Question 1

What is a bare root plant, and when should you plant one?

Accepted Answer

A plant lifted from the ground during dormancy and sold **without any soil around its roots** — cheaper, frequently establishing better than a potted equivalent, and available only for a few months a year.

**How it works.** Deciduous trees, shrubs, roses, hedging and fruit are grown in field soil, lifted while **dormant** in autumn or winter, and supplied with bare roots wrapped to prevent drying. They are planted before growth resumes in spring.

**Why they are worth seeking out:**

**Substantially cheaper** — frequently a fraction of the cost of the same plant in a container, which matters enormously for hedging where dozens are needed.

**Better root systems.** A field-grown root system has not been confined by a pot, so there is no **spiralling** or root circling — a genuine and persistent problem with container-grown stock that can restrict a plant permanently.

**Faster establishment**, because roots go directly into the surrounding soil rather than having to grow out of a distinct pot-shaped block of different compost.

**Far easier to transport and handle**, with no heavy pots.

**Greater choice.** Specialist nurseries offer many more varieties bare root than in containers.

**The constraints:**

**The season is short** — roughly November to March in the UK, depending on conditions.

**Roots must not dry out.** This is the critical point: even brief exposure to wind or sun can kill fine roots. Keep them wrapped and moist, and plant promptly.

**If you cannot plant immediately**, **heel them in** — dig a shallow trench, lay the plants at an angle, and cover the roots with soil. They will keep for weeks this way.

**Do not plant into frozen or waterlogged ground.**

**How to plant:** soak the roots for an hour or two beforehand; dig a hole wide enough for the roots to spread without bending, and **no deeper than the plant grew before** — the soil mark on the stem is visible; firm gently; water in; and mulch, keeping the mulch off the stem.

**Do not add rich compost to the hole**, which encourages roots to stay within it rather than exploring outward.

**Staking** is needed for standards and anything exposed, low and loose.

Question 2

What is the difference between a plug plant, a seedling and a potted plant?

Accepted Answer

Size and stage of development, which determine the price, how much care they need, and how soon they will do anything. Seeds. Cheapest by a wide margin, greatest choice of varieties, and the most

Question 3

What is a rootstock and why does it matter for fruit trees?

Accepted Answer

A rootstock is the root system a fruit tree is grafted onto. The scion — the variety you actually want, such as a Cox or a Bramley — is joined to it, and the rootstock determines much of how the tree

Question 4

How far do tree roots actually spread?

Accepted Answer

Much wider and much shallower than the popular image of a mirror-image underground canopy — the great majority of a tree's roots sit in the top 60 centimetres of soil and extend well beyond the

Question 5

How do you take a cutting, and what are the different types?

Accepted Answer

By removing a piece of stem and inducing it to produce roots — and the type of cutting is determined by how mature the wood is, which in turn determines when you take it and how you treat it. Why it

Question 6

What does pruning actually do to a plant?

Accepted Answer

It redirects growth rather than simply removing material — and understanding the mechanism is what turns pruning from guesswork into something predictable. The central principle: apical dominance.

Question 7

Why are weeds so successful?

Accepted Answer

Because the plants we call weeds are specialists in disturbed ground, and a garden is disturbed ground maintained deliberately — we create exactly the conditions they evolved for, then wonder why

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