With the autumn months in full swing, it’s now the time to start thinking about how to get the perfect winter garden. The answer is bare-root planting.
Bare root planting is always carried out between late autumn depending on the year’s weather; the best time to start is when all growth has stopped and leaves have dropped in deciduous trees and shrubs. Planting bare roots in the autumn means the roots benefit from the soil still being warm, which stimulates a healthy root system ensuring a good growth in the spring.
Bare root can be a good and cheap way to plant many types of fruit trees and bushes as well as roses. Here at Eden Landscapes, we’re the experts so we’ve put together these top tips to keep your bare root plants healthy this winter.
• As soon as you get your bare root plants, make sure they are kept damp at the roots, and if you don’t know immediately where you are going to plant them,’ heel’ them into some soil or damp compost until you are ready to plant.
• Native mixed hedging is nearly always planted out from bare-root plants in the winter. Evergreens tend to be root balled, when planting an evergreen hedge such as box or yew this is a much cheaper way of doing it.
• Root balling of evergreens means they are sold with netting around the root area, which will help to retain the soil, this stops the breaking of the small fibrous roots that are so important to the plant in absorbing water and nutrients.
• Evergreens are very susceptible to moisture loss through their leaves so it is very important not to break up the root ball that it had when it was lifted from the field where it was grown or you will end up with a plant that looks like a Christmas tree, it will go brown and there will not be much left that’s green and healthy.
• All evergreens especially root balled shrubs need protection from the wind when they are first planted or they can get ‘burnt’ by the strong winds.
• Remember root balled plants can still be planted out in late march, whenever you are planting a root ball adding a handful of bone meal in the planting hole will encourage root growth as will the use of a mycorrhizal root grow supplement.
• In these winter months, it is essential that you don’t let frost or snow get in the planting hole as this can damage them and make sure you water everything liberally. Also, make sure you keep any weeds at bay and it is essential you maintain their moisture.
Speak To Our Experts About Bare-Root Planting
For more information and tips about bare root planting or for information about garden design in Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas, give us a call on 01933 652 786 or fill out an online contact form.
