Buying trees online
Paulsen30
Posts: 6
Hi!
I am going to buy about 14 small trees and shrubs with online shop. The price is good and I would like small trees to grow them.
The delivery times are from 5 - 14 days...
Do you have any experience with buying trees online and shipment? I am afraid the trees would get a shock and lack of sunlight can do damage, make them drop leaves,...
0
Posts
I TAKE IT THEY ARE POT GROWN AND NOT BARE ROOT AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.
PERSONALLY, I WOULDN'T RISK IT. TREES ARE MOSTLY GROWING WELL AND IN FULL LEAF NOW, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS SUCH AS ASH AND SYCAMORE. THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF DAMAGE TO TWIGS, BUDS AND WHO PROBABLY NEW ROOTS.
I WOULD SAVE MYSELF THE WORRY, TROUBLE, HEARTACHE AND INCONVENIENCE OF HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE DAMAGE. I WOULD PAY A BIT MORE, GO TO A LOCAL GARDEN CENTRE OR NURSERY AND ASK THEM TO DELIVER. SHORTER JOURNEY TIME, MAN ON THE SPOT AS THEY ARRIVE ETC ETC. WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY.
IF IT IS GOING TO RAIN HARD AND YOU LIVE ON HEAVY CLAY SOIL, I WOULD ALSO HOLD OFF DIGGING YOURSELF 14 POTENTIAL GARDEN PONDS.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
At the nursery you also get to select the nicest specimens. Try visiting a few, they do vary in stock and pricing quite a lot.
So its bad idea to buy potted trees and do not plant them, when you get them. I was going to let them grow in a pot till end of a season and then plant them. I wanted to save some money, because I could get trees from direct suppliers and not resellers.
Is there any way you could buy them not during their growing period, but even bare rooted and in autumn?
They will be cheaper and be far less stressed, so long as you heed others' advice and go with a very reputable supplier.
Tempting as it is to get them now, I would hold off until autumn with the trees, if you can.
Last edited: 26 April 2017 09:54:03
It all depends on the supplier and how they are being sent. I just bought 4 two year old bare root trees from blackmoor nurseries and they were excellent, pruned back exactly how they should be, very clear with the times and were sent out by a 24 hour courier. By far the most reasonably priced as well.
its all about the rootstock. Some rootstocks are perfectly happy to live in a pot forever, some will out grow the pot in time. If the pot is a decent size then you can keep any tree in it for a good while so long as you feed them. The downside will be that if they are potentially enomous trees then they won't grow as fast as if they were in the ground.
Good point Learnincurve - and 24 couriers will make all the difference.
The delivery times are vague but I wouldn't be too concerned about them being stuck in a depot for days on end. The vendor will probably have them sent next-day delivery when they have stock of all items or the time to get yours and other orders despatched. It's in their interests to supply healthy plants as you can refuse to accept them if they're in poor condition.
Have never had a problem with damage except for Italian Cypress trees that had small areas of foliage crushed during transit. The areas turned brown after a few weeks and have not yet recovered (probably never will), but these trees are notoriously delicate. If your shrub & tree choice are of more resilient varieties, you should fine.
Planting in Autumn is ideal but as long as the ground is suitable i.e. you have the necessary soil drainage, PH and nutrient requirements for each type of plant prepared before planting, you should be OK to do it now. It's worth doing some homework for each type to find what condition is ideal for each.
I have normal soil and will get potted Acer palmatum cultivars and some bushes. The size of the pot will be from 7 - 9 cm (3 - 3,5 inch). The cultivars will be up till 25 cm (10 inch) high.
Should I plant them in the soil now or wait till end of season and continue to grow them in pots till autumn?
I want to grow them fast and my soil is solid.
Grow them on in pots and look after them as they are tiny. Given good care they should grow away well. I would also keep them sheltered over winter in a quiet corner away from deep frosts and strong winds and then either pot them on again next spring or plant them out depending on their size..
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Oh acers are absolute pigs to keep alive. I disagree Very Strongly with the RHS classifying them as easy, they are not easy, not easy at all. Order them in May when you are absolutely sure there will be no frost and then baby them over winter with fleece and they must absolutely be out of the wind. My new 2-3ft acer took one heck of a beating over the last few days of bad weather and I've had to dig it up and plant it back in a pot to try and save it. I don't think it will ever go back in the ground unless it gets so tall I can't find a pot big enough. Will be easier to control the water and feeding in the pot.