James River Nurseries uses specialized Dutchman tree spade attachments to excavate balled-and-burlapped trees directly from nursery stock, achieving less than 5% tree mortality over a ten-year period — compared to mortality rates of over 40% for bare-root alternatives — by preserving the rootball and keeping fresh, tender roots in close contact with their original soil.
Mature Landscapes, Faster
One of the most common questions JRN's design team hears is some version of: "Will it look like that on day one, or do I have to wait?" The honest answer is that almost any landscape gets better with time. But when a project calls for instant impact — a privacy screen that needs to perform now, a specimen shade tree near a new build, a curb-appeal entrance that has to deliver — there is a way to skip the waiting and put a mature tree in the ground that is going to make it.
It's called a tree spade, and JRN's team has been using them on the right projects for decades.
How a Dutchman Tree Spade Works
JRN's team uses specialized Dutchman tree spade attachments mounted on tracked machines to excavate trees directly from nursery stock. The spade cuts precisely through the soil around the root zone, preserving the rootball and keeping those fresh, tender roots in close contact with the soil they were growing in. The rootball is then carefully wrapped in burlap to protect root moisture and integrity during transport, and the tree goes straight to the job site for installation.
It's the same balled-and-burlapped (B&B) approach the nursery industry has refined over a century, but executed with modern hydraulic precision instead of hand-digging.
Why This Method Outperforms Bare-Root for Mature Trees
Why does this matter? Balled-and-burlapped trees installed this way have a survival rate that far exceeds bare-root alternatives. Industry research and JRN's own field experience point to less than 5% mortality over a ten-year period for spaded, balled-and-burlapped trees, compared to over 40% for bare-root. When JRN's team says these trees are going to make it, they mean it.
The difference comes down to roots. A bare-root tree has lost almost all of its fine feeder roots and most of its soil contact during digging and shipping. A spaded B&B tree comes out of the nursery field with most of its working root system intact, sitting in its original soil, ready to root into your site as soon as it's planted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Dutchman tree spade?
A Dutchman tree spade is a specialized hydraulic attachment used to excavate trees from nursery stock with their rootball intact. The spade cuts cleanly around the root zone, lifts the tree, and allows it to be wrapped in burlap (balled-and-burlapped) for transport, preserving root health for installation.
What is the difference between balled-and-burlapped and bare-root trees?
A balled-and-burlapped (B&B) tree is excavated with its original soil and root system wrapped in burlap, while a bare-root tree is dug with all soil washed away from its roots. B&B trees have significantly higher survival rates than bare-root trees, especially for larger specimens — often less than 5% mortality versus more than 40%.
Can you install a mature tree to make a landscape look established right away?
Yes — using balled-and-burlapped specimen trees excavated with tree spade equipment, James River Nurseries can install mature trees that give a landscape an established look on day one. Proper installation, watering, and follow-up care are critical to ensuring long-term survival.
Plan Your Next Project With James River Nurseries
If your project needs mature trees that perform now and thrive long-term, JRN's plant material and installation team can source, spade, and install specimen trees across Central Virginia. Reach out at jamesrivernurseries.com/contact.
