Trees ready for delivery

We are very busy right now, delivering trees to our clients that ordered earlier this year and we have stacks more trees in stock ready for you!

Thousands of young lucerne trees ready for planting

This winter we planted thousands of our tiny trees in a wonderful raised bed and have watched them develop into flourishing, healthy saplings that are tall and strong enough to go straight into your lands.  And because these trees came from established lucerne trees on our farm, they already have the rhizobia nodules on their roots and will not require any inoculation.

For most clients, we pot them into individual 1-litre potting bags which provide them with a window of time to plant them out. 

Trees in bags ready for delivery

But for clients living outside George, Western Cape region, where transport is too expensive to deliver trees in bags, we are couriering bare-rooted trees. 

Most courier services deliver to main their depots overnight and clients living outside main cities can expect to wait another working day for collection or door-to-door delivery, so within 2 days you will have your trees.  Bare-rooted trees can survive so long as the roots are not dried out

The bare-rooted trees’ roots are wrapped in wet newspaper and plastic to keep the exposed roots covered and moist.  Clients will need to plant out these trees immediately and will need their holes prepared with half a cup of phosphates mixed with the soil removed from the hole and gently filled back in before the delivery is ordered.  

To make a more informed choice about ordering bare-rooted trees, we want to explain what the process involves for you. (We hope to upload photos and videos of the bare-rooted process for you soon!)

It is vital that you work quickly with your newly couriered trees.

• Once you receive and carefully unwrap the trees, lay their roots into a tray or bowl of water.
• It is imperative that you do not break the roots when you separate the trees. Gently loosen them and do not simply pull them apart. 
• They will do fine so long as the roots are kept wet, but don’t leave them in the water for too long – just until you have separated them and are ready to plant them.   
• Fill the holes in your land with water. 
• Then plant each tree into the prepared holes, making sure the roots are able to fit into the hole without damaging them.
• Refill the hole, firming the soil around the roots and then water well. 
• Trees may look wilted and need a few days to recover, but should the tips remain wilted after two weeks after planting, trim off the damaged tips.
• Water lightly regularly, but don’t over-water as these trees don’t like sitting in wet soil.

Your young saplings should be managed as if you are planting out a fruit orchard. Check them regularly for signs that critters are eating them such as snails and take appropriate action. Water regularly during their first year.

Please note that we cannot courier trees internationally due to strict bio-security laws.

We are confident of your success should you follow our detailed instructions and tested advice and are willing to assist you should you have any other questions or concerns. Please read all our detailed step-by-step planting instructions on our Planting Trees page and place your orders on our Prices & Orders page.

Happy farming!