Bear root tree questions

taxusbaccata

Good evening all,


Questions regarding bear root trees:

Q) Is there any advantage to planting these in autumn versus spring? If not it would seem they are more prone to wind and animal damage waiting to become active

Q) Is it worth cutting them short as the roots will only have to support a shorter tree rather struggle with a larger system

Q) Do bear root trees grow taller and faster when cut back regularly? The garden centre guy told me this but doesnt make sense to me. I could understand they would grow thicker but not taller. Specifically I want to grow hawthorn trees and get them mature and tall rather than thick ASAP.

Thanks.

Oldtree

taxusbaccata wrote: »

Good evening all,


Questions regarding bear root trees:

Q) Is there any advantage to planting these in autumn versus spring? If not it would seem they are more prone to wind and animal damage waiting to become active

There is a serious advantage to buying your stock in autumn as soon as it is available to get the pick of the crop. The main point with planting time is that you do so before the tree starts to function and roots start to grow. This can start before any visible bud burst. A rule of thumb would be to have planting done before the end of February, on a day the ground is not frozen and is moist.

taxusbaccata wrote: »

Q) Is it worth cutting them short as the roots will only have to support a shorter tree rather struggle with a larger system

It would depend on the tree. Alder/willow benefit from a pruning/reshape, but no more than a third and if you do this you could also prune back the root system by up to a third. Buy a smaller tree/sapling if you do not want to prune.

taxusbaccata wrote: »

Q) Do bear root trees grow taller and faster when cut back regularly? The garden centre guy told me this but doesnt make sense to me. I could understand they would grow thicker but not taller. Specifically I want to grow hawthorn trees and get them mature and tall rather than thick ASAP.

Thanks.

If you want a hedge then the idea would be to thicken them out by cutting back to get the plant to bush out. If you are growing a tree then only formative pruning is really necessary to shape the tree, not hacking back.

Seve OB

Oldtree

lol very funny

taxusbaccata

Thanks for replies.

Woiuld I be better to plant bear roots late (as in now) or wait until next autumn?

Thanks again...

magicbastarder

if you have any bare root plants, get them in the ground now.

gozunda

Re bare rooted plants and planting. Autumn or early planting is not always advisable especially where soil or weather conditions are unsuitable. Heavy soils, wet, windy or freezing conditions may dictate leaving planting to later in the spring.

Tbh late planting does not have a significant effect on bare root plants rooting properly imo. However the time for such planting is over once leaf / bud burst is imminent. If you have the plants already get them planted asap.