Should you buy a young tree or more a advanced tree for your next project?

If you’re planning a landscape or garden project and deciding on your tree selection, we want to offer some advice.

Large-chain retailers typically sell young tree saplings, and there are valid reasons for doing so. But we wanted to break down the pros and cons of buying young or advanced trees and help you make a decision on what will perform better in your project or garden renovation. Let’s start with the basics…

Young trees in production at Speciality Trees.

The Benefits Of Buying A Young Tree

When we talk about a 'young' tree we mean a small starter tree typically bought in a 140mm (6 inch), 200mm (8 inch) or 250mm (10 inch) pot. It is also common for fruit trees and smaller ornamental varieties to be offered in a 300mm (12 inch) pot. All are considered 'young'. Being small, they are easy to transport, take home and plant.

There are really two main benefits to buying a young tree. Young sapling trees are typically cheaper. They’ve had less time and resources invested in them, which makes them a budget-conscious option for homeowners or landscapers. 

Young sapling trees can sometimes adapt better to a new environment, where advanced trees may experience transplant shock. But the opposite can apply too, when roots are too small to establish well in soil.

A batch of junior tree material propagated from seed. Weak-performing trees are removed before this stage.

Do their cons outweigh the pros? Let’s take a look…

The Cons Of Buying A Young Tree

While young sapling trees have their benefits, they have some significant disadvantages compared to a more advanced tree.

One of the main drawbacks of a sapling tree over an advanced tree is the time they take to mature. If you want instant landscape impact, saplings require years to grow into sizable shade-providing, feature or screening trees. For example, a Japanese Maple tree  (Acer palmatum) can take 10 years to reach its full size. That’s a lot of waiting!  Whereas an advanced tree specimen bought in a 50L or 100L container has structure and offers immediate visual appeal.

In Victoria, saplings may also be vulnerable to factors like drought, frost, or strong winds, requiring extra care and protection during their early stages of growth. 

Saplings are also prone to damage from pests and animals due to their smaller size and softer bark. An increasingly common occurrence reported by many councils is vandalism too as small trees are easy to remove from garden beds, whether on public or private land.

Young trees are a cost-effective choice, but they demand patience and attention to detail in terms of care. Like a child, they require pruning and nutrients to grow strong and resiliant to the planting environment.

Let’s turn our attention to advanced trees…

The Benefits Of Buying An Advanced Tree

It’s the big one–the most obvious one–instant aesthetic appeal. Advanced trees bring instant shade, privacy, and a more mature look without the wait. The bigger the tree the closer you are to our end goal, be it shading screening or providing a kick-ass feature to your landscape!

For the record, an advanced tree is supplied bigger then a 300mm (12inch) pot. Depending on species and price-point these are trees in containers with a diameter of 400mm and 500mm containers or greater in size. Advanced trees can also be referred to in literage, which refers to the amount of soil around the root ball within the container it is growing in.

Advanced trees are typically hardier and more resilient to stressful situations brought about by factors such as drought or extreme weather, having already developed stronger root systems. 

And then there's the safety aspect. Advanced trees are less likely to fall from strong winds and other external factors, so they are more suitable for planting in school zones, streets, walkways and playgrounds. 

As an asset, advanced trees can increase property values significantly.

The instant functional, practical, and visual benefits justify the monetary investment, particularly for those looking to fast-track the growth and impact of their landscaping.

Tristaniopsis laurina 'Luscious' planted as an advanced tree in a developement west of Melbourne.

The Cons Of Buying An Advanced Tree

The main con, for some, would be the cost. Because of the time and resources involved in growing the tree in a production nursery environment, an advanced tree is typically more expensive than a young tree. 

What Our Expert Horticulturists Have To Say:

In days gone by, councils and landscapers generally only planted native species from tubes, which came with a significant risk. The advantage of planting semi-mature to super-advanced trees today is that the genetics have been thoroughly refined. If you plant a thousand trees from seed or small tubes, you might discard two-thirds due to poor genetics. These trees either fail to root properly or develop inadequate structure.

A stunning example of Jacaranda mimosifolia on public land.

When you buy from a reputable grower, material with poor-performing genetics is identified and removed early in the process so when trees reach larger container sizes, only the strongest and most robust trees remain. This is a key benefit of buying larger trees. As commercial tree growers, it’s our responsibility to ensure the trees you receive are reliable, true to type with strong branching and root systems to thrive in your landscape.

In nature, out of a thousand seeds, only a small percentage will grow well to maturity.  As commercial growers, we nurture those thousand seeds and sell only but the strongest performers, all based on genetics.  All the hard work has been done for you!

Understanding pot size is important. Here is the size difference between a 500mm and 400mm advanced tree. Often post sizes are used interchangably but there is significant difference between the 2 sizes. Both are considered an advanced tree.

For those of us in the business of producing and selling trees, we know our best practice processes are resulting in quality stock. Trees grown well are much less of a safety concern when planted near structures, around homes, playgrounds, and in our streets. It’s important to educate people on the advantages of advanced species, especially those grown with horticultural attention, as they are less likely to cause problems in the long term.

Quality is key. While a well-formed crown and a single straight leader are important. It’s the unseen elements – like the quality and volume of roots – that anchor a tree and ensure its success. Trees grown with integrated pest management and inoculation from the start are more resistant to pests and diseases.

Production of advanced trees at Speciality Trees in Melbourne.

We take particular pride in the “below-ground” elements, which sets us apart from other nurseries. It’s the process behind the tree that adds value. Our goal is to ensure success in the landscape, and we achieve this by focusing on every growing element - soil, roots, nutrition, disease resistance, form, balance and structure. 

Advanced trees, with all the necessary formative and root pruning, have a much higher success rate in the landscape.

If you’re unsure about trees, buy from a reputable nursery and plant them properly – you’ll see fantastic results.

Are All Advanced Trees The Same? 

If they’ve been grown properly in a nursery environment, they should meet performance expectations. You’ll receive a robust, well-formed, balanced tree, with the troubleshooting already done for you.

While advanced trees do come at a higher cost, you're investing in a healthier, more resilient tree that will thrive in your landscape. That’s the real value of buying advanced material.

If you’re still unsure, get in touch with our horticultural team who will be more than happy to assist you to identify what trees are right for your particular project. Get in touch today. 

Not sure what tree to plant? Here’s a list of the most popular Melbourne trees from last year and a good place to start. The other is to simply browse our website.