Size of transplants

Most of our trees are 40-60cm tall. This is about the ideal height to plant as the tree can be handled easily and efficiently and will establish quickly. For cell grown trees 30-40cm is fine unless there is excessive weed competition. As important as height is the general sturdiness of the transplant and the ‘root collar diameter' (the thickness of the stem at the base of the tree), which indicates the development of the root system.

Larger trees (eg, 1 metre plus) can be planted in specific circumstances, for example where bracken is a problem or you want an instant result. The larger the tree the more difficult it is to transplant successfully. Often, a properly planted smaller tree will grow to the same size as a larger transplant after a few years.

Care of trees during planting
Trees are alive and looking after the roots is most important.

1. Plant as soon as possible after receiving your trees. If you are planting within a day or two they can be stored in a cool place and out of any wind in the packaging from the nursery. A shed or garage is ideal.
   
2. Do not expose roots to the air for longer than absolutely necessary. Wind will dry out the very fine hairs that the tree needs for survival.
   
3. Do not expose the roots to frost, though this is usually less important than wind damage and drying out.
   
4. If you need to store trees for more than a couple of days ‘heeling' them into a trench is recommended.
   
5. When planting always transport the trees in a plastic bag removing one at a time.

How to Plant
Notch planting

The quickest and most effective way for normal transplants (eg: 40-60cm).

Insert a sharp spade into the soil as deep as the roots of the tree you are planting. Make two slits in an ‘L' shape.

On the second, tilt the clod upwards

A variation on this method is to remove a clod of soil, turn it upside down and plant through this. This reduces weed competition and is useful in wet areas as it reduces the risk of waterlogging by raising the tree slightly.

Insert canes avoiding the roots of the tree. The picture shows how to attach a spiral guard to cause the least damage, starting at the bottom and winding upwards.

Lay mulch mats or apply herbicide as appropriate, following all instructions with the latter regarding safe use.

Firm everything down to eliminate air pockets. Fix ties and guards as appropriate and lay mulch mats or apply herbicides for weed control.

Cut the stake off just below the height of the tree guard to prevent damage if the stem is blown against it

Weeding
This is essential and is often a cause of failure. The objective is to keep an area up to a metre square around the base of the tree weed free until the tree has established.

This is done to remove competition for moisture and minerals and can be achieved either with herbicides or mulch mats. We sell woven plastic or natural mulch mats. Mulching also reduces water loss through evaporation and increases soil temperature. Strimming grass is not an alternative. This will only make the grass more vigorous and you will at some point hit the tree with the strimmer.

There will always be a proportion of trees that do not survive transplanting and need replacing. The objective is to minimise this number. It is more expensive to re-plant than to buy quality trees and plant correctly

Grazing and pests
All areas planted with trees must be free from grazing animals, i.e.fenced out, appropriately. Remember that cattle and horses can reach over fences so plant hedges about a metre from the fence. Tree guards will provide good protection from rabbits but none at all from sheep or cattle, etc.

For individual specimens, such as parkland trees, these can be individually fenced. Use three or four posts with wire netting around the tree so that the largest animals cannot reach over and nibble the tree. You can also do this with apple trees, grazing the spaces in between with sheep. Cattle however, will reach up and damage fruit bearing branches of young and mature trees.

There is no remedy for grey squirrels, which attack bark after a few years, except by trapping and shooting. Grey squirrels are not native and are one of the greatest threats to woodland in the UK

Planting spacing
See the Online Shop for descriptions of trees and our suggestions for species

Trees

1 hectare is 10,000 square metres, one hundredth of a square kilometre. It is 2.471 acres. The normal spacing for new planting of native mixed woodland is around 1,600 trees per hectare, about 2.5m apart. This will allow the wood to establish and be ready for thinning after approximately 15 years.

Hedges
The ideal hedge is planted in either one row approximately 6 inches apart or in two offset rows with plants a foot apart. Either way you will need around 5 plants per running metre.

As a guide a perfectly square one hectare field (2.471 acres) will measure 400 metres around its perimeter. You will therefore need 2,000 plants to enclose a square hectare at 6 inch spacing (1,400 per square acre). A more rectangular field will need more hedging plants as more of the area adjoins the boundary. A good footstep by an average height person is roughly a metre when you're measuring out.

Planting for Shelter
This is much wider than a hedge. Plant at least two rows, offset. You are looking for a diffuse upper layer to slow the wind and a more solid lower barrier made up of shrub like plants.

Spacing will vary but expect a maximum of a metre between plants within the row and up to 3 metres between rows.

Sitka spruce used to be popular, but unfortunately this has shallow roots and develops a tendency to blow over in exposed conditions.

Did you also know that planting shelterbelts increases the potential for the soil to hold water, releasing it more slowly, reducing the risk of flooding after heavy rain.

Pruning
Many people are led to believe pruning is difficult but most of the time it isn't really. Fruit trees will usually benefit from some early pruning but most other trees don't need it unless you have specific objectives and in these cases you will probably already know what to do.

There is an excellent webpage on Wikipedia for fruit trees CLICK HERE and GLASU have also produced much useful information.

Things to remember are

• In the early stages you are generally pruning to promote growth either straight up from the tip of the tree (removing side branches) or to allow new branches to grow from dormant buds (altering shape). The overall shape you are after will therefore determine the cuts.
• If you prune in the winter you will generally promote rapid growth in the spring, summer pruning reduces vigour.
• A pruning saw, loppers or secateurs are the tools for the job, not a chainsaw.
• Pruning is fun to learn and in most cases you are unlikely to do irreparable damage as most trees re-grow from dormant buds (more quickly than you would think).
• If you really don't want to prune your trees, then don't. Plenty of people have left fruit trees grow of their own accord and they have still been productive.