compost/fertiliser is to encourage the tree to
go and find those things itself. i.e. if it can't get enough
water/nutrients, then it will grow longer roots - if you provide
everything it needs, the roots wont grow long. So presumably you wait
a couple of years and can then feed it happily...

"Rupert" wrote
I recently read that Kew recommend planting trees in square holes and
adding no nutrients, which seems to go against what I have always
believed.

The square hole is thought to help the roots break out of their circular
path (as when in a pot), they grow out and hit a sharp corner then have to
start entering the soil instead of continuing to go round and round as if
still in a pot. That's the current theory.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Rupert" wrote
I recently read that Kew recommend planting trees in square holes and
adding no nutrients, which seems to go against what I have always
believed.

The square hole is thought to help the roots break out of their circular
path (as when in a pot), they grow out and hit a sharp corner then have to
start entering the soil instead of continuing to go round and round as if
still in a pot. That's the current theory.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London


Thanks' for the info. That explains why some folk are using square bottomed
pots:-)
So do you reckon the same theory applies to shrubs and perennials?

The other reason for no fertiliser or especially no fresh manure, is
that the new tender roots would be burnt by the chemicals.

Check out T slot planting of bare rooted trees, not however applicable
to fruit trees.
http://www.gb-online.co.uk/t_slot.html


The reason for no manure/compost/fertiliser is to encourage the tree to
go and find those things itself. i.e. if it can't get enough
water/nutrients, then it will grow longer roots - if you provide
everything it needs, the roots wont grow long. So presumably you wait
a couple of years and can then feed it happily...