10 Jul Growing bare root trees

What is a ‘bare root’ tree?

Bare rooted plants are exactly as the name suggests. Bare rooting of deciduous trees can be done with fruit and ornamental trees while they are dormant. Rather than coming in pots, actively growing in a potting mix, bare rooted plants are dormant and sold without pots and potting media. Transported in this form the trees are often more advanced. This helps to keep the packing and transport costs to a minimum. The trees are in a dormant state due to the colder weather, and can survive without soil and water for a short period.

Winter bare rooted trees are great trees to plant in your garden because;

1. They will take full advantage of their new location with full spring growth
2. Bare Root trees are usually a little cheaper than their potted counterparts

There are a few tricks to getting a great result for your bare root tree when planting it – two in fact… the first is pruning and the second – water.

It’s important to follow these steps when planting a bare root tree.PRUNE – It is critical to prune a bare rooted tree prior to planting. Remove 30-50% of the branches from the tree in an even manner with clean secateurs. This will bring the tree back into balance and ensure it flourishes in spring, as well as helping to form a strong framework of branches.

Download our Flemings Bare Root planting guide

PRUNE

It is critical to prune a bare rooted tree prior to planting. Remove 30-50% of the branches from the tree in an even manner with clean secateurs. This will bring the tree back into balance and ensure it flourishes in spring as well as helping to form a strong framework of branches.

DIG

Prepare a hole that is one-and-a-half times the sizeof the root system. Place a shovel full of soil back into the base of the hole as a loose, soft bed for the roots to sit on before filling the rest of the soil around the roots.

PLANT

Plant the tree to soil level. Gently grazing the rootstock will reveal a colour change. The tree should not be planted deeper than this transition point. Once you have planted the tree, lightly pack the soil down with your foot – not too firm, but firm enough to reduce the number of air pockets in the soil.

WELL

Make a small well, around the base of the tree – making sure it will be above the roots – not wider than the roots. You may also like to place a handful of good complete fertiliser at the base of the tree prior to watering.

WATER

Fill the well with a standard garden bucket of water the day you plant the tree and weekly through to summer.

Read more about Bare Root trees with Gardening Australia.

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Some of our bare root varieties

Fruit Trees Varieties Gala Apple Granny Smith Pink Lady Apple Red Delicious Apple Dwarf Granny Smith Apple Dwarf Pink Lady Apple Dwarf Red Fuji Apple Bruno Female Chinese Gooseberry Hayward Female Chinese Gooseberry Male Chinese Gooseberry Black English Mulberry Hicks Fancy Mulberry OkeeDokee Nectarine Peacharine Sunbob Nectarine Sun Snow Nectarine Flordagold Peach Golden Queen Peach Tropic Beauty Peach White Opal Peach Luisa Plum Mariposa Plum Santa Rosa Plum  ‘Dwarf Apple Pixie Crunch- cv.’Co-op 33’ ‘Naga Fu No. 2’ Red Fuji Apple ‘Moorpark’ Apricot ‘Starkrimson’ Cherry

Ornamental Trees  Acer negundo ‘Flamingo’ Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’  Acer palmatum (Polymorphum) Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’ Betula nigra, Advanced Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei ‘Acoma’ Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei ‘Lipan’ Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei ‘Natchez’ Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei ‘Tuscarora’  Prunus persica ‘Alboplena’ (D White) Prunus pers ‘Magnifica’ (Dble Crim) Prunus persica ‘Versicolour’ Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’ Pyrus calleryana ‘Capital’ Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer ®  Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei ‘Acoma’ Acer pal. ‘Dissectum Atropurpureum’ Acer pal. ‘Dissectum Emerald Lace’, Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Inaba Shidare’ Morus alba ‘Chaparral’ Morus alba ‘Pendula’  Acer rubrum ‘Fairview Flame’ Salix babylonica (Weeping Willow) Populus euramericanaxnigra ‘Crows Nest’  Acerxfreemanii ‘Jeffersred’-Autumn Blaze® Acer rubrum ‘Fairview Flame’ Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei ‘Tonto’  Prunus x blireana Prunus ‘Elvins’ Robinia pseudo ‘Umbraculifera’ Prunus ‘Snofozam’ – Snow Fountains Prunus x ‘Pisnshzam’ Pink Snow Showers