Rootballed Season

It’s hard to believe the year is flying by so quickly and after a super busy season on the nursery, we are with the Rootballed season being upon us ALREADY!

The semi-mature trees that we have planted in our fields, are allowed to grow in open ground and so the have are healthy and with great root structures. As more mature trees, they have been allowed to grow over a good number of years with the right amount of care, pruning and special care to their root structure. If the roots are allowed to grow too extensively it will not only make the tree too hard to move, it will also mean the root structure is not as strong ,although this and some careful pruning does mean the head is not as big as if it was left to it’s own devices. This is to the benefit of the tree long term and does make it an awful lot easier to move the trees to their new homes too.  We are the premier supplier in Ireland of Rootballed and Mature trees to the General Public and so our range is extensive and we have a large supply, making sure we always have availability of what you want is imperative to us.

Why do we Rootball Trees and Hedging?
Once a tree reaches a certain size it requires the stability of a Rootball to ensure it has the best possible start, that is usually 14-16cm in deciduous trees and dependent on size but is usually the case for most Evergreen Trees. These trees are specially selected and then lifted from the field and these trees have their root system carefully enclosed and held in place with hessian, which ensures the soil remains in contact with the roots throughout lifting, transportation and planting operations. Our root-ball trees have been prepared by being ‘undercut’ i.e. root pruned or transplanted several times (every 3 years for Deciduous and 4 years for Evergreen) to encourage the development of a fibrous root system. Don’t worry we won’t charge you extra for some of our fab Caragh Soil!!

Rootballed Hedging is lifted in the same way and is for more mature hedging and also for the majority of Evergreen Hedges, again this encourages the best possible root system for your mature and Evergreen Hedging plants. As one of the leading suppliers of Rootballed and Mature Hedging in Ireland we have a great selection including Laurel, Portuguese Laurel, Box, Yew, Conifers and much more.

What are the benefits of Buying Rootballed Hedging for you?
The hessian and wire are biodegradable and therefore there is no packaging waste to dispose of ⋅ The cost of a rootballed tree can be less than a containerised tree ⋅ They’re easy to handle when planting ⋅ They have a good establishment rate as they’re planted in the dormant winter months.

Some Planting Tips for Rootballed Trees..
Firstly when you have your holes dug, just a touch larger than the rootball size (if you want to prepare those in advance just ask for the size when ordering)⋅ Do not remove the hessian or wire. The hessian will naturally rot down allowing the root system to develop. The wire will break down some time after planting ⋅ Leaving the hessian in place helps to maintain the completeness of the root system. Back fill with a good soil enricher or multi purpose compost, firm down around the plant with a spade or your heel, but not too hard.  Water in well and stake if necessary or if you are in a windy area, even hedging might need some support if it is a windy spot, again just ask its what we are here for.  Fertiliser is not necessary at this time of year as there is no growth but my recommendation is to use a good quality slow release fertiliser from say mid March, this should do right through to June and then one more application. Here is what we recommend to use  Fertilisers

If the weather is very dry over the winter with the added wind then do give your new trees or plants a quick water just to ensure their root health and come the Spring please ensure that, especially in the first season that they don’t dry out. This little investment in year one will ensure you get the very best start in their new home.  It is always key in dry times that you take the time to water your gardenand a regular feed will keep everything lush.

As the season has caught me off guard yet again I better be away and get the remainder of the new stock on the website but for now all our rootballed trees and hedging are available to order and lifted accordingly. Next week we will look at which options of trees are best for each circumstance, until then happy gardening and remember that time spent in the garden is beneficial to mind and body.