How to plant bare rooted trees | DIY Garden Projects | Gardening Australia

Winter is the best time to plant bare rooted stock.

Sophie’s orchard is well established, with more than 100 fruit and nut trees planted since 2011, but there’s still room for a few more fruit trees and winter is the best time to plant bare-rooted stock.

The orchard was planted out in rows, with trees spaced 3 - 4m apart, depending on the variety. Sophie says that this is relatively close planting and as a result, the trees are stunted in size but are productive. They are pruned low so Sophie can pick without ladders and pruned to restrict growth.

Sophie is replacing trees that have been damaged by her geese, (not damaged by disease) so she is safe to replant in the same area.
Bare rooted trees are dug from the ground when dormant in early winter, then stored in sawdust in the nursery until bought. Before planting, remove all the sawdust around the roots and put the tree in a bucket of water with weak seaweed solution to keep the roots moist while you prepare for planting:

Pull back any mulch
Dig the hole as deep as the roots but twice as wide. If the soil is heavy, applying a clay-breaker such as gypsum can help.
Check the roots for any broken bits, which you should prune off. Try to keep the fibrous roots as they absorb water and nutrients.
Check the trunk to see what level the soil was at before and don’t plant any deeper. For grafted trees, the graft should be at least 10cm above the ground.
Create a small mound in the middle of the hole and spread out the trees roots over this.
Backfill and replace the mulch, leaving the trunk free to avoid collar rot. In dry areas, create a ‘moat’ around the edge of the hole to direct water to the tree’s roots.
No need to fertilise at this point; wait until spring.

Prune your new tree quite hard after planting. Trees lose a lot of their root system when they are dug out of the paddock where they’ve been growing, so it’s essential you prune back to the top to compensate. It also helps create a good shape.

Sophie cuts the central leader right down to create a vase shape, then prunes back the main 3-4 branches to an outward-facing bud, which will develop into good strong branches. She then protects the tree with a new guard to keep the geese out!

Bare root season lasts from June to August, so get out there and get planting fruit and nut trees.


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[Aashiqz]

Gosh....That's a lovely orchard !! 🍎🍏🍒🍒🌸

[matthewfarrell]

Well, that explains why my apple tree roots were hacked to bits. I thought it was strange.

The Nursery had already cut the top for me. Now the wait for the buds to pop lol

[alexv]

In Colorado, I have very IDENTICAL looking kind of clay soil! For my cherry tree, the seller says my soil must be “loamy”. When I dig deeper for meaning of “loamy” soil, I’ve seen barely moist/wet and hardly sqeezed soil in a hand must EASILY fall apart! So in that pursuit, I ended up mixing my clay soil with less than 5% gypsum. Then, three times I washed hydrated wood pellets as an addition to be mixed with the soil. I also added small amount of cheapest manure. I then noticed the new mixed soil feels and looks like the samples I’ve seen on youtube!! Does it work? Honestly, I don’t know! Meanwhile, I preped the soil, digged the hole, and now just waiting for my ordered Napoleon cherry tree arrives next week (Nov. 7, 2021). After planting, since its already fall here, I plan to cover it like a spoiled child with so much covering, so it doesn’t freeze to death! I really appreciate you let me know if you have any suggestions. PLEASE!🙏

[chezgirlrose]

Great learning video Sophie, thank you. 👍🏼

[imanderdumme]

here we have almond trees blosomed can i purchase some almond bare root trees from colder climate where they are dormant and plant them here now?