Winter is the best time to plant bare rooted stock.
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Sophie’s orchard is well established, with more than 100 fruit and nut trees planted since 2011, but there’s still room for a few more fruit trees and winter is the best time to plant bare-rooted stock.

The orchard was planted out in rows, with trees spaced 3 - 4m apart, depending on the variety. Sophie says that this is relatively close planting and as a result, the trees are stunted in size but are productive. They are pruned low so Sophie can pick without ladders and pruned to restrict growth.

Sophie is replacing trees that have been damaged by her geese, (not damaged by disease) so she is safe to replant in the same area.
Bare rooted trees are dug from the ground when dormant in early winter, then stored in sawdust in the nursery until bought. Before planting, remove all the sawdust around the roots and put the tree in a bucket of water with weak seaweed solution to keep the roots moist while you prepare for planting:

Pull back any mulch
Dig the hole as deep as the roots but twice as wide. If the soil is heavy, applying a clay-breaker such as gypsum can help.
Check the roots for any broken bits, which you should prune off. Try to keep the fibrous roots as they absorb water and nutrients.
Check the trunk to see what level the soil was at before and don’t plant any deeper. For grafted trees, the graft should be at least 10cm above the ground.
Create a small mound in the middle of the hole and spread out the trees roots over this.
Backfill and replace the mulch, leaving the trunk free to avoid collar rot. In dry areas, create a ‘moat’ around the edge of the hole to direct water to the tree’s roots.
No need to fertilise at this point; wait until spring.

Prune your new tree quite hard after planting. Trees lose a lot of their root system when they are dug out of the paddock where they’ve been growing, so it’s essential you prune back to the top to compensate. It also helps create a good shape.

Sophie cuts the central leader right down to create a vase shape, then prunes back the main 3-4 branches to an outward-facing bud, which will develop into good strong branches. She then protects the tree with a new guard to keep the geese out!

Bare root season lasts from June to August, so get out there and get planting fruit and nut trees.

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