Do smaller trees catch up with larger trees if planted at the same time?

We often get asked this question and it is certainly true if you are taking delivery of root balled or bare rooted trees. Trees delivered in this form are like fish out of water and it is generally recognized that up to 70% of the trees root system is left behind in the nursery field after lifting. The bigger the tree and its root system, the more roots are dislocated and the more repair work the transplanted tree has to do for it to survive. Trees sustain themselves with water and nutrient through root hairs on the extremity of the root system and these are the roots that get left behind.

This is why we containerise our trees! Broken root systems are repaired over the following growing season for us to deliver an unwounded product that is geared for rapid and sustained establishment from the off. What is more, this is the reason we can guarantee our trees for our customers, we supply trees with roots attached! Our patented Light Pots are renowned to provide you with a great root system and have revolutionized the way trees are supplied in the past 20 years.

So going back to the original question, “Do smaller trees catch up larger trees if planted at the same time?” the answer is no, not if it’s a Barcham Tree! Our trees grow away at the same rate despite its starting size. When planning a garden it’s always nice to the initially mix sizes to give the landscape a random naturalness. When uniformity is required for avenue planting, trees ordered at one size will grow away at the same rate for a great long term effect.

Posted by Mike Glover