Bare root trees arriving but I recently had surgery so cannot plant/dig

Supercell

I had surgery just over a week ago and am unable to do anything strenuous for another few weeks, doctors orders. However I've a couple of bare root fruit trees on route that I ordered a couple of months ago so was wondering if it would be ok to just stick then in large pots with some peat moss until i can go digging up the spots where I want them to eventually be?

One of them, a Cox's Orange Pippin, is going to replace another apple variety with fruit i don't like so thats going to be a fairly big job with a mattock to get out which is utterly out of the question until January likely.

Any suggestions?

wildwillow

Dig them into soil and they’ll be fine. Find a corner maybe in a veg patch and cover well even with a few leaves or spent compost. I did this a few years ago when builders were in situ for far longer than planned. Planted trees and hedge before they began to sprout in spring and they’re perfect.

looksee

What wildwillow said. Don't put them in pots, if they are lying at an angle into a shallow groove with a good heap of soil or similar onto the roots they will be fine. Putting them almost lying is easier and means they will not be moved around by wind.

Supercell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121342280#Comment_121342280

That's a great idea!, my veg patch is easy to dig a hole in as its regularly dug over so should be just the job to keep them going until i can put them in their final spots. Thanks :)

Supercell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121342740#Comment_121342740

Sounds like a plan, will do that thanks :)

MacDanger

I have some (~400) bare root (mostly) hawthorn plants arriving in the spring and I'm just making a plan for how to plant them; it's a new build so the existing ground has heavy grass cover.

The first question I have is if it's possible to hire a machine to remove the top inch or so to get rid of most of the grass (I was thinking a 0.5m wide strip)? Or is a spade the tool for this?

Secondly, I'm planning on getting a lorry/trailer load of mulch delivered for keeping grass/weeds at the base of the hedge down esp during the first few years. Is it best to spread this before planting and then adjust as needed afterwards?

TIA

looksee

It is possible to get a machine that will strip off the layer of grass, I have never used one and I have an idea they might be designed for lifting grass strips to set somewhere else, so might not deal with rough ground. I imagine you would only get them at bigger hire centres, they are not a usual item.

You could spray off a strip and/or put down something to stop growth - plastic or carboard is the usual suggestion but it might be difficult to get that much to stay in place over the winter. Old carpet is also suggested but having removed room-sized quantities of previously abandoned old carpet from this garden I am not much of a fan.

I'd think it would be better to put the mulch on after the planting. Even if you are going to slit plant them - which seems most likely - the mulch would get in the way.

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121433033#Comment_121433033

Sound, I'll hold off on the mulching until after planting so.

I'll have a look in the local hire place and see if they have anything suitable

Water John

A mini digger will pull the grass off. Use a 30cm bucket that has 3 teeth. Stretch the arm back full with bucket open and drag towards you. If you do that now and come at it again in a few weeks and give it a turn with the same bucket.

Might be worth buying a dibble bar to help with the setting. Easier than a spade. I ordered mine from the UK. However, it's still nice and clean as I haven't used it yet.

macraignil

The problem you might face with clearing the grass off mechanically is that you will churn up a load of seeds already in the soil that on exposure to light will start growing and provide competition to your newly planted hedge. Usually I don't agree with using herbicide but for planting a big area of hedge I think it makes the job a lot less work and mechanical turning the sod on such an area would likely do more damage anyway. A good spade can be used to open a slit for the roots of each hedge plant to be put in the ground while leaving the majority of the ground surface undisturbed. I would still do some weeding for the first year of the hedge plants getting established and don't think a mulch would keep down the more problematic weeds on its own. If you went over the area with a hoe once every couple of months for the first year you could keep the worst weeds under control and grass that gets reestablished will be out grown by the hedge plants anyway. Made a few videos of my first hedge getting established here. Hawthorn had a good crop of berries this year.

Happy gardening!

tabby aspreme

Get a mini digger, and dig a trench a foot wide and a foot deep, fill it back in as you dig it, this will give you soft clay to plant the hedge in, you can plant down the middle for a single row or staggered at both sides for a double row, put the mulch over it after you plant

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121433033#Comment_121433033

yeah, it'd be one of these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ghuGW1oY3k