When is the best time to plant a bare root tree?

November to March, while the tree is dormant, and the earlier end of that window is best because the soil is still warm and the roots can settle before spring. Avoid frozen or waterlogged ground, and heel the tree into damp soil if it arrives before you are ready to plant.

How long can a bare root tree wait before it goes in?

Days, not weeks. Keep the roots damp and out of wind and sun. If the ground is not ready, heel the tree into a spare bed of soil at the same depth it was lifted, water it in, and it will hold there for several weeks. A bare root trees near me search usually ends at the point of buying, and the handling afterwards is what decides whether the tree lives.

Should I stake a new tree?

Only as much as it needs. A short stake on the windward side stops the root ball moving without holding the trunk rigid, and a tree that can flex in wind grows a thicker trunk. Remove the ties after two or three years, before they rub or strangle the bark.

Why did my last tree die?

The usual causes are planting too deep, roots allowed to dry out before planting, a dry first summer, waterlogging on heavy clay, and grass or strimmer damage at the base. Check that the root collar sits level with the soil, keep the weeds off it, and water it properly for two years.

Is a container grown tree as good as a bare root one?

It is different work rather than better work. A container tree can be planted outside the dormant season and has instant presence, but its roots may be circling the pot and it needs more watering in its first year. Bare root trees establish faster and take the shape of the site.

Can you plant trees for me?

Yes. What comes back for tree planting near me is usually a nursery list, so ours is a planting and aftercare service: species advice, sourcing, ground preparation, planting, staking and watering through the first three seasons. Stump removal or clearance before planting goes to Ross Webster Tree Services, linked in the panel on this page.

Can I plant a tree where an old one has come out?

Often, but not in the same hole with the same species. Soil in an old tree pit is tired, full of decaying roots and can carry honey fungus. Grind the stump out, lift the chips, improve the ground with compost, and plant a species with different root habits, clear of the old stump.

Garden service

Bare root trees and tree planting in North Yorkshire and County Durham

Bare root trees and tree planting in gardens and orchards: bare root timing and handling, planting pits, staking, watering and first summer aftercare.

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Bare root trees: season, roots and heeling in

A bare root tree is lifted from the nursery field with no soil around its roots and sold while it is dormant. The season runs from leaf fall in late autumn to early spring, and the best window is November to March, while the tree is asleep and its roots are not trying to supply leaves. Bare root trees establish faster than pot grown stock, because the roots start in the soil they will grow in rather than circling a pot.

Judging the tree in your hand

Judge a bare root tree by its roots as much as its top. Good stock carries a root spread in proportion to the growth above, with plenty of fine fibrous roots and no dryness or broken ends. Reject anything with a root circling the trunk, because that becomes a girdling root that strangles the tree years later. Keep the roots damp and out of wind, and plant within a few days of delivery. If the ground is not ready, heel the tree into a spare bed at the depth it was lifted, and it will wait there for weeks.

Why autumn and winter planting works

Soil stays warm long after the air turns cold, so a tree planted in November has months of root growth before it is asked to leaf. That head start is the whole reason the dormant season works. Planting into frozen or waterlogged ground undoes it, so wait for a workable day rather than a date on the calendar.

Tree planting: depth, staking and watering

Dig the pit wider than it is deep, about three times the spread of the roots and no deeper than the tree stood in the nursery. The root collar, where the trunk meets the roots, must end up level with the surrounding soil. Planting too deep is the most common mistake in a garden, and it kills more new trees than drought does.

Staking, watering and mulch

Break up the sides and the base of the pit with a fork, then backfill with the soil you took out, mixing in compost and grit if it is heavy clay. Stake only as much as the tree needs: a short stake on the windward side stops the root ball moving without holding the trunk rigid, and a trunk that never flexes in wind does not thicken. Water thoroughly at planting, then through the first two summers whenever the soil dries below the surface. A slow soak at the root ball beats a daily sprinkle. Mulch a ring around the tree, kept clear of the bark, to hold moisture and keep the grass off.

Check the ties and the stake each year and remove them once the tree stands on its own, usually after two or three seasons. The RHS guide to soil types explains how to tell what you are planting into before you dig.

Tree planting service

Our tree planting service covers the whole job: species advice for the site, sourcing, ground preparation, planting, staking, watering and aftercare through the first three years. Root ball and container grown trees extend the season once the bare root window has closed, and larger stock can be planted with the right kit. An orchard, a boundary screen or a single tree in a lawn all start the same way, with the ground.

Where a tree has to come out before anything goes in, the stump and the timber go to Ross Webster Tree Services, and the panel below this page links to their site.

Tree planting cost

No two planting jobs price the same. The size of the tree at purchase, how readily the species is available, the ground preparation and the access all move the figure. A tree going into a prepared border takes less time than one in compacted ground at the end of a steep garden, and a large root ball needs machinery where a bare root whip can be carried in a barrow. Aftercare is priced with the planting, because the first two summers decide whether the tree lives, and there is no sense buying a tree and then leaving it to the weather.

A written planting quote should set out the species and size of each tree, the ground preparation, whether the stock is bare root, root ball or container grown, the staking and protection, the watering visits through the first two summers, and what happens if a tree fails in its first season. Aftercare is where a planting job succeeds or fails, so it belongs in the quote rather than in a conversation afterwards.

Native species for a new planting

Native trees are the sensible backbone for a wildlife garden, a boundary or a small orchard. Oak, rowan, hawthorn, hazel, field maple and wild cherry all grow well here, and each supports insects that feed birds and bats. Match the species to the space: rowan and hazel for a small plot, oak and wild cherry only where there is room for the whole tree. Our wildlife garden article covers planting that feeds bees, birds and moths.

Orchard restoration

Old fruit trees can often be brought back into cropping rather than replaced. Grass competition is usually the first problem, so mowing and mulching a clear ring around the trunk puts growth back into the tree. Renovation is gradual, spread over two or three winters, taking out dead and crossing wood before shortening the rest. Feeding and a spring mulch help an old tree respond, and a crowded old orchard can be thinned by taking out the worst tree to give the rest light and air. Our fruit tree pruning page covers the work, and filling the gaps in an old orchard is planting work, which is where our trees for small gardens guide helps.

Tree surgery, handled locally

Tree surgery is handled by Ross Webster Tree Services

This page covers the garden side of tree work: planting, pruning and aftercare. Tree removal, crown reductions, stump grinding, emergency and storm work, tree surveys, ash dieback and commercial contracts are carried out by Ross Webster Tree Services.

Tree removal
Crown reductions
Stump grinding
Emergency and storm work
Tree surveys
Ash dieback
Commercial contracts

They work across the same ground as this practice, and their contact details are on their site.

Ross Webster Tree Services

Questions about bare root trees

When is the best time to plant a bare root tree?: November to March, while the tree is dormant, and the earlier end of that window is best because the soil is still warm and the roots can settle before spring. Avoid frozen or waterlogged ground, and heel the tree into damp soil if it arrives before you are ready to plant.
How long can a bare root tree wait before it goes in?: Days, not weeks. Keep the roots damp and out of wind and sun. If the ground is not ready, heel the tree into a spare bed of soil at the same depth it was lifted, water it in, and it will hold there for several weeks. A bare root trees near me search usually ends at the point of buying, and the handling afterwards is what decides whether the tree lives.
Should I stake a new tree?: Only as much as it needs. A short stake on the windward side stops the root ball moving without holding the trunk rigid, and a tree that can flex in wind grows a thicker trunk. Remove the ties after two or three years, before they rub or strangle the bark.
How much should I water a new tree?: Water thoroughly at planting, then through the first two summers whenever the soil dries below the surface. A slow soak at the root ball beats a daily sprinkle. A mulch ring kept clear of the bark holds the moisture in and keeps grass and strimmers away from the trunk.
Why did my last tree die?: The usual causes are planting too deep, roots allowed to dry out before planting, a dry first summer, waterlogging on heavy clay, and grass or strimmer damage at the base. Check that the root collar sits level with the soil, keep the weeds off it, and water it properly for two years.
Is a container grown tree as good as a bare root one?: It is different work rather than better work. A container tree can be planted outside the dormant season and has instant presence, but its roots may be circling the pot and it needs more watering in its first year. Bare root trees establish faster and take the shape of the site.
Can you plant trees for me?: Yes. What comes back for tree planting near me is usually a nursery list, so ours is a planting and aftercare service: species advice, sourcing, ground preparation, planting, staking and watering through the first three seasons. Stump removal or clearance before planting goes to Ross Webster Tree Services, linked in the panel on this page.
Can I plant a tree where an old one has come out?: Often, but not in the same hole with the same species. Soil in an old tree pit is tired, full of decaying roots and can carry honey fungus. Grind the stump out, lift the chips, improve the ground with compost, and plant a species with different root habits, clear of the old stump.

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