One of the most common questions we’re asked before delivery is surprisingly simple; "How big will the rootball be when my tree arrives?"
When you order a New Wood multi-stem tree, it’s natural to picture the shape of the canopy and the height of the stems, but the rootball is the part that is actually most important to consider when planting and establishing your new tree. And it's often surprising how substantial they can be.
As all of our trees are field grown, they are lifted during the dormant season with a generous ball of soil surrounding the roots. This soil mass protects the fine feeding roots and provides the tree with an initial chunk of earth containing the nutrients and conditions it has been used to while growing with us. By keeping this soil and the delicate root system intact during lifting and planting, the tree has the very best chance of settling in quickly and establishing successfully in its new home.
Put simply, the rootball is designed to give the tree the best possible start in its new home.
For customers planning deliveries, access, or planting holes, this naturally leads to a lot of practical questions:
To help answer these questions, we filmed a short video from the nursery showing exactly what the rootball on a multi-stem tree looks like. And included a second video with some helpful planting tips below.
In this guide we’ll explain what determines the size of a rootball, what you can typically expect when your tree arrives:
Answering some of your common questions:
How wide will the rootball be and how heavy will my tree(s) be to move?
This really depends on the type of tree. We handle every one with individual care and our production team choose the rootball size needed based on the specific needs of that tree; how thick its stems are, how wide the canopy is etc. Within the same height range of trees the rootball sizes and weights can differ greatly, so it's hard to give exact sizes without knowing the exact tree that we're discussing.
But we will absolutely be able to tell you this when you order your tree, so please ask for this information at the point of order.
That said, we can give you the examples in the table below as a guide. This demonstrates the difference in weight and rootball sizes between trees of the same selling height*:
| Tree height | Tree Variety | Rootball diameter * | Rootball depth * | Weight * |
| 100cm | Pinus densiflora | 60cm | 30cm | 110kg |
| 100cm | Pinus sylvestris 'Watereri' | 70cm | 40cm | 170kg |
| 150-200cm | Magnolia x loebneri 'Merrill' | 60cm | 30cm | 120kg |
| 150-200cm | Arbutus unedo | 70cm | 40cm | 200kg |
| 200-250cm | Malus 'Evereste' | 60cm | 35cm | 130kg |
| 200-250cm | Amelanchier lamarckii | 60cm | 35cm | 150kg |
| 200-250cm | Elaeagnus multiflora | 80cm | 40cm | 230kg |
| 250-300cm | Sorbus aucuparia | 70cm | 40cm | 200kg |
| 250-300cm | Acer ginnala | 80cm | 50cm | 300kg |
| 350-400cm | Pinus sylvestris | 90cm | 45cm | 300kg |
| 400-450cm | Carpinus betulus | 100cm | 50cm | 450-500kg |
*Please note all of these are averages and not absolute for every tree. Please ask at the point of order for the size and weight details of your specific tree(s).
How big should the planting hole be?
The planting hole should be just slightly larger than the rootball itself. You want the rootball to sit comfortably in the hole, but still fit fairly snugly without lots of empty space around it. Dig the hole to roughly the same depth as the rootball, and only a little wider, so the tree can sit firmly and naturally at ground level. A hole that is too large can make it harder to stabilise the tree, whereas a close fit helps keep the rootball supported while the roots begin to grow out into the surrounding soil.
Why do multi-stem trees sometimes have particularly large rootballs?
Multi-stem trees often develop a broad, spreading canopy made up of several stems, which naturally means the tree carries more weight above ground. As a tree grows, its root system expands outward to support that canopy, so when the tree is lifted, the rootball needs to be wide enough to capture a good portion of those roots. Keeping a generous rootball also means the tree retains plenty of the soil it has been used to growing in at the nursery, which helps minimise transplant shock when it is moved to a new garden. Within that ball of soil are thousands of fine, fibrous feeding roots that are responsible for taking up water and nutrients. By lifting the tree with a sufficiently large rootball, we preserve as many of these vital roots as possible, giving the tree the best chance to establish quickly once planted.
Several factors influence the final size of the rootball:
Tree size
The taller and more mature the tree, the larger the root system that needs to be preserved. As a result, the rootball increases in diameter as the tree grows.
Multi-stem form
Multi-stem trees naturally have a broader base and canopy, which means their root systems are often wider than those of single-stem trees of a similar height. This is one of the reasons their rootballs can be more substantial.
Width of the canopy
For trees with a particularly wide spreading canopy such as Elaeagnus umbellata the rootball increases in diameter to support the width of the tree.
The machine we use to lift the tree
We have several rootballing machines in the nursery, and each have slightly different size and shape blades.
Helpful planting tips
And in this guide we explain how to prepare your planting area and what to do when your tree arrives:
You can also find lots more information on our tree care and planting advice page here.
In summary
The rootball is a vital part of how we grow and lift our multi-stem trees. That generous ball of soil protects the fine roots and keeps the tree growing in the same soil conditions it has been used to at the nursery. By keeping this root system intact during lifting, transport and planting, the tree is given the best possible start in its new home. With a little preparation and the right planting approach, it will quickly begin to establish and settle into its new surroundings, rewarding you with structure, beauty and seasonal interest for many years to come.
If you've found this useful, you might be interested in the many more helpful tips and information here.