18/11/2021
Hedge planting at Beechwood Hall is this Sunday at 2pm. Please bring gardening tools to use, some muscles, and any pearls of wisdom! 🍃
Here's a guide we have been given:
Special Branch Tree Nursery
Tree & shrub planting and aftercare advice
Moving young tree seedlings is always stressful for them, so the faster the better, without drying out or damaging the tiny root hairs.
Our seedlings are bare-rooted, only planted between Oct-March.
Best time is late Oct to end of Dec as Jan + Feb can be frozen
Avoid frost, snow, waterlogged soil, strong sun and drying winds.
A 30cm transplant will probably have a better survival rate than a 90cm
A rabbit and deer proof site is advisable.
Preparation
Best to prepare site beforehand, particularly for hedge planting.
Try not to plant into compacted soil and clear site of w**ds and grass.
After collecting from us, keep seedlings in plastic (sorry!) bags and plant within 48 hours. Best kept in shed or somewhere cool.
If planting at later date, heel in plants, in bunches all together, in a moist trench. Shake bunches while replacing soil, covering all roots, so no air is trapped and use heel of boot to firm in well.
Planting
On site, keep seedlings covered or bagged until ready to plant
Do not expose seedling roots to air longer than 1minute.
Notch planting is not suitable for most of our seedlings, as they have good root systems, so an appropriate root-sized hole or trench is best.
Adding some compost and water to roots is advised. Make sure trees are planted up to root collar and are well firmed in.
Staking is only considered necessary for transplants over 1mt.
Weeding and mulching
The first year aftercare is crucial to the plant’s healthy future.
Mulch is best solution, keeping the transplant cool and moist. Allow one metre diameter around transplant w**d free for the first few years, best using 50-100mm of a suitable mulch. If possible, use organic matter, such as leaf litter, spoiled hay, compost, well-rotted manure or woodchips, composted bark, or a mulch mat, such as woven plastic sheet. Cardboard is more environmental, but needs some weight on top, like woodchip, soil or stones. Never use grass clippings as they absorb nutrients and moisture.
Water
If mulched, most tree seedlings can survive without much watering. During first year drought conditions, watering well every other week is suggested. Watering little and often causes problems.
Check trees are firm every spring. Tree or spiral guard if necessary. Maybe reuse plastic water bottles at tree base as vole damage prevention.
