So, to bareroot or not to bareroot?

No - we don’t sell bare root trees, here’s why…

Walk into most nurseries in winter and the bareroot trees are stacked up, big flashy signs showing their discounted price and pushing the urgency of sale. Dormant, no soil, the roots have been hacked off or broken off and you have no idea if they have been damaged by frost or left to dry out. It's cheap and for the right gardener it works fine. But like everything in life, you get what you pay for. 

So what’s all the fuss about?

A bareroot tree has been lifted out of the ground while it's asleep. Every fine feeder root that was doing the real work got left behind in the field. What you're carrying to the car is the trunk, the main roots and a head start on transplant shock. Plant it well and keep the water up and it'll usually come good. Plant it in a busy week, forget it for a fortnight, hit a dry spell, and you're staring at a dead stick by spring.

Evidence shows that the success rate of a bare root trees can be around 80-90% for trees that are well looked after prior to planting, prepared correctly and looked after post planting. If the trees have been let to dry out or not planted correctly this success rate can often be as low as 50%. Now just think, are you really getting a bargain?

We decided a long time ago that we didn't want to hand our customers that gamble.

What we do instead

Some of our deciduous trees still start with bareroot stock. That part's the same as everyone else. The difference is what happens next.

We collect our stock directly from the grower, it is cared for in our truck and bedded into holding boxes using premium potting mix straight away so the roots are kept moist. Next step, our trees are graded for quality and the correct pot size is chosen to suit the root ball. All our stock is then soaked in a rooting hormone and Seasol to help with transplant shock. 

Potting day arrives and the trees receive a root and branch reduction prune by our team, before being planted into a pot and treated with premium potting mix, slow-release fertiliser and gypsum. Next we install is a bamboo cane attached with rubbers along the central leader to ensure it grows straight and is supported in the wind. A final step is the placement of a coir weed mat to ensure your tree doesn’t arrive full of feral weeds.

It is then put out onto our tree rows where it is cared for between 6-12 months until it has a full pot of roots and the branching structure is perfect for planting. This will often include 2-3 follow up prunes during this time to ensure it is the perfect shape. 

By the time it is ready for sale, the root system has rebuilt itself inside that pot and it is bursting with life thanks to our nurturing team. 

Why it matters once it's in your ground

A tree with an active root system handles the move to your place far better than one without. When you plant something we've grown on, the roots are already alive and feeding. The tree keeps drinking, keeps holding its shape and has a root system to support nutrients and moisture take up.

We have done all the hard work, we have copped the losses and the tree you are buying is the successful tree, that is now perfectly acclimatised for our region.

It also means you're not locked into the bareroot calendar. Potted trees can go in the ground any time of year. Bare rooted trees have a short season, and once the tree wakes up, the window closes.

Are they really that cheap?

Well if you believe the flashy signs and sales pitch from a nursery desperate to move stock in a short time then yes…. But knowing what you know now, considering the unknowns, the failure rates and the lack of care, preparation and the fact that our potted trees are often only 10-20% more, are you really getting a better deal buying bare root?

Not every tree is built for Ballarat

We only grow on plants and trees that actually cope in our region. Cold, frost, wet winters, the dry and hot summers. Plenty of bareroot stock gets shipped around the country with no consideration for local conditions. We're choosing varieties we know hold up in this climate, then giving them months in the pot to prove they're strong before they reach you.

When you ask us about a tree, you're getting an answer from someone who potted it up, watched it through a season, and knows how it behaves in the ground a few suburbs from yours. We did the hard work last year ready for you to do the work this winter.

So if you love a project, know how to plant, are happy to baby a tree through its first months and be prepared to have losses, then bare root is a cheap way to fill a garden.

But if you'd rather plant something that's already established, selected and nurtured by a professional team who takes pride in their stock, then visit us and see the difference for yourself.

Book your one on one nursery tour here.