• The trees you receive from us will be bare-rooted – they travel in bags without soil. They are easy to handle and very tough.

• The trees are between 20 cm and a metre tall depending on species. The majority of the trees will be 40-60 cm.

• You may be surprised at how small the trees are when you receive them. They will not have leaves and will be like small twigs with roots.
  Don’t worry that they are so small and young. A tree planted at this size settle in quickly and likely outgrow a much larger tree within a few years.

• The trees are all native species, grown in Ireland from certified Irish provenance seed.

• If you will need passports or provenance certificates for your planting, please email to us and we will arrange to send them just after your trees are delivered.

• It is important that you check you have the right trees as soon as possible after they are delivered to you. There will be a delivery docket in your box or bag of trees with a list of exactly what is in your delivery. Please contact us (info@treesontheland.com) if you have any queries about your trees when they arrive.

• You should plant your trees within a day or two of receiving them if possible.

• The trees are bare-rooted – they travel in bags without soil. They are easy to handle and very tough.

• Store your bags of trees in a cool place, in a shed, porch or sheltered outside spot is ideal. Keep them out of direct sunlight, away from heaters and radiators, and where they will not freeze if there is a frost.

• Please don't let the roots dry out, keep the trees well wrapped up in their bags to conserve moisture.

• If the roots look dry when you first check them, pour a cup of water into the bag and shake it around to wet the roots. Then tip it all out again so that the roots are not sitting in water. Wrap them up well again to store.

• Don't panic if your planting takes longer than planned, or if you need to re-schedule your planting. Keep the trees in their bags in a cool, dark place away from sun, heat and frost; they will store in the bags for a week or so very well.

• If you need to store trees for longer than a week, you can heel them in.

• To heel in trees, dig a trench or loosen the soil in a spare flower or veg bed. Set the trees into the trench and cover the roots with soil or damp sand. Ensure the soil is slightly damp but do not water the trees if there is a threat of frost. Do not tread them in hard, a loose covering of soil will do well and they are easy to lift out for planting.
  They can be stored like this for several weeks but they must be planted out before the spring comes and the buds start to swell.

• You can heel in trees in their tied bundles with labels still on so that you will know what everything is when you come to plant.

• When you come to plant your trees, it is helpful to sit them in buckets of water for a couple of hours just before planting to ensure they have had a good drink. Do not try to store them in water or leave them overnight in buckets.

• It is particularly important that you don’t leave trees out of their bags during the planting. On a windy day the fine root hairs on a young tree can dry out very quickly. It is tempting to lay out trees in their positions and work along later to plant them. This really doesn’t work well and it is much better to keep the bag with you and take out trees as you need them, or to have someone minding bags and handing out trees to the people planting.

It is really important that you do not plant trees in places where they will have a negative impact on special or protected habitats, landscapes or resident flora and fauna.

In most cases, correct tree planting is beneficial for the local environment and for biodiversity support, however in other cases planting trees can damage existing rare habitats and cause permanent habitat change.

You must not plant on unenclosed land, moorland, wetland, heathland, bog or unimproved pasture / meadow. Please email (info@treesontheland.com) for advice before making an application if your site falls within these areas.

You must not plant on land falling within an SAC, SPA, SSSI or NHA, known archaeology, or any other designation. Please email (info@treesontheland.com) for advice before making an application if your site falls within these areas.

Keep back at least 20 metres from very old, ancient or veteran trees and don’t plant under the canopy of or close to other mature trees. Disturbing the wide root area of old trees can cause irreparable damage. If your planting area has any of the above, please say so in your application and we will advise you on appropriate planting.

You must not remove scrub to make space for planting trees. It is tempting to think that tidying or removing a rough area of scrub and replacing it with newly planted trees is a good thing. However scrub is part of a natural process where fallow or unmanaged ground progresses to weeds and shrubs and then later to trees - it is incredibly valuable for wildlife and the natural regeneration of trees. Avoid interfering with scrub and do not select scrubby areas for tree planting, they are best left alone.

Riparian Areas - Watercourses, ponds and lakes: You must not plant blocks of trees close to rivers, streams or lakes and you must avoid planting both sides of watercourses where trees will grow up to form a tunnel over the water. In general, leave an unplanted buffer of 20 meters from ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and other waterways. Trees can be planted in small numbers as individual scattered trees and small groups within this area as long as there is an even balance of light and shade so that the water is not more than 50% shaded along its length.

Setting back from services infrastructure, roads and boundaries is really important. You don't want your trees to become a nuisance as they grow. Setting back will give you extra space around your trees for access and will preserve important features such as old hedges or walls.

• Keep back 10 metres from power lines and phone cables and do not plant directly beneath them. It is your responsibility to check relevant set backs for higher voltage power lines with the ESB.

• Check that you won't be planting over any underground drains, water pipes, sewage infrastructure, electric or telephone cables or gas pipes. Keep back at least 6m from these.

• Keep back 20m from inhabited buildings when planting larger tree species, and at least 5m for hedgerows and smaller trees. Use common sense to avoid trees growing too big and close to houses and buildings.

• Keep back 5 metres from small roads and tracks and 10 meters from main roads.

• Keep back at least 2 metres from fence lines, walls and other boundaries.

• Keep back 5 metres from hedges and ditches when planting woodland or coppice areas.

Our tree planting schemes are not intended for establishing large areas of woodland or forestry. You should not be planting any area of woodland or closely planted trees of greater than 0.1 Ha or 1/4 Acre.

If you wish to plant any area greater than 0.1 Ha or 1/4 Acre you must let us know in your application. There are additional checks and application procedures that we must carry out to ensure that your planting is appropriate and beneficial.

You may plant several scattered plots of less than 0.1 Ha or 1/4 acre, and low-density amenity, parkland or landscape type planting over larger areas is acceptable.

If you want to put in a larger block of woodland, please write this in your application notes on the form or send an email to info@treesontheland.com with details and we will guide you through the process.

For large areas of woodland and forestry establishment, there are afforestation grants and annual premium payments available through the Forest Services of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in RoI, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in NI.

Take time to mark out your site well before you plant so you know exactly where you'll be planting and where trees are once they are planted.

Measure up your areas and use pencil posts, bamboo canes or sticks to mark the rows or areas of trees you plan to plant before you start. You can paint the tops white or in a bright colour or tie tape or ribbon to them to make them easy to see.

You can also use string lines and/or ground paint to mark a line to guide hedgerow and shelter belt planting. You can even spray a dot or cross on the ground to mark the spot for each tree. This can be especially useful when you have volunteers or friends helping you to plant your trees.

Marking out is very important for projects where farm, garden or grounds-keeping contractors can damage trees if they are unaware of them. It is very easy to strim or mow young trees by mistake as they can be surprisingly difficult to see in long grass. Mark the planting areas very clearly with strong stakes and rope or wire and use signs as well if you need to explain why an area is marked.

We do not supply guards, stakes or fencing with the trees. It is your responsibility to protect your trees with fencing, tree guards, careful marking out and/or signage to prevent damage from farm animals, wild animals and from farm, garden and grounds-keeping contractors.

If you are planting trees in a safe place where no farm animals or wild animals are likely to get at them, you do not need fencing or tree guards. Mark them out well so you know where they are and let them get on with growing.

Marking out (see notes on Marking Out in this guide) is particularly important where garden, farm or mowing contractors can easily damage trees in long grass if they are unaware of them. Strong marking stakes and wire or rope with signs can be used to mark out planted areas and young hedges clearly.

Staking the trees themselves is not necessary, they are hardy young trees. They should establish a strong root system over the first few years while they are still small and will grow up straight without the need for support.

Staking and tying these small trees will do more harm than good. Stakes with ties will damage the bark on small trees and will cause the tree to vibrate in the wind against the tie, loosening the roots and damaging the bark.

If you have livestock or wild animals (deer, goats, ponies) around, you will need to fence or guard your trees.

Fencing: If you are planting groups of trees, pockets of woodland, new hedgerows, shelter belts, riparian areas or individual trees on farmland, you will need to fence them properly on all sides to protect them from livestock.

Fencing should be strong stock fencing appropriate to your livestock and system. In all cases your fencing needs to be set a minimum of 1.5m back from the trees with fencing both sides for hedgerows and belts of trees. For horses a 2m set-back is preferable as they will try to reach over and nibble young trees. There is no point going to the trouble and expense of fencing if you put it too close to the trees and they are damaged when they are young.

Cattle - Posts every 2-3m and three strands of tensioned barbed wire or sheep/pig netting with barbed wire along the top will work for cattle. Fully tensioned electric wire or temporary polywire or polyrope are acceptable if your cows are trained to electric fencing and you are able to check it daily.

Sheep and Goats - Posts every 2-3m and tensioned sheep/pig netting with barbed wire or rails along the top will suffice for sheep. If your sheep are trained to electric fencing, fully tensioned electric wire or temporary polywire/polyrope is acceptable if checked every day. Goats are less trainable to electric fencing, extra vigilance is needed if you plan to use electric fencing for goats!

Pigs - Posts every 2-3m with tensioned sheep/pig netting and at least one strand of strong wire or barbed wire along the top. A further strand of barbed wire along the bottom of the netting is also sometimes helpful as a further line of defence, but not appropriate if sheep, cattle or horses will be sharing the ground. If your pigs are trained to electric fences and with an extra strand of barbed wire on the ground for pigs. Electric fencing can be used with pigs, tensioned wire or temporary polywire/polyrope can work well, but must be checked twice daily to stop pigs pushing soil over the bottom wire and shorting the fence.

Horses - Strong post and rail fencing, or stud/horse mesh with top rails, or fully tensioned permanent electric fencing are all safe for horses once set back 2m from the nearest trees. Temporary electric fences are acceptable but they must be checked twice daily for breaches.

Deer - A 6-8ft deer fence with mesh top to bottom will keep deer out but it is an expensive undertaking and usually not appropriate for small tree numbers, groups of trees, hedgerows etc. unless you are fencing out a large section of your land.
There are many good designs for clever electric 3D deer fences. These can work very well but absolutely only where you can keep a close eye on them and with safety breaking points in the case of a deer becoming tangled in electric wire.
You may well be better using tall tree guards and designing your planting carefully for deer.
Recent research has shown that using sheep wool as a deterrent to deer is very effective. It can be used as a mulch around trees and also hung on the trees themselves to deter browsing.
Please ask to discuss your planting designs and fencing plans with us if you have deer around.

Rabbits and Hares - Installing rabbit proof fencing is expensive and fiddly, requiring rabbit wire to be buried underground and making sure gates are always kept closed. It is usually better to use tree spirals or short mesh guards - see notes on rabbit guards below.

Tree Guards and Shelters: Do not use guards on any tree unless you have a good reason. They can cause more problems than they solve. People often think that they haven’t done a proper job of planting unless they have added stakes and guards. This really isn’t the case; think carefully about what is needed and please ask us for advice if you are unsure on which guards to use.

Guards must be properly staked and checked regularly - they will topple, lean, blow over and generally do anything they can to avoid staying upright.

Ventilation in closed guards is a problem and when leaves fall into them and weeds grow inside them, moisture, heat and mould quickly build up and can introduce rot into young tree bark.

Most guards can be fixed to their stakes in a way that allows them to slide up the stake so that you can reach under them to remove weeds and dead leaves to stop them building up inside the guards.

Some guards have sharp edges around the top. When a young tree grows above the top of the guard, it will rub against the sharp edge when it blows in the wind. This can damage bark or even cause the tree to snap off at the rubbing place. We recommend guards with fluted tops or made of a mesh material soft enough not to scratch or tear young bark.

Guards must be taken off trees and disposed of properly as soon as they have done their job. This should be around five years after planting and often before. As soon as your trees are up and away and growing healthily and strongly enough to withstand a bit of nibbling or rubbing from wild animals or livestock, get the guards off and let the trees grow freely.

‍There are many kinds of guards on the market with new compostable and natural alternatives to plastic. Conside the points above and the notes below before buying any guards and do ask us for advice if you are unsure.

For most livestock, it is worth considering putting up timber guards or fencing around individual trees and small groups of trees - much better than taking a risk with tube guards and having all of your trees flattened or eaten.

Deer - Tall tube tree guards can be useful when protecting trees from deer. They should be 1.8m tall, strongly staked, with fluted tops and ideally of a mesh material allowing ventilation to the tree.

Sheep, Cattle, Horses, Goats, Pigs - Tube guards will not protect trees from browsing or rubbing by livestock. Tall tree guards (1.2m tall minimum) can occasionally be used successfully against sheep and goats, but they must be carefully minded and very well staked.

Rabbits and Hares - Spiral rabbit guards (60cm for rabbits and 75-80cm for hares) are great if you have lots of rabbits or hares about. Spirals can be wrapped around the bottom of the tree without a stake, or with just a small stick, to keep it straight. The spirals can grow a bit with the trees and can be taken off as soon as the trees are up and away enough to withstand a bit of rabbit or hare damage.
Another very useful trick for rabbits is to let the grass and weeds around the trees grow tall during the first few years. Rabbits hate to push their faces into long and wet grass, and will often leave trees alone if they are hidden in long grass.

You will not need to do major ground preparations to plant the small whips that we provide. They can be planted very easily by hand with a spade.

We advocate for low impact planting work that disturbs the soils and ground flora as little as possible during the planting process.

You do not need to plough or use a digger to prepare ground. The more the soils are left undisturbed, the better it will be for the young trees and for the health of the soil.

If you have a lot of grass and weed growth in the planting area, it can be helpful to mow or strim down the area, or each individual planting spot, to make getting a spade into the ground easier than pushing through a lot of vegetation.

Please do not carry out scrub clearance to make space for tree planting. Scrub is the natural succession of undisturbed ground towards tree cover, it is an important habitat in its own right and should be protected as such. If you have mature trees in the local area, scrub will shelter young pioneer species like birch, willow, hawthorn, hazel and oak growing from seed - you do not need to plant trees, they will come by themselves.

It is acceptable to add a small number of trees into an area of scrub if you do not have many trees nearby to provide seed. This should be done with as little disturbance as possible - make your way in and clear just small areas of the vegetation to be able to spot plant a small number of trees. Mark them with a stick so you know where they are.

There is no need to spray herbicides before planting - we ask everyone not to spray off ground vegetation before planting or for maintenance after planting. The grasses, weeds and volunteer pioneer trees that will join your planted trees are an important part of the young habitat your trees will be a part of.

For larger scale farm hedgerow, shelter belt or tree line planting work, if the ground is very compacted or stony, it is sometimes helpful to run a subsoiler or single plough along the planting line(s) to open the ground and to mark out the line.

The most important thing is that planting areas and individual trees are well marked with sticks or stakes, especially if they are not fenced. This will allow you to find them easily when carrying out checks and also to prevent damage when mowing, topping or strimming. It is very easy for contract mowers or groundskeepers to cut young trees if they cannot see them in long grass during the first growing season.

Make sure everyone is wearing sturdy boots or wellies, and warm clothes. Gloves are very important to protect hands from thorns.

Keep everyone well fuelled. A good supply of hot drinks, cake and sandwiches go a long way to keeping a tree planting team happy.

If you are planting sponsored or donated trees, please remember to take a few photos on the day and email them to us for our reporting and record keeping.

The best photos are group shots of your planting team with their spades ready for action and while they are working. Please also take pictures of your trees when the planting work is finished.

You do not need to dig big holes for each tree and you will not need to bring in a digger or tractor to do the work. The small trees we send out can easily be planted by hand with a spade.

If you have time to go out and dig each spot in advance it'll certainly make the planting easier, but if the ground is reasonably clear you can slot or notch plant.

Don’t let the roots of your trees dry out during planting. Keep the trees in their bags and take out one at a time for planting.

Slot or Notch Planting: Open a slot or a T shape in the ground with your spade, deep enough for the roots on your tree. Keeping the slot open with your spade, gently slide the roots in so that the root collar is level with the ground. Hold the top of the tree to keep it straight and tread the slot closed firmly around the stem to push out air pockets below the ground.

Pit Planting: Dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball on the tree and loosen the soil in the bottom. Spread the roots out well and hold the top of the tree straight while you gently backfill the soil around the roots until level with the root collar. Tread the soil down well all around to push out air pockets and firm the tree in well.

The root collar is the place at the top of the roots and the bottom of the stem where you will see a soil mark where the tree has been lifted from the nursery bed. This is the correct level for the tree to be replanted. Trees planted too deep with soil packed around the stems, or trees planted too shallow with roots showing above the ground, will all struggle to thrive.

A professional tree planter will plant about 1,000 trees in a day. We find that most people can plant between 50 and 100 trees easily in a day on unprepared ground.

You do not need to add compost, fertiliser or mulch to your trees or planting holes. The trees will quickly put down good roots to reach nutrients and water deeper in the ground.

There are benefits and drawbacks to using mulches on your trees. Please read the notes on mulches in this guide carefully before you start mulching.

If you do wish to add compost or manure into the planting holes, make sure it is very well rotted down and not still fresh and actively decomposing. Fresh, hot manure or compost can damage delicate root hairs and temporarily take nutrients from the soil while it is breaking down.

Woodland Packs will contain a mix of oak, birch, hazel, scots pine, alder, rowan and hawthorn. Crab apple, wild cherry, willow, spindle, guelder rose and other native species will be added in small numbers if supplies allow.

If you have wet or exposed ground or have asked for particular species, this will have been taken into account in your mix.

Very roughly 50 trees will cover about 1/20th of an acre of ground set at 2m spacings on rows 2m apart.

You do not need to put in formal rows of trees though it is easier to keep track of them if you do. You can vary the following spacings to suit yourself and you can plant in small random groups or groves if you like.

In any woodland habitat it is beneficial to have some open spaces and some variation in planting density.

For standard woodland planting put your rows 2m apart. Then space your trees along the rows at between 1.5m and 3.5m depending on your requirements. We recommend 2m spacings for most purposes.

At 1.5m spacings your woodland will be denser and your trees will grow straighter and more quickly than at wider spacings. You may need to thin or coppice some trees at between later to make space and let in light. You should have less weeding to worry about as the trees will shade out the weeds more quickly.

At wider spacings up to 3.5m, you will have more weeding to do initially and your trees will grow more branches and spread out rather than shooting straight up to the light. You will not need to do so much thinning, though you may need to coppice or thin some trees later on.

Miyawaki Method: The Miyawaki Method uses a combination of soil improvements through mulching and very densely planted trees for rapid competitive growth. A wide diversity of species is used and it is an excellent method for quick and successful establishment of trees and for maximum biodiversity support.

If you are planting a Miyawaki woodland you should get your mulches down as soon as possible, ideally at least 3 months before planting. This will allow time for them to decompose and settle. You can use all sorts of materials to mulch - well rotted compost or farm manure, wood chip, straw, cardboard, hessian, grass clippings, coffee grounds. You should lay mulches in layers over the soil and you do not need to dig them in or stir them up.

When you set your trees, they will be very close together. The technique uses up to 3 or even 5 plants per square metre. We find that using 1 or 2 plants per square metre is very effective - the more trees you set, the faster they will all grow as they compete for light and draw each other up towards the sky.

The mulches will help to keep down weeds and will feed the soil and the trees with plenty of nutrients, all contributing to quick and healthy growth of the trees.

Please talk to our team if you wish to use the Miyawaki Method - we can give plenty of advice and support.

Coppice Packs will usually contain a mix of alder, birch, hazel, oak, willow, hawthorn and rowan. Crab apple, spindle and guelder rose will be added in small numbers if supplies allow.

Coppice trees are cut regularly to the ground to regrow as multi-stem trees. Coppicing is a great way to manage trees for firewood production and for green woodworking materials as well as being beneficial for wild flora and fauna.

If you have wet or exposed ground or have asked for particular species, this will have been taken into account in your mix.

You can plant coppice in much the same way as you would plant a woodland but with a little more space for the trees. Please see woodland notes above.

Plant in rows 2m-3m apart and then set plants between 1.5 and 3 metres apart on the rows.

Consider leaving some trees uncoppiced and letting them grow up tall and straight as standard maiden trees. You will then have some taller timber trees growing amongst a productive understorey of coppice and a more diverse habitat for flora and fauna.

Hedge Packs will contain a mix of mostly hawthorn and hazel, with oak, birch and rowan. Blackthorn, crab apple, spindle, guelder rose and other native species will be added in small numbers if supplies allow.

Hedge Standards: Oak and birch are sent to grown up tall as standard trees over your main hedge - you will have enough trees to plant one standard tree every 5 metres. This means that in future years you can thin the standards to 10 or 20 metres apart; you'll be able to select the best trees to keep from those that have grown up above the hedge. Other trees such as alder, scots pine, rowan and crab apple can also be used as standards.

If you do not want standard trees in your hedge, you can let us know and we will keep to the lower growing shrubby varieties only in your hedge mix.

If you have wet or exposed ground or have asked for particular species, this will have been taken into account in your mix. For wet ground we may send alder trees as standard trees instead of birch.

To make a simple hedge you can put 2 plants per metre in a line, but you need to plant two rows of trees close together to make a proper stock-proof hedge.

For a stock-proof hedge set trees in a double row 12 - 18 inches wide with between 4 and 8 plants per metre. We recommend 4-5 plants per metre.

Stagger the planting along the rows so that you end up with a zig-zag line.

You can set your standard trees in a central third line between the two main lines of thorn and hazel - this is a clever way to ensure they get space and are easy to see in the mix.

Shelter Belt Packs will contain a mix of hedge and woodland trees - alder, birch, oak, rowan, hawthorn and scots pine. Crab apple, hazel, wild cherry, spindle and guelder rose will be added in small numbers if supplies allow.

A simple shelter belt is usually made up of two lines of trees planted as a staggered double row. A single row of trees spaced 1m apart can also be effective if space is short. Belts of 3 rows or more can be planted for more effective shelter.

Trees can be planted as close as 1m and up to 5m apart. In general for double row belts we recommend spacing the rows 2m apart and the trees 2m apart on each line. Stagger the planting so that each row fills the gaps in the previous row.

Planting trees to improve water quality and provide diverse riparian habitat.

Water Quality Tree Packs will include an appropriate mix of alder, willow, hawthorn, hazel and birch, with other species added as supplies allow.

Trees can help to interrupt and slow down the flow of surface water and nutrients into streams, drains, rivers, ponds, lakes and the sea. Trees can also play a role in absorbing excess nutrients and prevent them from entering watercourses.

For any kind of forestry or woodland planting of trees in blocks and especially areas of over 0.1Ha or 1/4 acre, planting should be set back 20m or more from the edge of the water to create a buffer area that is unplanted.

Smaller numbers of trees can be planted closer to the water to improve water quality and to help prevent erosion of banks. These should be set in small groups or as scattered individual trees planted in an informal manner.

The most important thing is to avoid creating heavy shade along the whole length or area of water, you do not want to create a tunnel of trees shading the water. Aim for a maximum of 50% shading so that here is a balance of light and shade reaching the water.

Apple trees should be spaced between 5 and 10 metres apart depending on the expected size of the mature tree.

You do not need to put stakes in for the young trees supplied. They should establish good roots and grow up straight.

It is very important that fruit trees don't get rubbed, trampled or eaten by livestock and that they are protected from rabbits and voles.

If you do have livestock it is worth investing in strong parkland type guards for apple trees which give the trees plenty of space to grow and will protect them for many years.

Voles can do a fair amount of damage to young fruit trees tunnelling around the roots and chewing the bark. A simple vole guard can be made by cutting an eight inch length of spiral rabbit guard and wrapping it around the very bottom of the tree.

You do not need to do major ground preparations for fruit trees. Plant them as you would any tree. You can slot plant them or dig a hole twice the size of the root ball. Be sure to tread in the soil all around the tree to firm it in well and push out any air pockets under the roots.

If the soil is very poor you can add a spade full of well rotted compost mixed into the soil in the hole or scattered in a wide circle around the tree and not touching the stem.

Go out and walk around your trees often. You will get a good idea of which trees are doing well or if any are struggling.

Take a pair of secateurs or strong scissors with you, it’s easy to pull or cut off a few weeds and trample some grass as you go and saves it being a big job to do all at once.

Trees appreciate being looked at and cared for; forgotten trees are immediately at a disadvantage.

If you see anything wrong or you have any problems with your trees, send us an email with a photo or two. We will be very happy to give you advice on what to do.

We encourage you to actively manage and use the trees planted.  This means that you can trim, thin, prune, coppice and harvest trees and fruit at appropriate stages of growth in line with sustainable management principles, so that there will always be continuous tree cover on the original planting areas.

We are told endlessly that one of the most important things with tree establishment is to keep the young trees free from weed and grass competition. We are urged to use sprays, mats, mulches and membranes to control weeds.

You do not need any of these things to grow strong healthy trees. With a little bit of care, you can manage weeds and grasses in a simple way that will benefit the trees and cost you nothing at all.

We advise a session once or twice a year to push and trample any tall weeds and grasses that are falling onto or hanging over the trees. They can cause trees to lean or fork and can swamp them altogether if not cleared away periodically.

Trampling around your trees is also a good opportunity to take a head count and note any failures.

Find each tree in the undergrowth and push or pull away the worst of the weeds and then walk all around it, trampling the grass and weeds as you go.

Brambles, nettles, thistles and other common weeds all deter grazing and browsing animals and others who may trample or eat your trees. They will protect and shelter your trees if you let them and will help to conserve water in the soil during dry spells much better than bare soil.

Weeds and grasses do compete with young trees for nutrients and light and the trees will grow a little more slowly on account of this during the first few years.

Under the ground however the trees will be establishing strong roots going deeper than the grass and weed roots looking for nutrients. These good roots will anchor them strongly and serve them well in future. Your trees will make use of the valuable natural shelter provided by the weeds.

After a couple of years the tree roots will reach well below the grass/weed layer and you will find they take off and grow up fast, quickly shading out the worst of the weeds.

If you would like very neat trees you can mow along your paths and edges and do plenty of hand weeding. You can also spread mulch around the trees to suppress weeds. Please read the notes above on correct use of mulches.

It is easy to spend a lot of money and energy on mulching and weeding – remember that if you can see every tree you have planted then so can rabbits and deer and other troublemakers. Rabbits particularly hate to push through tall wet grass and prefer to graze short lawns, so they will be put off by grass and weeds hiding your trees.

We ask you not to use weed killer or glyphosate sprays to kill weeds around the trees. Spraying off weeds exposes the soil and the trees to wind, drought and other weather and marks them out for browsing animals and especially rabbits to see. Glyphosate damages mycorrhizal fungi and other soil life and deters important soil organisms which contribute to strong and resilient tree and woodland establishment. While trees may initially do well after spraying in terms of height growth, due to reduced competition for nutrients, they are more vulnerable to drought, waterlogging and young windblow on account of their immature root systems.

Young tree cover habitat will likely be colonised by other plants, wildflowers and wildlife - spraying takes away much of the material for this and will slow the overall natural establishment of the area.

Mulching is spreading layers of organic materials on top of the soil around trees or onto flower and fruit and veg beds. There are many kinds of mulch and modern methods recommend regular mulching around trees to keep down weeds, protect soils and provide nutrients.

It is entirely up to you if you want to mulch your trees or not. Trees without mulch will do perfectly well if you keep on top of basic weed trampling.

You can use woodchip, well rotted compost or manure, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, hessian, coffee grounds and even brash for mulch material.

You can mulch once when you set your trees and leave them to it, or you can keep up regular mulching every year or more often if you like.

Mulches should not be dug or mixed into soils. Leave your soil undisturbed as much as possible and add layers of mulch on top.

Mulches of all kinds, but especially grass clippings, woodchip, compost and manure that are not already well rotted, will heat up and come alive with bacteria, fungus and microorganisms while they are breaking down. They will ultimately benefit your soils and the trees, but they can damage your trees while they are ‘hot’ and they can take nutrients out of the soil temporarily while they are breaking down.

Put mulches down in a ring shape around your trees so that the mulch is not touching the stems. Leave 3 or 4 inches of space around each stem. Do not pile up mulch around your trees. We see problems with trees rotting through, with damaged bark and weak stems where people have put too much fresh mulch piled against the stems.

You can add mulch after planting, or you can mulch the ground before planting (ideally 3 months or more in advance). Leave it to settle and suppress weeds but make sure to gently pull or rake back the mulch when you plant your trees so that it is not touching their stems.

Too much goodness added to the soil at planting can encourage the trees to grow shallow roots and use the surface nutrients you have provided rather than pushing down deep roots to find their own sources of nutrients and water deeper down.

Mulching can certainly increase early growth rates of trees and we see significant differences between trees that have had mulch and those that haven’t. Trees without mulch will catch up over time and may be tougher as a result of their slow growth and deeper rooting systems.

If you expect to bring a tractor into your wood or around your trees later on you must leave unplanted rides or paths 5 - 10m wide to give reasonable access. Otherwise leave sensible 5m wide paths where you want them and mow occasionally to keep them open.

Keep pathways and entrances clear and tidy. You will walk around your trees or woods more often if you can get into them! Later management, pruning, thinning, coppice and felling work will be much easier if you have plenty of space to get in and out.

It is not often necessary to water young trees; our damp Irish climate will usually provide more than enough rain for the first important stages of establishment.

In recent years though, we have seen several long spells of dry weather and, with a changing climate, we should expect more frequent periods of low rainfall and drought.

If the ground is good and damp when you plant, and you have not allowed the tree roots to dry out before or during planting, you will not need to water-in young trees after planting.

If there is a prolonged dry spell during the first spring or summer after planting, or any year when the trees are still young, you should water your trees.

It is worth making the effort to water trees before they begin to struggle. If you see signs of drought stress (wilting leaves, yellowing or browning of leaves, dropping leaves and poor growth), do make haste to get water to them as soon as possible.

It is important to give trees a really good, deep watering once a week during a drought, rather than a quick watering every day. One or two full buckets (10-25 litres) of water per tree per week is a good rule of thumb.

We understand that many areas are not easy to reach with water. Think about how you can arrange watering for your trees well in advance.

Trees planted on school grounds and at community sites - it is amazing how much can be achieved with a team effort using stored rainwater, hosepipes, buckets, watering cans and all sorts of other tanks and carriers.

Trees on farms and smallholdings - can be watered with a bowser or slurry spreader well enough, or by temporarily disconnecting pipes from troughs and adding a hosepipe.

Using mulches will help to protect soils and tree roots from drying out. Be aware if you are watering mulched trees that you will need to give extra water to reach down through the mulch to the soil. You need to provide enough water to reach the roots and not just to wet the mulch. If you have just a small number of trees, you can pull back the mulch before watering and then spread it back again after, this works well for watering fruit and nut trees in an orchard setting.

In general, the small trees we send out are extremely tough and if they are planted correctly and as quickly as possible after delivery, they will do well enough through dry spells without watering.

Oak: Probably the best known of the Irish trees, an oak tree can grow to a very great size and support hundreds of species of flora and fauna as it matures. Oak is quite a tough tree and will do well in most conditions in Ireland. It needs plenty of light to thrive, give it the sunniest spots when planting and take care not to allow it to be shaded out by other faster growing species.

Common Alder: Alder is fast growing and loves wet ground. It coppices extremely well. It will quite likely outgrow all the other species in the first few years so watch particularly that it isn't shading out oak. If it gets too big, coppice it in the winter and the surrounding trees will get plenty of light while it is busy re-growing.

Downy Birch: Birch is a pioneer species. In the wild it colonises fallow or unmanaged ground, often along with willow, oak and thorn, and is the first stage of a young woodland establishing. It will grow well in most places, coppices well enough when young but can be sensitive on occasion. Another fast growing tree.

Rowan: Another tough tree which will do well in most places and which coppices well. It produces lovely flowers in spring and lots of red berries in late summer. The berries are great for making jellies and jams and provide food for birds through the autumn.

Scots Pine: A handsome and distinctive native pine tree. Traditionally used to mark out boundaries and byways, it is a useful tree for timber if it grows straight. Also beloved of red squirrels and worth including in small numbers for diversity of species in most mixed woodland and tree cover.

Hazel: Famous as a coppice and hedge tree, hazel will grow well in most places. It will produce firewood and useful straight poles if it is managed well and will give you nuts if it has plenty of light and if you can get them before the squirrels. Hazel will pleach and lay brilliantly into a hedge and will also provide stakes and etherings for fixing a newly laid hedge.

Hawthorn / Whitethorn: The best loved hedging plant and a very handsome small tree when let grow up tall. It is a pioneer tree and is extremely useful in starting a new woodland or coppice. Hawthorn will provide wonderful blossom in May and lots of red berries in the late summer. Be careful as it is thorny.

Blackthorn: A wonderful hedging plant and tree which produces early spring blossom and sloe berries in autumn. These berries are excellent added to gin to make sloe gin. The thorns are poisonous and can leave a nasty puncture wound. Wear good gloves when handling any thorn trees.

Crab Apple: Our native wild apple tree. A tough tree which will produce pretty blossom in spring and small apples in autumn. It supports bees and other pollinators and will pollinate most apple trees so it is excellent mixed into orchards and around gardens. Its fruit is great for jellies, jams and chutneys.