Thanks for your reply and warm welcome. My tree has finally arrived and it has arrived with a myriad of information. Not only does it say plant within 48 hrs but if the weather is poor, wait til spring but in the meantime it needs to be heeled in in soiless compost. It also says I have to prune it but there's nothing to prime, it's just a bare stick? I am so confuddled. I have no idea what soiless compost is either. I guess I need more advice.
I have been told well rotted manure is also good rather than the fungal root stuff. The tree instructions say to use Epsom salts and grow more.
It can be totally overwhelming, there is no correct way of growing, almost all of us will have a different way, and all of these will work.
Dont worry too much, if you put your tree in the ground without adding anything, it will grow, the rest of the stuff is really just to get as good growth as you can, but are not essential
My way is to have the soil in good condition, so that means muck dug in or used as a mulch year on year, i would add the miccro fungi stuff on the roots at planting, like i say, we will all have a different way. The biggest thing is to keep it watered.
I promise you, you wont kill it if you simply plant it
As far as pruning goes, that leaflet is for everyone who gets a tree, some trees will have scabby or broken bits after delivery, if yours has nothing to prune, then dont worry about it. You probably wont need to prune until the autumn
Your hail got to wolverhampton! Snow forcast today!
Dig over the area where you want to plant the tree and dig in some bulky organic matter as you do it (this could be homemade garden compost or leaf mould or well rotted farmyard manure or well rotted horse muck or even an old bag or two of multi purpose compost).
Then dig a really nice big hole in this enriched soil and (as you plant the tree) sprinkle just a little of the fungi over the roots and the base of the hole. But the fungi is just an extra boost some of us like to use. It is good but definitely not essential.
Knock a tree stake in before filling the hole - (that way you won't push it through the rootball) and gently firm the soil around the roots with your boot as you're filling the hole.
Water well after planting and put a 3 - 4" layer of compost or leaf mould mulch over the soil to help retain moisture. You probably wont need to do much else with it for a while, but when it starts getting warmer and drier I would water it once a week for this first summer unless the soil is already clearly damp.
If you can't plant the tree in the ground straight away I would do the following:
If it it's in a pot it will be fine until you can put it in - just dont let it dry out or blow over
If it is bare root & you need to leave it more than a day or so I would either just dig a hole, bung it in & cover it over until you can do it properly (called heeling in - forget about the soiless compost bit)
Alternatively, if the ground is frozen or you are short of space, you could find a big plastic pot and pot the tree up in multi purpose compost & just look after it until planting conditions are more favourable (just think of it as a giant pot plant).
At a push you could soak the rootball for a couple of hours then wrap the roots in damp newspaper or old towels and place the root ball in a bin bag. This will keep it all damp ( but not saturated) - but, personally, I wouldn't want to keep a tree like that for more than a few days as there is a risk the roots could start to rot.
As Bekkie says - if you just dug a hole in the ground and stuck the tree in - it would probably grow away just fine. By improving the soil first you are simply giving it a head start.
Don't put it in the ground if the ground is frozen or covered in snow (quite possible where you are this weekend)
If that's the case I would pot it up & wait till the weather is a bit better.
Good luck. Don't worry about it too much - a tree is just a bigger plant. It wants to grow for you.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Thanks again for your comforting words and advice.
I am going to pot it up Saturday and treat the soil it's going into with a bag of rotted manure, then I'm hot footing it (essential in the snow!) to Le centre de jardin and buying some of that root fungus stuff.
I am forever indebted to you both for your wisdom and hope I can return the favour to you one day.
I shall update you on progress over the weekend.
Stay safe and warm in these hazardous conditions. (I recommend lots of brews/Jaffa cakes and reading of gardening mags)
Root fungus stuff isnt at all garden centres im afraid, sorry, try rootgrow.com (or co.uk), you dont want a wasted jouney in this weather! You only need a tiny amount- probably a handful or two, so dont get the big pack!
Thanks for letting me know that. I thought all garden centres stocked that sort of stuff (I am a bit of a dingbat!) .... I shall try the tinterweb, thanks.
Posts
Thanks for your reply and warm welcome. My tree has finally arrived and it has arrived with a myriad of information. Not only does it say plant within 48 hrs but if the weather is poor, wait til spring but in the meantime it needs to be heeled in in soiless compost. It also says I have to prune it but there's nothing to prime, it's just a bare stick?
I have been told well rotted manure is also good rather than the fungal root stuff. The tree instructions say to use Epsom salts and grow more.
Oh well. More research I guess.
Have a great day and thanks again.
It can be totally overwhelming, there is no correct way of growing, almost all of us will have a different way, and all of these will work.
Dont worry too much, if you put your tree in the ground without adding anything, it will grow, the rest of the stuff is really just to get as good growth as you can, but are not essential
My way is to have the soil in good condition, so that means muck dug in or used as a mulch year on year, i would add the miccro fungi stuff on the roots at planting, like i say, we will all have a different way. The biggest thing is to keep it watered.
I promise you, you wont kill it if you simply plant it
As far as pruning goes, that leaflet is for everyone who gets a tree, some trees will have scabby or broken bits after delivery, if yours has nothing to prune, then dont worry about it. You probably wont need to prune until the autumn
Your hail got to wolverhampton! Snow forcast today!
Dig over the area where you want to plant the tree and dig in some bulky organic matter as you do it (this could be homemade garden compost or leaf mould or well rotted farmyard manure or well rotted horse muck or even an old bag or two of multi purpose compost).
Then dig a really nice big hole in this enriched soil and (as you plant the tree) sprinkle just a little of the fungi over the roots and the base of the hole. But the fungi is just an extra boost some of us like to use. It is good but definitely not essential.
Knock a tree stake in before filling the hole - (that way you won't push it through the rootball) and gently firm the soil around the roots with your boot as you're filling the hole.
Water well after planting and put a 3 - 4" layer of compost or leaf mould mulch over the soil to help retain moisture. You probably wont need to do much else with it for a while, but when it starts getting warmer and drier I would water it once a week for this first summer unless the soil is already clearly damp.
If you can't plant the tree in the ground straight away I would do the following:
If it it's in a pot it will be fine until you can put it in - just dont let it dry out or blow over
If it is bare root & you need to leave it more than a day or so I would either just dig a hole, bung it in & cover it over until you can do it properly (called heeling in - forget about the soiless compost bit)
Alternatively, if the ground is frozen or you are short of space, you could find a big plastic pot and pot the tree up in multi purpose compost & just look after it until planting conditions are more favourable (just think of it as a giant pot plant).
At a push you could soak the rootball for a couple of hours then wrap the roots in damp newspaper or old towels and place the root ball in a bin bag. This will keep it all damp ( but not saturated) - but, personally, I wouldn't want to keep a tree like that for more than a few days as there is a risk the roots could start to rot.
As Bekkie says - if you just dug a hole in the ground and stuck the tree in - it would probably grow away just fine. By improving the soil first you are simply giving it a head start.
Don't put it in the ground if the ground is frozen or covered in snow (quite possible where you are this weekend)
If that's the case I would pot it up & wait till the weather is a bit better.
Good luck. Don't worry about it too much - a tree is just a bigger plant. It wants to grow for you.
Thanks again for your comforting words and advice.
I am going to pot it up Saturday and treat the soil it's going into with a bag of rotted manure, then I'm hot footing it (essential in the snow!
I am forever indebted to you both for your wisdom and hope I can return the favour to you one day.
I shall update you on progress over the weekend.
Stay safe and warm in these hazardous conditions. (I recommend lots of brews/Jaffa cakes and reading of gardening mags)
Cheers
Charmaine.
Thanks for letting me know that. I thought all garden centres stocked that sort of stuff (I am a bit of a dingbat!) .... I shall try the tinterweb, thanks.
Have a fab, frost bite free day.
Don't forget to stake it - here's how http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/creative-projects/how-to-plant-an-apple-tree/13.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.