Short answer: for winter trunks, spiral a narrow strip from the bottom up, overlapping each turn by half; for transplant root balls, wrap wide to hold the ball together; for low fruit trees, wrap the tree and pair it with a plant frost blanket. The step everyone forgets is taking it off in spring. Tree wrap is a seasonal measure — leaving it on is worse than not wrapping at all. Our PP spunbond tree wrap runs 40-120 gsm from a 3.2 m master roll, slit to your width; specs are on the tree wrap product page.
1. Decide What You Are Wrapping: Trunk, Root Ball or Whole Tree
Trunk wrapping
Trunks and main limbs of newly planted and young fruit trees. Limits sunscald and frost damage; use narrow slit strips so one person can work alone.
Root ball wrapping
Wrap the ball after lifting so it does not fall apart. Breathable and water-permeable, so unlike film it will not suffocate roots; slit or remove at planting.
Whole-tree cover
Wrap low fruit trees whole, often with a frost blanket over the top: wrap first, then cover, for better warmth.
Transit protection
Cover or bundle nursery stock in transit to cut wind desiccation; remove and recycle on arrival.
2. Choosing GSM: Three Bands Inside 40-120
Same PP spunbond, but GSM sets warmth, tear resistance and service life. 40-60 gsm suits mild regions, short frost windows and annual nursery stock — light and cheap, with limited tear resistance. 60-90 gsm is the workhorse band for standard winter trunk wrapping and covers most temperate orchards. 90-120 gsm is for cold regions, long wrapping periods or contract buying where reuse matters: higher unit price, but cheaper once spread over several winters. The test is not "thicker is better" but your local minimum temperature and how long it stays on. Not sure? Send the species, your minimum temperature and the wrapping period and we will recommend, with free A4 swatches first. Beyond GSM you still need the slit width — see the garden section of the complete agricultural nonwoven guide.
3. Width and Roll Length: Slit to Size, Not Cut On Site
Tree wrap is slit from a master roll up to 3.2 m wide. Trunk wrapping normally takes narrow strips, root balls take wide cuts — tell us the job and the trunk diameter and we slit to suit, so there is no cutting on site, less labour and less waste. Roll length is cut to your tree size or plot, up to 100 m per roll, which keeps joints down. One cost that is easy to miss is waste: cutting wide rolls into strips by hand on site typically wastes 10% or more in offcuts and irregular lengths, and slit-to-size supply avoids most of it. More on roll build and slitting in the non woven roll buying guide.
4. Against Straw Rope, Plastic Film and Burlap
Choosing a tree wrap comes down to five things: breathability, moisture retention, how fast your crew can apply it, reuse, and disposal. Straw rope breathes but holds little water and loosens as it dries, and tying it strand by strand is slow. Plastic film is quick but does not breathe — condensation inside can scald the bark — and it is hard to recycle afterwards. Burlap and woven sacks breathe, but gain weight when wet, stiffen after frost and need cutting and sewing. PP spunbond tree wrap sits at: breathable, spiral-applied from a roll so crews move fast, reusable for several winters depending on GSM, and recyclable. Its drawback is worth stating plainly — it does not biodegrade, so it must be collected, which is the exact opposite of burlap. The full comparison table is on the tree wrap product page.
5. Four Steps — and the One Everyone Gets Wrong
Step one, clear the base: prune out diseased shoots and loose bark so you do not seal eggs and spores in. Step two, spiral from the bottom up: start at the root collar and overlap each turn by about half the strip width, leaving no straight seam — a straight seam is an open channel for cold air straight onto the bark. Step three, close it loose: fix the top with a tie, slack enough to slip a finger under. Tight wraps girdle the trunk as it thickens, a common cause of death in the second spring after planting. Step four, the one most often skipped: remove it once temperatures settle in spring. Any wrapping left on holds moisture against the bark and harbours pests over winter. Tree wrap is a seasonal measure, not permanent armour.
Q1: What GSM should tree wrap be?
We supply 40-120 gsm. Mild regions and short frost windows sit at 40-60, temperate orchards at 60-90, cold regions or reuse-focused contracts at 90-120. Decide on local minimum temperature and how long it stays on — thicker is not automatically better.
Q2: Does PP nonwoven biodegrade? Can I plant it in?
No, and we do not recommend planting it in. Polypropylene does not biodegrade — that is exactly why it outlasts burlap. Slit or remove the wrap at planting and collect it for recycling. If you need a degradable route, ask us about other material options.
Q3: Can it be reused? How should I store it?
Yes, for several winters depending on GSM, if stored well. Remove at the end of the season, dry it, roll it and keep it somewhere cool and dark, away from prolonged sun and sharp edges. It is a consumable — we do not recommend indefinite reuse.
Q4: What is the MOQ? Can I sample first?
Half a tonne for standard stock; custom slit widths are assessed per project. Free A4 swatches for handfeel and colour, and custom sampling takes 5-7 days. From 31 October to 4 November we are at Canton Fair Phase 3, booth 16.3E31, with real tree wrap to compare — details and booking on the Canton Fair 2026 page.
