Tree Planting AcrossSurrey And Kent:The Right Tree, In The Right Place

The ground across Surrey and Kent changes character over short distances. Heavy Wealden clay around parts of Oxted, Edenbridge and Godstone holds water and can waterlog root systems in winter, while it bakes hard and cracks in summer, species like field maple, hornbeam and oak tolerate this far better than trees that prefer sharp drainage. Greensand ridges around Reigate and Westerham drain faster and dry out sooner, suiting species more tolerant of drought once established, such as birch or many of the sorbus family.

Aspect and exposure matter alongside soil. A windswept boundary near Crawley or open ground near East Grinstead calls for a species and stake plan that can handle wind rock in the early years, while a sheltered town garden in Bromley or Redhill has more flexibility. Getting this wrong doesn't usually kill a tree outright, it produces one that limps along, checks its growth every dry summer, and never becomes the specimen it was bought to be.

Bare-root stock is lifted from the nursery field with no soil around the roots, available only through the dormant season from autumn to early spring. It establishes well and is cost-effective for hedging and whips, but it must go in quickly after lifting and cannot sit around waiting.

Root-balled stock is lifted with soil intact around the roots, wrapped in hessian and wire, and suits larger specimen trees planted in the dormant season. Container-grown stock can technically be planted at any time of year because the root system is undisturbed, but it needs the most attentive watering through its first summer since the roots have been confined to a small volume of compost that dries faster than open ground.

The single most common technical error in amateur planting is burying the root flare, the point where the trunk widens out into the main roots, below ground level. It should sit at or just above the final soil level. The planting pit needs to be considerably wider than the root ball, with the sides broken up rather than left glazed and compacted by a spade or auger, particularly on clay, where a smooth-sided pit can act like a plant pot and trap water against the roots.

Where clay drainage is a known issue, planting slightly proud of the surrounding grade, with the pit backfilled to encourage water to move away rather than pool, reduces the risk of waterlogging killing the roots over winter.

A stake exists to hold the root ball still in the ground while roots establish, not to hold the whole tree rigid, over-staking prevents the trunk flexing in wind, which is exactly the movement that builds trunk taper and strength. Ties need checking and loosening as the trunk thickens, and stakes are normally removed after one to two growing seasons once the root system has anchored.

A mulch ring around the base, kept clear of the trunk itself, suppresses competing grass and weeds and holds moisture in the root zone. Watering is the part most new trees miss out on: a newly planted tree, particularly container or root-balled stock, needs a thorough soak weekly through dry spells for its first two summers, not just whenever it's convenient, this is the single biggest factor in whether a new tree establishes or quietly fails.

If a previous tree stood on or near the planting spot, its stump and root system should ideally be ground out before the new tree goes in. A decomposing stump competes for water and nutrients, and on species susceptible to honey fungus, a root-rotting fungus that spreads through the soil via rhizomorphs, planting a new susceptible species close to old infected wood can lead to it being infected too.

Stump grinding also gives a clean, workable planting pit rather than one obstructed by old roots, which matters more than people expect when trying to get a new root ball properly bedded in at the correct depth.