How we grow trees. From a tiny seed to a giant.
SoftStep arranges tree-planting services through specialist nurseries, local farmers and planting partners.
Trees are grown and planted according to local conditions, with care and monitoring undertaken by the relevant project teams.
Planting the seed, to change the world.
Specialist nurseries raise seedlings, planting seeds into a nurturing, nutrient-rich environment to give them the best chance.
Our UK nursery partner doesn’t use plastic pots, but eco-friendly, biodegradable fabric bags. These let the plants breathe and prevent tangled roots, rot and damaged roots caused by roots being unable to penetrate the container walls.
Hand-grown from seed to sapling in Lincolnshire.
At present, UK trees in our network are hand-grown from seed to sapling at a specialist nursery in Lincolnshire, tended by its expert growers. With onsite access to state of the art soil sampling, pesticide and plant testing equipment, there is always a trained expert on hand to make sure the plants are cared for.
Expert growers
PhD doctorates in agronomy on site.
Plant machinery and polytunnels.
Organic by design
An organic fertiliser and pesticide production facility.
Science behind the growth
An onsite laboratory including microscopes and plant analysing equipment.
A new nursery in the south of England.
We’re now looking for a new nursery partner in the south of England. It will take over the larger volumes of growing, leaving Lincolnshire as the science behind the growth, focusing on new hardy tree varieties and tree protection.
The ever so slight temperature difference between the Midlands and the south of the country will let the trees grow that little longer before winter hits. As they say in Game of Thrones, winter is coming.
Stepping outside.
Growing partners prepare young trees for local conditions. Once a seed has grown into a sapling, with timing depending on the tree type and season, the plants are moved outside. Still in a nurturing environment, this lets the plants toughen up and acclimatise to the weather while still being cared for.
The eco-friendly bags they grow in allow excellent water permeability and breathability, so delicate roots can punch through while moisture and nutrients get in. At this stage, some plants are moved to larger eco-friendly sapling bags.
Time to grow up.
Farmers and planting partners then plant them at suitable sites. Growing, planting and aftercare follow the seasonal and practical requirements of each project.
Once planted, saplings grow faster thanks to the “air-pruned” effect. Because they’re planted within their original eco-friendly bags, full of nutrients, they have a strong chance of taking root and growing.
Why 1 million trees takes a lot of land.
We can only reach our goal of planting 1 million trees if we work with other organisations, simply because of the vast amount of land needed.
With a healthy forest having 60 trees per acre, we'd need over 16,000 acres. That’s over 9,000 football pitches, or a car park big enough to fit over 2.5 million cars.
That’s why we work with landowners, farmers and forestry partners. Saplings literally travel the country before they get to their final home.
Check-ups.
Project teams monitor progress and provide updates where available. Visits check not only the young trees but the overall health of each forest.
If we ever notice any large-scale issues, such as a lot of trees dying, we contact the appropriate people to make sure the trees get back to health.
Depending on the type of tree and where it was grown, your seed could be growing for well over 100 years. These forests are beautiful... help keep them that way!
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So now you know this, how much do you think a tree is worth?
These leafy towers create the air you breathe, help animals grow, feed our oceans with oxygen and are working daily to save our planet.
Plant your first tree today