The Local Buzz November - December 2021

Page 28

Tree Time! HOMES + GARDENS

Early winter is the perfect time to plant or move bare rooted trees and shrubs.

Bare rooted trees are usually deciduous. They will have been grown in the ground by the nursery and then uplifted and promptly delivered to you with the bare roots exposed for immediate planting. Trees bought this way tend to be cheaper than container grown ones but, providing you re-plant them while the tree is dormant, they are usually easier to establish, especially if not too mature. The trick is to plant them early enough in the winter for the roots to establish themselves before the tree needs to expend energy on growing leaves.

SELECTION Choose a bare rooted tree with a generous root structure which spreads in all directions from its base. Check that the roots are not damaged, diseased or dried out. Replant your chosen tree promptly to keep the roots moist. If this is not possible immediately you will need to heel it in as a temporary measure. This means keeping your tree with its base in a trench, covering the roots with earth which remains well watered until you can plant the tree properly.

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PLANTING When ready to plant the tree dig a large hole, at least twice the diameter of the tree’s root network, and remove nearby weeds or grass which could compete for water and nutrients. Incorporate some good quality compost and/or leaf mould into the soil taken from the hole. Put some of this back into the base of the planting hole and then gently check over the tree’s roots, trimming back any which appear to be damaged. Position the tree in the centre of the hole and then, before you back fill, drive a stake of wood into the hole. Position the stake so that it is at the windward side of the tree

(i.e. if the prevailing wind is from the south west put the stake at the south west side of the tree). Now fill the planting hole with the remaining enriched soil. Gently lift/shake the tree while planting it so that the soil level around the base of the planted tree is the same as it was previously. Once you are happy, and your tree has been firmed in, give it a good water and mulch around (but not right up to) the trunk. Tie the tree to the stake firmly but gently in several places. Don’t use something which could cut into the bark (I use the leg of an old pair of tights) and make sure that the tie cushions the bark

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