Heeling In Bare Root Hedge Plants
If you can't plant within a week of receiving your bare root plants or the weather is unsuitable for planting when you receive them, it is best to “heel in” the plants until you are ready to plant. This is an often-used form of temporary planting and it will keep your bare roots in good condition for a few weeks or even a couple of months but you should always aim to plant bare root hedging as soon as possible.
For the avoidance of doubt, do not use Rootgrow if you are heeling in - wait until you are doing the permanent planting.
1. Dig a narrow trench or hole big enough to hold all the roots, ideally in a shady position, in an area where the soil is not compacted – the looser the soil the better. The depth of the trench will need to be approximately 30cm deep, or deep enough to accommodate the entire root system of your plants
2. Dig the trench so that one side of it is sloping at approximately a 45-degree angle
3. Keep the plants in their bundles with the labels still attached, and water them well – ideally stand them in a bucket of water for 10 minutes (but don’t leave them submerged for longer than that) or run a hose over them so that all the roots are definitely wet through
4. Then place the plants in the trench tight up against each other. You are not spacing them out as if you were planting the hedge – you can pack them in. Lean them against the sloping side, so that the stems of the plants are resting against the sloping side of the trench, with the root systems fully inside
5. Cover the roots with the soil or you can use sand. Make sure you firm the soil really well around the roots - water can gather in any air pockets and damage the roots when it freezes
6. If it doesn’t rain regularly, you’ll need to water the plants with plenty of water - there are a lot of plants in a small space and each of them needs enough water
7. If you don't have space in any of your beds or borders, you can also heel them in to containers, or even bags of compost. The important point is that the roots are fully covered and the soil firmed around them. You'll probably have to water more often if plants are in containers or bags of compost
The plants can happily stay heeled in like this for several weeks. Remember that your plants will need to be moved and planted in their permanent positions before they start to come out of their dormancy in the early spring, as moving the plants after this point will cause damage to their root systems.
Storing Bare Root Plants For A Few Days (as an alternative to heeling in)
If you are going to be able to plant within a few days of receiving your plants, but not able to plant immediately, you dont need to heel them in - instead following this storage guide.
Additional hedge buying, storing and planting advice from Hedge Nursery ...
Buying a Hedge for the First Time
How to Plant Bare Root Hedge Plants
Aftercare for a Newly Planted Hedge