Planting Bare-Root Trees in Scotland

A bare-rootA plant, usually a fruit tree or hedging, sold with its roots exposed rather than in a pot, and only available while dormant. Full definition → tree is lifted from the nursery field while fully dormant, with the soil shaken from its roots. The method works because the tree is dormant, so it has to be planted, or at least heeled in, before it wakes. In Scotland what limits that window is usually the ground, not the calendar: a frozen or waterlogged site cannot be planted, however well the date fits.

Bare-root trees cost less than container-grown ones, and the whole root system comes with the tree, not just what fitted in a pot. The trade-off is availability: bare-root stock is sold only in winter and early spring, while dormant, and is harder to obtain than container stock. Buy from a reputable nursery and check the roots on arrival; ash dieback was first confirmed in UK nurseries and spreads with the movement of diseased plants, so where a tree came from matters.

Scotland's planting window: why the ground decides

The standard planting season runs November to March and can stretch a bit longer in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Forestry and Land Scotland works to October to March, and stores some of its young trees frozen to hold them in dormancy so they can be planted later in the season.

Dormant stock tolerates a light frost better than most people expect, but it cannot go into ground that is frozen solid, and it should not go into ground that is waterlogged. Soil worked or walked on when wet loses its structure and becomes puddled and compacted, which is slow to put right, and once wetted by winter rain clay soil often cannot be worked or walked on until mid-spring. That is a soil-structure problem, not a cold one, and it can outlast the frost season by weeks. A tree can go in on a day that is still within the local frost window if the ground underfoot is workable. Frost timing by area is set out in frost dates by region.

Workability comes down to soil type and rainfall more than temperature. Scotland carries a higher share of podzols, peat and gleys than Europe as a whole:

The Highlands and Southern Uplands are dominated by peaty soils, especially in the west, and the Central Valley by mineral soils. Rainfall follows the same split:

The soils in both eastern and western Scotland are usually near saturation in winter and early spring, exactly when bare-root season falls. On free-drainingSoil that lets water pass through quickly rather than pooling, so roots aren't sitting in wet ground after rain. Full definition → ground near the east coast, dry days in the dormant season are more likely to be workable. On heavy, peaty or gley ground further west or at altitude, the safe end of the season can arrive later than the calendar, or the local frost dates, suggest. The same exposed sites are windier, which is worth factoring into how firmly a new tree needs staking.

Reading your own ground before you dig

None of this is postcode destiny: a coastal, sandy plot can drain freely anywhere in Scotland, and a heavy clay pocket can turn up in an easy garden. Check the ground, not the date. Avoid digging clay when it is wet and claggy, avoid working any wet soil at all (rotavating it does the most harm), and leave frozen ground alone. If a spade sticks, smears rather than crumbles, or the ground squelches underfoot, it isn't ready.

On heavy or slow-draining ground you can still plant once conditions allow. Plant on a slight mound to keep the roots above the wettest layer, and avoid smearing the sides of the hole or leaving a sealed pit that fills with water; fork through compacted soil at the base and sides. Where the whole plot stays wet for long stretches, choose a tree suited to wet soil, willows being the usual example, rather than fighting the site with drainage work alone.

How to plant a bare-root tree

Soak the roots, and check them over

If the roots look moist on arrival, soak them for about half an hour; if they look dry, up to two hours. Spread the roots out so none are cramped or doubled back, and cut back any that are obviously damaged with a clean cut rather than a ragged one.

Dig the hole wide, not deep

Dig a hole no deeper than the roots and ideally at least three times the diameter of the root system. Spread the roots across the base, and loosen the sides so roots can push out into the surrounding soil rather than circling back on themselves.

Get the depth right

Position the tree so the first flare of the roots is level with the soil surface when planting is finished, not buried under it (on a mound, level with the top of the mound). The nursery mark, often visible as a colour change on the bark, is a guide. Planting too deep is a common cause of failure: it stops air reaching the roots and leaves the lower trunk more vulnerable to disease.

Backfill with plain soil, and firm it in

Place soil between and around all the roots to remove air pockets, then firm it gently. Fertiliser at planting is not beneficial, and there is little evidence that adding organic matter to the bottom of the hole helps, so plain soil, well firmed, does the job.

Stake if the tree needs it

Small trees generally do not need staking. Larger or top-heavy specimens do. A young tree on an exposed site may need a stake, and a firmer one, more than the same tree on a sheltered plot. Check the tie in spring and autumn so it never constricts the stem, and expect to remove the stake after about two growing seasons, when the tree's own roots should anchor it.

Water it in, and mulch, keeping the mulch off the trunk

Water thoroughly straight after planting. In dry weather in the growing season, give about 30–50 litres per square metre (four to six watering cans) a week for the first couple of seasons. On high-rainfall western or upland ground that may rarely be needed in practice, and a free-draining east-coast garden is more likely to need it followed through. Keep a vegetation-free circle at least 1.2m across for the first three years so grass and weeds do not compete for water. MulchA layer of material spread over the soil around plants to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and improve soil structure as it breaks down. Full definition → at least 5cm deep in late autumn to late winter, and leave a 10cm collar free of mulch around the stem: mulch piled against the bark holds moisture there and can cause rot.

Guard against animals

A newly planted trunk is vulnerable to mice, voles, rabbits and deer, all of which can ring-bark it, stripping the bark in a ring and cutting off the flow of water and food between roots and canopy. Browsing by deer is a known cause of young trees failing to establish in Scotland, and roe deer in particular are a problem for young trees in the Central Belt. A tree spiral or wire guard fitted at planting is worth doing even in gardens that do not feel rural, since damage in the first weeks is rarely something a young tree recovers from.

The same steps apply whatever the species. The apples, pears and plums growing guides carry their own spacing, rootstockThe root system and lower stem a fruit tree is grafted onto, chosen to control the tree's eventual size rather than for its own fruit. Full definition → and pollination-partner notes.

If the ground isn't ready when your tree arrives

A bare-root tree can arrive in a hard frost or a wet spell that has made the ground unworkable, and on wet or heavy ground that can last weeks within the dormant season, so it is worth being ready.

The standard answer is to heel it in, a temporary planting that stops the roots drying out. Use a sheltered spot with workable soil: dig a trench in a border, or use a raised bed or a large tub of compost if the open ground is frozen or too wet. Then lay the roots in at an angle, and backfillThe soil (sometimes improved with grit or compost) used to fill the gap around a plant's roots after it's placed in its planting hole. Full definition → firmly so no air pockets are left around them. Keep the trench sheltered from strong sun and drying wind. A dormant tree handled this way should sit safely for several weeks. There is no fixed deadline; the need is to keep the roots moist and cool.

If the ground is frozen too hard even for a temporary trench, keep the roots wrapped and just damp in the bag they arrived in, with a little water added if they have dried out. Store them somewhere cold but frost-free, such as an unheated shed or garage, until the ground softens or a container of compost can become the temporary home. Keep the roots moist and cool and do not let them dry out: a dormant tree tolerates the wait far better than being forcedCovering plants to exclude light and speed early, tender growth in the dark, most associated with rhubarb and sea kale in late winter. Full definition → into ground that is not ready.

Common questions

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