Tree planting tips
Where to Plant: Choose a warm sheltered position and avoid badly drained soil and low-lying areas where spring frosts are likely to damage the blossom. Morello cherries and cooking plums are the only trees that will thrive on north facing walls.
Soil Preparation: Dig the area to be planted and make sure the soil is clear from perennial weeds. If your soil is acid, mix in some lime, likewise add peat or compost to a light sandy soil. If you have heavy clay, mix in some sand and plant on a raised bed to help drainage.
Add Rootgrow – Mycorrhizal fungi gives your plants the best possible start and are critically important to these plant groups to ensure good establishment, better early growth and lifetime health of your plants. In the case of fruit, mycorrhizal fungi is particularly good at extracting phosphorous from clay soils.
When to Plant: Planting of containerised trees can take place all year round but is inadvisable when the soil is too wet or frozen.
Bare rooted trees can be planted anytime between during their dormant period from November to April. They should be planted within 48 hours of arrival, if you are unable to do so or the soil is too wet or frozen, temporarily heel them in until the conditions improve, and the soil becomes friable.
Planting: The hole should only be dug just prior to planting. The stake should be in place prior to planting and should be at a 45o angle if planting a containerised potted tree and straight if planting a bare root tree. To prevent root constriction, dig the hole so that it is 1½ times the size of rootball and loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole. Place the tree in the hole, close to the stake so that it is easy to tie it in whilst keeping the tree upright and replace soil to cover the roots. Shake the tree up and down to get the soil around the roots. Check that the union will be at least 3 inches above the eventual soil level and raise the tree if necessary. Gently firm the soil around the roots, replace the remaining soil, and then firm the soil with your boot and level off. Tie the tree to the stake with an adjustable tree tie.
Important Tips
On arrival trees should be watered and heeled in or planted within 48 hours. Your bare root trees have been lifted, handled and stored prior to delivery in the most careful and professional way. It is possible that due to the time in transit that roots may have dried out to some extent, this is not detrimental provided the following advice is followed.
Immediately soak all roots with water and preferably even root dip in bucket of water for between 1 and 2 hours. Place bundles root to root in a frost free building and cover against drying out and for vermin protection.
Heeling in – This is recommended if trees are not planted or potted within 48 hours. Select a well drained loose and friable soil. Sand, peat and other soil-less mediums are also very good for this purpose. Lay in such a way as to bring soil into close contact with all roots. Bundles should be cut open at the bottom and laid with their roots well spread out in an adequate trench, covered with soil and firmed. Protect from rabbits. If possible position your heeling in area in the shade on the north side of a building, this will keep your trees dormant for longer as spring approaches.
Planting – It is better to plant late in good conditions than early in poor conditions. If planting conditions are not ideal when the trees arrive then heeling in is recommended and allow the right planting moment to be taken from then on. Position – For most fruits choose a warm sheltered position avoiding wet or shaded spots. Crops are likely to be sparse in frosty situations.
Please note: All newly planted plants take longer to come out of their dormancy in the first spring following planting and this delay can vary greatly between individual plants so please give them until late May/early June to begin growing. Ensure that the area where they are planted is kept moist as lack of watering or rainfall will increase the delay in the plants beginning to shoot. Frequency of the watering must be increased once they begin growing as they have insufficient roots when young to tolerate drought and this will cause the plants to fail. Never allow newly planted bushes to fruit in the first season as this also places strain on good root establishment.