Planning To Meet Your Needs
We are sometimes asked by our customers why our seedlings are packaged in a certain way or why so much attention by our staff is placed on timings at the customers end. One of the keys to achieving the best possible outcomes for our customers is to be clear about goals and expectations and to plan the reception of your trees into their new home.
PLANNING
When making your order it is wise to reverse plan your production/planting timeline so that you can specify when you want to receive your order. We are often told that a customer has received their order, only to have it stored for long periods in sub-optimal conditions. Ideally, if you specify a required delivery date, Nationwide Trees can hold your order in optimum storage conditions, pack and dispatch it in sufficient time so it arrive just before planting. This significantly reduces stress on the seedlings and gives them the best opportunity for transition to their new home.
PACKAGING
The cost of packing will be listed on your invoice. Our trees are packaged in a variety of ways depending on their end use. For example, seedlings are packaged into cardboard boxes with damp, shredded paper. Larger trees are bundled so that their roots are packaged in plastic bags with damp, shredded paper. Larger orders are often shipped in bins. Species sensitive to drying out will be dipped in a water absorbent gel that will provide optimal conditions for transport. Orders are packed just before shipping in order to minimise drying out.
STORAGE ON ARRIVAL
All evergreen species should be planted promptly on arrival. Generally speaking they do not store well. These species should be given priority in your planting schedule. If you have received your deciduous stock and cannot plant them immediately, we recommend you leave them in their original packaging and store them in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Cool storage is preferable, but a cool shed during winter will also help to protect your trees. If your planting is delayed by more than a week or ten days, we suggest heeling them into potting mix, well composted sawdust or a veggie garden. Dig a shallow trench. Untie the bundles and spread them, standing erect along the trench. Firm the media around their roots. Make sure to keep them damp until they are ready to plant.
SENSITIVE SPECIES
Evergreens are sensitive to transplant shock. Nationwide Trees uses an anti-transpiration product to minimize shock, however the species should always be planted on arrival.
Deciduous species such as diospyros kaki, pistacia chinensis, melia azederach, morus alba, morus nigra and lagerstroemia indica will often exhibit signs of transplant shock and will nearly always die back to a lower bud.
However, if planted promptly on arrival, they will nearly always shoot away.