Potting Bare Root Trees
Do you know… one large, mature tree can can produce more than 270-liters of oxygen a day? That's nearly half of what the average human needs in a day. The earth needs trees.
Every year I plant hundreds, sometimes thousands of trees here at the farm - it's one way I can give back to the Earth and help create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet for my grandchildren and for everyone. Not long ago, we received a shipment of bare root cuttings from JLPN, a family owned tree company in Salem, Oregon. Bare root trees are so named because the plants are dug from the ground while dormant, and stored without any soil surrounding their roots. Once the young specimens arrived, my gardeners hurried to pot them in nutrient-filled composted soil to keep them healthy until they can be transplanted in the ground.
Enjoy these photos.
-
- This is a bald cypress tree, Taxodium distichum, in summer. It is one of several that line one side of the carriage road across from my long pergola. And it is one of thousands that I planted since purchasing my farm.
-
- Since I plant so many trees, I get some that are older and taller for various gardens, and many in the form of bare-root cuttings for hedges, or larger group plantings. Each bundle here contains 25, 50, or 100-cuttings. JLPN’s cuttings are harvested in December, graded, and then held in cold storage until they are shipped out in spring.
-
- The root portion of the plant is placed in the water and left to soak overnight. This good soaking helps the plants get off to a better start. Among the benefits of getting bare root cuttings is that they are very easy to inspect for root development – roots should never have a dry, grayish appearance, or in contrast, be saturated or water-logged.
-
- I feel the bare root trees do best when potted up and nurtured for a period of time before being transplanted in their permanent locations. I have a fenced area designated for these trees in one corner of my middle hay field.
-
- These newest specimens will remain here for about a year or two until they are planted in the ground.
-
- For potting up the trees, we use a nutrient-filled composted manure and top soil mix.
-
- A generous sprinkling of fertilizer developed specially for young trees is added and mixed into the soil.
-
- We save pots whenever we can – they always come in handy for projects like this, and I always encourage the crew to reuse supplies whenever possible.
-
- The trees in this shipment include bald cypress, Japanese maples, witch hazel, black locust, and hornbeams. A large marker indicating the common name and the botanical name is made for each variety.
-
- The hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, is a fast-growing deciduous tree. Carpinus betulus is native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England. Because of its dense foliage and tolerance to being cut back, this hornbeam is popularly used for hedges and topiaries.
-
- With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars including hybrids, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the landscape. Japanese maples are native to areas of Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. In Japan, the maple is called the “autumn welcoming tree” and is planted in the western portion of gardens – the direction from which fall arrives there.
-
- Japanese maple forms can be weeping, rounded, dwarf, mounding, upright, or cascading. Red leafed cultivars are the most popular, followed by green shrubs with deeply dissected leaves.
-
- Japanese maples prefer slightly acidic, well-draining soil in sheltered areas with morning sun. My Japanese Maple Woodland is located in the perfect spot just beyond my allée of lindens.
-
- Witch hazel grows as small trees or shrubs with numerous clusters of rich yellow to fiery orange-red flowers.
-
- They perform best in full sun, or filtered shade. Witch hazels also possess shallow, slow-growing root systems, which do best in large planting areas. Fortunately, I have a lot of room to grow these pretty shrubs. I have several mature shrubs near my Summer House and more near my allée of lindens.
-
- Black locust trees, Robinia pseudoacacia, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae. These are the leaflets of the black locust – pinnate with seven to 21 oval leaflets on each leaf branch. A leaflet, occasionally called foliole, in botany is a leaf-like part of a compound leaf. Though it resembles an entire leaf, a leaflet is not borne on a main plant stem or branch, as a leaf is, but rather on a petiole or a branch of the leaf.
-
- And these are the feathery needles of the bald cypress tree, a deciduous conifer. Though it’s native to swampy conditions, the bald cypress is also able to withstand dry, sunny weather and is hardy in USDA climate zones 5 through 10. These trees do so well here at the farm.
-
- Each pot is laid out with a small layer of soil ready for the tree and backfill. The crew has devised an efficient production line process for potting massive amounts of trees. Each bare root cutting is placed into an appropriately sized pot. The root section should fit into the pot without bing crowded at the bottom.
-
- Healthy bare root trees get off to a more vigorous start because their abundant, fibrous roots have already had a chance to develop unrestricted. The tree is placed at the same level it was grown by the nursery – where the roots start and the top shoots begin. If it’s in good condition, the plant should sprout leaves in the same year it is planted. If planted in spring, a bare root plant should have leaves by summer.
-
- The soil is then gently filled in around the roots, but not packed too tightly. The important thing is to keep the soil moist. Matthew then pats the soil gently around the roots to ensure good contact.
-
- As each tree is potted, it is placed in a row with all like specimens and the appropriate marker. Some of these have leaves, but most do not. Bare-root cuttings are difficult to identify when there are no leaves, so it is important to keep them separated by cultivar and always properly marked.
-
- While here, these trees will be watered and fed until they are more developed. I already have some ideas where these trees will go. Follow this blog and see where…
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
