KiwiSciencePart 2 · Field guide
Planting native plants the right way
A practical guide to getting native seedlings into the ground so they survive — from fencing and pest control, through setting out and digging, to guards, weeds and follow-up.
What this part covers: how to place, plant and protect seedlings. It does not cover which species to choose — that is what the user guide and the Tika Tipu selector are for.
Good technique is the difference between a plant that thrives and one that sulks, blows over or dies. None of it is hard. Work through the steps below in order, and give each seedling the same care you would give the first one.
1 Fence out stock first
Cattle, sheep, goats, deer and horses will graze, trample and snap almost every native you plant, including tough species like manuka, kanuka and totara. Fresh nursery plants are especially tempting because of the nutrients they carry. So the single most important thing you can do before planting is put up a stock-proof fence. A good fence lasts for decades and lets natural regeneration take off as well.
Choosing a fence
- Deer netting, 1.8–2.0 m: excludes sheep, cattle, horses, goats and deer. The safest all-round choice next to farmland.
- Eight-wire post and batten: a strong barrier for sheep and cattle. Add an electric outrigger where horses, cattle or bulls lean on it.
- Two or three wire electric: holds cattle, but only while it is kept live at all times.
- Rabbit and hare mesh: fine mesh (aperture 50 mm or less) fixed to the fence. Extend it out along the ground about 400 mm on the pest side to stop digging, and up the face to 1.1 m to stop hares.
Set plants back and shelter the edge. Keep the first row beyond the reach of any animal leaning over the fence. On open sites, plant your hardiest, fastest colonising species along the windward edge. They shelter the plants growing behind them and cope better with the odd nibble from the fence line.
Fit a gate so you can remove any stock that breaks in quickly.
Funding. Many regional councils and the QEII National Trust help with the cost of new fencing around retired riparian margins and bush. Ask before you start.
2 Knock back pests before you plant
Fences stop farm stock, but rabbits, hares and possums can still get in and do real damage to fresh seedlings. Run a control programme immediately before planting, when it counts most, then keep watching.
How to read the damage
| Culprit | Sign on your plants | Best control |
|---|---|---|
| Hare | Clean 45° cut of the main stem; top discarded nearby | Shooting (rarely takes bait) |
| Rabbit | Browsed leaves and stems; diggings; round droppings | Shooting or Pindone bait; fine mesh fence |
| Possum | Chewed new growth and flowers; damage to older saplings on edges | Trapping, shooting or bait |
| Deer | Browsed tops; antler rubbing and ring-barking on saplings | Deer netting; hunting |
| Goat / pig | Seedlings eaten to stubs (goats); rooted up and uplifted (pigs) | Fencing; hunting |
| Pukeko / weka | Fresh seedlings pulled out, often not eaten | Larger grades, firm planting; deterrents |
Get expert advice on baits and traps to stay safe and get results. Monitor after planting and act fast on new damage. Keep follow-up control going until seedlings top one metre.
3 Clear weeds before you plant
Grass and weeds compete with young natives for light, water and nutrients. Effort spent controlling them before planting pays off many times over in less work later.
Grass and pasture sites
- Hard graze or mow within three months of planting to knock the sward down near ground level. This makes access, spraying and planting far easier.
- Spray if the grass is vigorous. Tough species like kikuyu usually need herbicide. Spray clean, green, actively growing foliage in early autumn or spring.
- Spot spray a patch for each plant when spacing is wider than 1.5 m. Blanket spray when planting denser than 1.5 m.
- Where grass is thin and weak, you may not need herbicide at all. Just plant soon after hard grazing.
Going herbicide-free? It can work, but a sprayed pasture sometimes fills with worse weeds such as thistles, vines or gorse. Weigh that against the alternative of hand releasing plants from rank grass.
Woody weed sites (gorse, broom, blackberry, privet)
Dense woody weeds are the hardest sites. Poor preparation leads to vigorous regrowth that smothers your natives. Combine mechanical clearing with herbicide, and allow up to two years to get aggressive species under control before you plant. Planting a dense nurse crop of fast growing shrubs can then close a canopy within 2–3 years and hold the weeds down.
4 Where each plant goes
Placement is two decisions at once: matching each plant to the conditions it likes (its ecology), and arranging plants so they help you win the battle against weeds.
Match the plant to the spot
Put moisture-loving plants in the low, damp ground near water, and drought-tolerant, wind-hardy plants on dry ridges and exposed edges. Match shade-lovers to sheltered or shaded positions and sun-lovers to the open. A plant in the wrong spot struggles no matter how well you plant it.
Use spacing to beat weeds
Spacing is your best long-term weed tool. Plant densely and the canopy closes sooner, shading out weeds and cutting years off your maintenance.
Dense planting at 1.2–1.5 m typically closes a canopy in 2–3 years and suppresses weeds, so you only spray or hand-release for a few seasons. Wider spacing means cheaper plants up front but more years of weed control. Choose the trade-off that suits your budget and labour.
5 Setting out the holes
Lay plants out across the site before you start planting, at your chosen spacing. Offset each row so plants sit in the gaps of the row beside them. This triangular pattern gives the most even cover and the fastest canopy.
| Planting aim | Rough spacing | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Dense revegetation (fast canopy, least weeding) | 1.2–1.5 m | Canopy closes in 2–3 years; blanket spray |
| Shrubs and smaller trees | 1.5–2 m | Longer weed control; spot spray |
| Larger trees | 2.5–3 m | Slowest canopy; most years of weeding |
Mark your plants. Push a 60–90 cm bamboo stake next to each seedling, on the same side every time (say the north side, within 15 cm). You will find every plant again quickly when you come back to weed or check it, even in long grass.
6 Digging the hole
Aim for a hole about twice the width and depth of the root ball. Loosen the sides and bottom and pull out large stones. Cultivating the spot improves drainage and lets roots push out quickly, which matters most on heavy clay or compacted ground.
- If dense grass covers the spot, skim it off with the spade first (screefing). Do not strip away too much topsoil.
- Drive the spade in with your boot and make several deep parallel cuts, tilting to loosen, then cross-cut. You want a well broken, crumbly planting spot.
- Using an auger on wet clay? Score any smooth, glazed sides with a spade. A glazed wall seals the hole and roots cannot get through it.
Auger sizes: a 150 mm bit suits large PB3 planter bags; 100 mm suits smaller grades. A motorised borer gives consistent hole depth, which is handy for community planting days.
7 Out of the pot or tray
Take the plant out of its container at the planting spot, and keep as much soil around the roots as you can. A healthy root system binds the mix into a solid mass that holds together when the pot comes off.
- With root trainers and trays, ease plants apart gently. Roots often tangle with the neighbour beside them.
- Do not leave bare root balls sitting out. Exposed roots dry out fast, especially in sun or wind. Plant them promptly.
- Collect the plastic pots, bags and trays as you go and send them for recycling.
If the root ball falls apart when you remove the pot, the plant was not ready. Note it, plant it carefully, and raise it with your nursery next time.
8 Disturb the roots, or not?
The short answer: leave a good root ball alone, and only intervene when the plant is pot-bound. How much a plant tolerates root disturbance also varies from species to species, so err on the side of gentleness.
- Good root ball: plant it as it is. Needless root disturbance only sets the plant back.
- Pot-bound plant: loosen the ball and tease out the fibrous roots, or cut and trim badly twisted ones, so roots grow into the surrounding soil rather than strangling in a circle.
- Species sensitivity: some natives resent root disturbance more than others. When unsure, handle the roots as little as the job allows.
The real fix for pot-bound stock is to reject it at the nursery. Remedial root work in the field is a patch-up, not a cure, and is impractical at scale.
9 Filling the hole for survival
How you set the plant and firm the soil decides whether it lives through its first dry spell and its first gale.
- Moisten first. If the root ball is dry, soak it in a bucket until the bubbles stop, then let it drain. A dry ball is hard to re-wet in the ground.
- Set the depth. Place the root collar (where stem meets roots) at least 5 cm below the surrounding soil. Plant deeper on dry, drought-prone sites so roots reach moist soil. In wet regions, do not plant deep or dish the surface, as ponding can rot the stem.
- Backfill and firm. Push soil back around the roots with spade and boot, and firm it down to remove air pockets. Keep a gentle upward pull on the seedling while you firm so the roots are not bent or folded.
- Check it holds. A shallow or loosely firmed plant will spin in the wind (planters call it twizzling) and fail. It should sit firm when you tug the top lightly.
Do you need extras? On most sites, no. Fertiliser is usually unnecessary and fast-release nitrogen just feeds weeds; use only slow-release granules in the hole on very poor soils. Water crystals (hydrogels) show unclear benefit. Watering is generally not needed if you use well grown plants and plant deep. A degradable mulch (bark, wool mat, straw) helps hold moisture and suppress weeds at small scale.
10 Plant guards: yes or no?
A plant guard (such as a combi-guard) is a sleeve on stakes around the seedling. On the right site it earns its place. On the wrong one it is a cost and a plastic problem. Decide deliberately.
The case for guards
Guards can lift survival and speed early growth. They shelter seedlings on exposed sites, reduce rabbit and hare browsing, and shield young plants from herbicide drift while you release-spray around them. Combi-guards bundle these benefits together. Some come with a coir mat at the base to hold weeds down. All of them need bamboo stakes to stay upright, and checking after wind.
The case against
- Cost and labour: roughly $1–2 each, plus the time to stake and maintain them. That rarely stacks up at large scale.
- Heat stress: plastic guards can cook seedlings inside during hot summers.
- They must come off: a guard left behind becomes litter and a hazard to the plant it protected.
Plastic guards and microplastics. Corflute and other polypropylene guards persist in the environment for years. Sunlight, soil and weather break them down only slowly, and as they fragment they shed microplastics into soil and waterways, where they enter the food chain. Calling a plastic "degradable" does not fix this: it still leaves microplastic behind. Reuse plastic guards while they last, then remove them and recycle them. Do not leave them on site.
Biodegradable options (wool, cardboard, hessian or jute) break down in place without leaving microplastics, which suits riparian and restoration sites. Wool-based guards commonly last a year or more before softening. Know their quirks: cardboard can attract paper wasps, and heavy jute can collapse onto small seedlings as it rots.
Rule of thumb: use guards on small, high-value, or exposed and browse-prone plantings. On large sites, rely on good fencing, pest control and dense planting instead, and if you do use guards, choose biodegradable and commit to removing any plastic.
11 Weed control after planting
Keep weeds off your plants until the canopy closes, usually the first 3–5 years. You have two tools: the spray gun and your hands.
Release spraying
- When: mid-spring, once plants are established and showing new growth and the grass is getting competitive.
- How: apply a grass-and-weed herbicide in a 500 mm arc around the base. Cover the competing growth but keep it off the plant.
- Bonus: the dying weeds break down and act as mulch.
Hand weeding and releasing
- Within 2–3 months of planting, hand-release plants smothered by grass. It is labour-intensive but precise, and needs no chemical.
- A common combination is spraying mature weeds, then hand-pulling the seedlings that follow.
Herbicide near natives. Careful spraying of glyphosate around most natives rarely harms them, but tolerance data is limited and species differ, so keep spray off foliage and stems. A guard or a physical shield helps. Follow the label and keep herbicide out of waterways.
Note: herbicide use is a sensitive topic. Check current regional council rules and label directions before spraying, especially near water.
12 Pests after planting
Planting does not end pest pressure. Rabbits, hares and possums keep testing your plants until they are big enough to shrug off a browse.
- Keep watching. Walk the site regularly and act fast on fresh damage. Bamboo markers make plants easy to find.
- Control until plants top one metre. That is roughly when they outgrow the worst of the browsing risk.
- Plant big, plant firm. Larger grades (PB3, PB5) that are well firmed resist being pulled out by rabbits, pukeko and weka.
- Repellents applied at planting can help, but reapply after heavy rain.
- Less palatable, hardened-off stock takes browsing better. Retaining some tall grass around plants can also deter rabbits, though it competes for water, so balance the two.
13 Planting day checklist
- Fenced to exclude stock, with mesh at the base if rabbits or hares are about.
- Pests knocked back in the weeks before planting.
- Weeds cleared by grazing, mowing or spraying; woody sites prepared well ahead.
- Plants laid out at your spacing, offset row to row, hardy species on the windward edge.
- Holes about twice the root-ball width and depth, sides loosened, no glazing.
- Root balls moist before planting; pots collected for recycling.
- Roots left intact if healthy, teased or trimmed only if pot-bound.
- Root collar 5 cm deep (deeper on dry sites; no dish in wet regions).
- Firmed so plants do not spin in the wind.
- Guards only where justified, staked, biodegradable preferred, plastic to be removed.
- Marked with bamboo stakes for easy release and monitoring.
- Follow-up plan for weeds (3–5 years) and pests (until plants pass 1 m).
• Sources and credits
This guide summarises current New Zealand restoration practice. For your own site, follow specific local advice and product labels.
Key references
- Tāne’s Tree Trust: How to plant native seedlings
- Tāne’s Tree Trust: Site preparation for planting natives
- Restore Native: How to release spray a tree
- Department of Conservation: Planning and planting a native garden
- NZ Plant Conservation Network: Revegetation
- Earth to Earth: Biodegradable vs plastic plant guards
- Arborgreen: Tree guards and microplastic pollution
Photographs
Photographs are hosted on Wikimedia Commons and remain under their respective licences. Open each image’s source page for the author and licence terms. Diagrams are original to this guide and free to reuse.
Prepared as a practical field reference for volunteers and landowners. Information is provided in good faith; assess it against your own site conditions and seek technical advice where needed.