No stakes, yielding guards and raw woodchip

1. The naturally regenerated birches appear to be doing well … Trees are the perfect example of how nature ignores humans.

2. Far too often tree stakes are tombstones. An old tree-man’s comment here is: ‘There’s a lot of wood in that there tree, boy.’ There is also a lot of plastic in the planting pit. This tree actually comprises just a twig arising from below the line of the nylon strimmer line’s work. The planters will still claim they have planted X number of trees but this is laid waste if the trees are then killed by grass maintenance. Razor-sharp garden shears, kneeling pads and thorn-proof gloves would never lead to HAVS and are still available. Nothing, however, beats mulching with woodchip.

3. These growers based in the Midlands produce rootballed standards on heavy clay. It would be good for students of economics to visit this nursery to see how a land-based business can be successful in every way. In our experience these heavy rootballs do not fall to pieces when the wire cages are removed. We remove the cages adjacent to the prepared planting pit as each individual tree is planted. Anyone in the UK can go and look at home-produced trees before buying. We always prefer home-grown to imported wrapped rootballs. Ninety-five percent of success in tree planting is in the way a tree is cared for between lifting in the nursery and backfilling in the planting pit. Roots must never be allowed to dry out or overheat.

Yielding guards

The free-standing polypropylene netting in image 4 prevents rabbits gaining access and because it yields, it frustrates deer. This type of cheap and easily replaced guard is also a good deterrent for vandals and occupies them long enough for them to forget about the tree. Strimmer operators only go near one of these guards once. Mulch keeps the mowers at distance.

Mulch and ground plants

The arboricultural industry creates many tons of woodchip co-product every year.

The woody part is just a series of parallel pipes which can hold and release water. Ramial woodchip is not just plentiful; it is dirt cheap, and it can be applied 10 minutes after it was cut. It is important not to mix raw woodchip mulch with the underlying soil and it should be graded towards the base of the tree so there is no direct contact with the stem. When earthworms get to the interface of the woodchip and soil, the interaction here produces the very best soil conditioner.

Some say that climate change should be renamed the global water crisis. Every single one of us in the UK can help by reducing the turnover of treated tap water. My experience is that generous mulching with woodchip often removes the need for watering, even for newly planted standard trees.

Trees also benefit greatly from co-evolved ground plants. Ramsons are nature’s tree medicine – a bit like garlic and turmeric for humans. Also, always consider companion planting. A succession of bulbs from snowdrop all the way to crimson flag lily significantly reduce maintenance when your standard tree is established. Another benefit is that strimmer operators do not like to smell like onions or to have daffodil rash!

4. This oak is in a public park. It was planted two years ago as an undercut bare-root, and in this case optimal firming of backfill was the most careful of all of the careful steps.

5. UK grown to British Standard 3936-1:1992 Nursery Stock and planted without a stake.

Slow down to speed up.

Cornwall had experienced a significant drought in 2025 before Storm Goretti hit land on 8th January 2026. Exceptional gusts felled as yet untold thousands of fully grown trees across the county. The vast majority would have been regarded by professional tree inspectors as an acceptable risk up to this point. Storm Goretti has also rendered many trees which are still standing an unacceptable risk. Stewards of historic Cornish gardens have compared the damage caused by Goretti to the 1977 storm which occurred after the 1976 drought.

How can we plan the planting of standard trees so that they can establish when subjected to extremes of weather?

1. Plant shorter, stockier trees.
2. Fully furnished trees (those with branches all the way down the stem) will pile on the increments faster and can be progressively pruned to chase them upwards.
3. Plant a light standard in a very windy location and a heavy standard in a sheltered one.
4. For drought resistance there is nothing like mulch for preventing evaporation.
5. Prolonged staking, irrigation and fertilizer slows down those roots which are searching out what will be their anchor and super-highway.

Drought leads to failure in mature trees – it is a global water crisis. Tree selection criteria can include species which exhibit hydraulic redistribution, which includes the ability to abstract water with deep roots and release it into the top soil through shallow roots during the night.

Arboriculture is all about observation. In my view arboriculturists need to slow down and observe in order to speed up planting success. When it comes to plant cultivation, someone has always been there before and the evidence is out there if we choose to find and use it.

One of the most important skills in contracting arboriculture is to get the maximum result for the minimum of effort. We don’t have to spend more on packaging than content. Let them be trees.

The open secrets to successful planting of standard trees are good selection, good handling and care in backfilling. The open secret to establishing standard trees is continued generous mulching with woodchip. That is right on the money.