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Notebook · Guide 1 October 2026 · seasonal

Planting bare-root trees, roses and hedging: the cheap way to plant

Bare-root plants are cheaper and establish well. How to soak, how deep to plant, why trees don't want compost in the hole, and how to stake low.

seasonalsave your money
A bare-root young tree with its roots soaking in a bucket of water.
1Soak bare roots for about 30 minutes before planting.

Bare-root plants are dug from the field while dormant and sold without a pot or soil. They're usually much cheaper than the same plant in a container, there's more choice, and planted properly they establish just as well. The catch is timing: they're a winter thing, and their roots must never dry out.

In pictures

  1. A cutaway side view of a planting hole for a bare-root tree: wide shallow hole about three times the root spread, roots spread out, and the first root flare level with the soil surface.
    2A wide, shallow hole, with the top roots level with the soil surface.
  2. A newly planted young tree with a short stake driven in between its roots on one side, the tie fixed low at about a third of the tree's height.
    3A short stake, with the tie low — about a third of the way up the trunk.
  3. A newly planted bare-root rose in a cutaway view with the knobbly graft union sitting at soil level.
    4Bare-root roses: the knobbly graft union sits at soil level.

01At a glance

  • When: bare-root trees, shrubs and hedging come on sale from about November. Plant any time the soil isn't frozen or waterlogged. Roses: late autumn at leaf fall, or late winter to early spring before growth starts.
  • Can't plant yet? "Heel them in" — lay them in a shallow trench and cover the roots with soil until conditions improve.
  • Tools: spade, fork, bucket, stake and tie for trees.

02Step by step

  1. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for about 30 minutes before planting. Keep them covered until they go in the ground — dry roots are the main way bare-root plants fail.
  2. Dig a wide hole — at least three times the spread of the roots — but no deeper than the roots need.
  3. Get the depth right. The point where the first roots flare out from the stem should sit level with the soil surface. Planting too deep invites disease. For roses, the graft union (the knobbly bit where the stems meet the rootstock) sits at soil level.
  4. Trees: put the stake in first. For bare-root trees, drive the stake in before backfilling so it sits between the roots, on the side the wind usually comes from.
  5. Backfill with the soil you dug out. For trees and most shrubs, don't add compost or organic matter to the hole — the RHS says there's little evidence it helps and it can hinder establishment. Roses are the exception: fork at least a bucket of well-rotted organic matter per square metre into the top 20–30cm of soil.
  6. Firm gently with your heel and water in well.
  7. Tie trees low. Fix the tie about 40–50cm above ground, roughly a third of the tree's height. Small trees may not need a stake at all.
  8. Mulch, leaving a 10cm collar of bare soil around the stem.

03Aftercare

  • Water through the first summer in dry weather — around 30–50 litres per square metre a week. Roses for at least two summers.
  • Check tree ties at least once a year so they don't cut into the bark.
  • Remove the stake after about two growing seasons (anywhere from 18 months to three years).

04Replanting a rose where a rose grew before?

Roses can suffer replant disease in soil where roses grew before. The RHS fix is to replace the soil in the planting area rather than rely on products.

05Mistakes to avoid

  • Planting too deep.
  • Letting roots dry out on the way from car to hole.
  • Staking high. A low stake lets the trunk flex and strengthen.
  • Leaving ties and stakes on for years.
Save your money
Buy bare-root for hedges. It's often far cheaper per metre than potted hedging.
Skip compost for tree holes. It isn't needed.
Mycorrhizal fungi products aren't needed on reasonable soil. The RHS says they may help on poor soils; if you do use one, don't add fertiliser, which can suppress the fungi.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — Trees and shrubs: planting · RHS — How to stake a tree · RHS — Roses: planting · RHS — Replant disease

Checked 1 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.