Here at The Grower, we grow and sell bare root trees and hedging. In this three-part guide we will explain what we grow, the kind of trees that we can supply, as well as explain how you can choose which tree will be best for your project, and how to help them thrive once you have received them. We have a whole separate series in the pipeline about how to plant them - watch this space!
What is a bare root tree?
If you’re familiar with going to garden centres and purchasing plants in pots – this is not that.
Bare root trees are a single stem, no leaves and side shoots, and a cluster of roots. They are supplied in bundles of 25, not in pots, with bare roots. They are sold in the dormant season from November through to the end of March.
They are graded by height, in ranges of 20cms, so 20-40cm, 40-60cm, 60-80cm and 80-100cm being the normal sizes. 40-60cm is forestry specification, and the price is normally higher for taller plants. This height is measured from what is called the ‘root collar’. This is the point at which the tree comes out of the ground, and above where the roots start to develop, in most species it is clearly visible.
See pic above, for bare root trees waiting for sorting. Their roots are on the right hand side of the pile.
Trees are measured by height until they reach 250cm tall, after which they are graded according to the girth of the trunk.
Technical definitions
When you buy bare root trees, you will run into a series of definitions, laid out by the National Plant Specification (NPS). These can be confusing, so we’ll go over the main ones that we grow here:
1, or 1/0 or 1+0 | This is a seedling that is 1 year old, that has not been transplanted |
0= or 1/0= | This is a 1-year-old seedling that has been undercut |
1u1 | This is a 2-year-old seedling that has been undercut but not transplanted |
2+0 or 2/0 | A 2-year-old seedling that has not been transplanted |
1+1 or 1/1 | A 2-year-old seedling that has grown 1 year in the seedbed, then been transplanted for 1 year |
1+2 or 1/2 | A 3-year-old seedling that has been grown in a seedbed for 1 year, then transplanted for 2 years. |
All our trees begin life in a seedbed, in rows in a field, and some are ready to be sold after a single season – planted by us in March, and ready to be delivered to our customers from November and over the winter season.
Others take longer to mature, and will be undercut or transplanted depending on their species, after the first year. Those which are undercut will continue to grow, to establish fibrous root systems which encourage better uptake of water and nutrients. Those which are transplanted will be given more space, and we’ll also take out those that have failed to thrive, or are damaged.
What does a good one look like?
A good bare root tree will have a single leader, i.e. one main shoot that runs straight up, and doesn’t divide into two, unless it’s one of the shrub species.
A healthy plant will have no damage caused by rabbits, deer, fungal infections, or mis-handling during the harvesting or grading process.
We also look for good quality fibrous roots. A long tap root (like a dandelion) isn’t great for planting trees, as it’s hard to plant, and limits the uptake of water and nutrients into the tree. A good bunch of thready, fibrous roots, have a large surface area exposed to the soil to take in nutrients and water.
Each tree planter will have their preference of plant but with our experience of both planting and maintenance of trees and we want to encourage our trees to develop this kind of root to encourage better establishment. This can be done by undercutting the saplings, to ensure a vigorous plant for our customers.
Why choose The Grower?
The industry standard is to expect 40% losses in any tree planting scheme, and many projects have higher losses than that. That equates to just under half of your time and money failing to grow, and causing gaps in your planting. You’ll need to repurchase trees for those gaps, and try again next year.
Here at The Grower, we believe that is an unacceptable waste.
On our own tree planting schemes we aim for less than 20% losses[1], and on our home farm have less than 5% losses, where the trees are planted to our specifications, with the correct supports in place. This proves that, with high quality trees, planting and correct aftercare, it is possible to reduce the loss rate of woodland planting. This is a much more sustainable option for you, with less waste of your time and money, and a tree planting scheme that looks how you intended it to, as soon as the trees start to gain height.
We do this in a number of ways:
Ensuring only high-quality saplings are sold – only trees we’d be happy to plant on our own schemes
Ensuring robust, fibrous root systems, that will withstand planting, and take up nutrients efficiently
Encouraging customers to use our recommended plant supports and mulch mats, to give their trees the best chance against their local wildlife and weather
Read Part 2 of our series to find out what we grow, and the sort of projects that these trees will suit well. Part 3 will explain the ordering and delivery process.
[1] On schemes where The Grower provides its turnkey services from provision of Trees, Planting Team and aftercare maintenance which include post tree planting audit and beat up.
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