rootwise

How-to guide

Planting bare-root trees, shrubs and hedges

By Hannah Price · Updated

Bare-root plants are trees, shrubs, roses, fruit bushes and hedging that are lifted from the nursery field while dormant and sold with no soil on their roots. Plant them between November and March, whenever the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. Keep the roots damp from the moment they arrive, soak them before planting, set the plant at the same depth it grew before and firm the soil well. Water it through its first growing season and it will usually overtake a pot-grown plant of the same size within a couple of years.

Bare-root is also the cheapest way to buy woody plants by a wide margin. A bundle of hawthorn or hornbeam whips costs a fraction of the same number in pots, and fruit trees, roses and soft fruit are often available in a wider range of varieties because nurseries sell them straight from the field.

When to plant bare-root

The season runs from leaf fall, usually from early November, until the buds start to swell in March. In mild parts of the south-west you can sometimes plant into early April, but the later you leave it the harder the plant has to work. Autumn and early winter planting is best of all: the soil is still slightly warm, so new roots begin to grow before spring and the plant is ready to cope when the weather dries up.

Check the soil before you start. Squeeze a handful. If it sticks together in a wet ball that smears, or water collects in the bottom of a test hole, wait for a drier week. If the top few centimetres are frozen hard, wait too. Our November and December jobs pages cover what else needs doing at this time of year.

When your plants arrive

Open the parcel the day it arrives and check the roots are moist. They should be pale and firm inside when you scrape one gently, not dry, brittle or black.

If you can plant within a day or two, keep the bundle in a cool, frost-free shed with the roots wrapped in damp sacking or the original bag. If you need longer, heel them in: dig a shallow trench in a spare bit of ground, lay the plants in at an angle and cover the roots with soil. They will sit happily like this for several weeks.

An hour or two before planting, stand the roots in a bucket of water. Do not leave them soaking for more than a day, as roots need air too. Trim off any broken or damaged roots with clean secateurs, cutting just behind the damage.

Digging the hole

Most bare-root plants are killed by being planted too deep, not too shallow. Look at the stem and you will see a change in colour where the soil line used to be. That mark should end up level with the surface of your soil.

Dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots out without bending them, usually about a third wider than the root spread, and only as deep as the roots. Fork over the base and sides, especially on clay, so the roots can break out of the hole rather than circling inside it.

Resist the urge to fill the hole with rich compost on heavy soil. A hole full of soft compost in solid clay behaves like a sump and holds water around the roots in winter. It is better to improve a wider area, or simply to mix a little compost into the soil you put back and add the rest as a mulch on top.

Planting step by step

  1. Hold the plant in the centre of the hole and lay a cane across the top to check the soil mark is level with the ground.
  2. Spread the roots out evenly in all directions.
  3. Shovel back some soil and give the plant a gentle shake so soil falls between the roots and fills any air pockets.
  4. Continue backfilling in layers, firming each one with your heel. On sandy soil you can firm hard; on wet clay, firm gently so you do not squeeze out all the air.
  5. Water thoroughly, using a full watering can or two, even if the soil looks damp.
  6. Spread a mulch 5 to 8 cm deep over a circle at least a metre across, keeping it a hand’s width away from the stem. Our mulching guide explains what to use.

Staking trees

A young tree needs a stake for its first two or three years while the roots anchor it. The aim is to hold the roots still but let the top flex in the wind, which builds a stronger trunk.

Knock in a short stake before you backfill, on the side the prevailing wind comes from (west or south-west in much of the UK), so that about a third of the tree’s height is supported. Alternatively, drive a stake in at 45 degrees after planting, angled into the wind, so you avoid hitting the roots. Fix the tree with a proper buckle tie and a spacer, never wire or string, and check the tie each spring so it does not cut into the bark as the trunk thickens. Remove the stake once the tree stands firm on its own.

Small ornamental trees such as crab apples, rowan, amelanchier and silver birch are all widely sold bare-root and establish well this way.

Fruit trees, roses and soft fruit

Fruit trees. Apple and pear trees are grafted, and you will see a swollen kink near the base of the stem. Keep that graft union at least 5 cm above the soil, or the fruiting variety may root and lose the dwarfing effect of the rootstock. See our page on growing apples for rootstocks and pruning young trees.

Roses. Bare-root roses are planted slightly deeper than trees. In most gardens the graft union, where the stems branch out from the rootstock, should sit just below the soil surface. Cut stems back to about 15 cm after planting to encourage strong new shoots, and read our rose profile for later care.

Blackcurrants. These are the exception to the depth rule. Plant them about 5 cm deeper than they were growing, then cut all stems back to two buds above the soil. It feels brutal, but it creates the bushy, multi-stemmed base that carries the best crops. Buy certified stock and check for swollen buds, a sign of big bud mite. Our blackcurrant page covers pruning in later years.

Raspberries. Plant canes about 40 cm apart along a supported row, with the roots no more than 5 to 8 cm deep, then cut them to about 25 cm. Full details are on our raspberry page.

Planting a bare-root hedge

Hedging whips, typically 40 to 80 cm tall, are the most economical way to plant a boundary or wildlife hedge. Clear a strip about a metre wide of grass and perennial weeds first, ideally a few weeks ahead.

For a dense hedge, plant a double, staggered row with about 40 cm between the rows and 30 to 45 cm between plants in each row, which works out at around five plants per metre. A single row at three per metre is fine for a narrow, slower hedge. Mixed native hedges often combine hawthorn, field maple, hazel, blackthorn and dog rose, with a little holly for winter cover.

After planting, cut back the whips of hawthorn and blackthorn by about a third to encourage branching from the base. Keep the strip weeded or mulched for at least two years, because grass competes fiercely for water.

Aftercare in the first year

Watering in the first spring and summer makes the biggest difference to whether bare-root plants thrive. In dry spells from April onwards, give each tree or shrub a full 10-litre can once a week, poured slowly so it soaks in. A weekly soak is far better than a daily splash, which encourages shallow roots. Wilting or browning leaves in early summer usually point to drought stress.

Keep a circle around each plant free of grass and weeds, top up the mulch the following winter and check stakes and ties. Do not feed heavily in the first year; a little general fertiliser scattered in spring is plenty. Formative pruning can wait until the plant is growing strongly. Our pruning basics guide explains when to start.

Questions people ask

Is it too late to plant bare-root in March? Not if the buds have not yet burst and the soil is workable. Plant as soon as you can and be generous with water in spring.

Should I add mycorrhizal fungi? It is optional. Most garden soils already contain these fungi, and well-planted, well-watered bare-root stock establishes fine without them.

My bare-root tree has not leafed out by May. Is it dead? Scratch a stem gently with a fingernail. Green beneath the bark means it is alive and probably just slow. Brown and dry all the way down means it has failed, usually from drying out before or after planting.

Can I plant bare-root in a pot? Yes, for fruit trees on dwarfing rootstocks, roses and soft fruit. Use a container at least 45 cm across with loam-based compost and water it more often than you would plants in the ground.

Sources and further reading

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