For thousands of years nurserymen have cultivated shrubs and trees and dug and distributed them as bare rooted young plants. In Australia millions of fruit trees, roses and ornamental plants are still grown, dug and distributed in the bare rooted form. From a horticultural point of view this is by far the most economical and best way to produce and distribute plants. It means the buyer gets a bigger, better plant for less, as nurserymen have lower production costs as pots and their associated costs are not involved.

In winter there is a larger selection of plant varieties available in bare root form, from small to larger sized trees and shrubs including stock that is not available at other times of the year. The dormant field digging season is the time to get planting in the garden, field dug trees are cheap and easy to transport and plant.

As long as you follow these simple rules you can expect your inexpensive bare rooted trees and shrubs to flourish with little effort.

Rules

Newly planted field dug trees require good drainage. (Please ask for our Wet Feet Kills information sheet)

Discard packing material.

No trimming except for broken roots or branches.

Plant trees and shrubs to correct depth in ground.

Don’t use fertiliser until the trees are growing.

Stake appropriately.

Exercise proper watering, fertilising and weed control procedures after planting.

What are dug, ball and bare root trees?

Field dug trees are trees that have been grown in a cultivated field then once they are dormant (not growing or after leaf drop) they are dug, and either have their roots shaken bare of soil (bare rooted) or their roots kept in a ball of soil and wrapped in hessian to hold the ball together (balled/burlapped). Root balling is the preferred method for lifting hardy evergreen trees as it minimises root disturbance.

Bare rooting is applied to very small evergreen trees and shrubs such as English Box, Pine and Spruce, and small to medium sized deciduous trees and shrubs like Roses, Lilacs, Fruit trees, Birches, Maples, Oaks etc.

Purchasing your Trees

Once you’ve chosen your trees, pull them out of the sawdust and take them to the wrapping area. We will wrap them in moist sawdust so that they can be transported and stored for a week or two at your home if necessary before they are planted. If you are planning to keep them in a wrapped bundle for a long time, please inform our staff and they will put extra sawdust in your bundle to prevent them from drying out. There are so may choices of trees available, our staff will be happy to help you choose the right trees for your requirements.

Storing your Field Dug Trees

If you are not planting your balled or bundled tree for a week or two, place your bundle in a cool moist spot ie. Against a southern wall of the house, under your carport or under a shady tree. Keep your trees out of the sun. If you are going to store your plants for several weeks or months heal them in, (bury their roots with sawdust or soil). This involves digging a trough in a well-drained garden bed or a heap of builders sand and burying healing in bed by the 15th of September. Unwrap the bare rooted trees before burying, keep balled trees wrapped.

Most dormant trees and shrubs can be held in a cool store between 1-3 degrees for several months, if they are packed and stored before the end of August. A lot of professional growers use this method to take advantage of winter bargains and warmer drier spring planting conditions. If you are planning to cool store your trees tell our staff as they will need to specially pack your trees.

Planting Instructions