Short answer: not with field soil on the roots. The UAE rule is that natural soil associated with imported plants is not admitted. A tree can still arrive root-balled and alive — but the ball has to be made up of a clean growing medium rather than the earth it grew in. That is a production decision, made months before the tree is lifted, not a packing decision made at the port.
What the rule means in practice
Importers read “no soil” and picture a bare-root tree arriving dry and shocked after four weeks at sea. That is not the only way to meet it. A root ball made up in coco peat carries no field soil, and still holds moisture and a working root system all the way to the planting pit.
How we prepare, by size
| Caliper | Root ball | Growing medium | Container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 100 mm | Roots cleaned of all field soil, ball made up around them, sized in proportion to the tree | 100% coco peat — soil-free | Refrigerated |
| 100 mm and above | Approx. 60–65 cm diameter x 60–65 cm depth, varying with the tree | Approx. 30% cleaned soil, 70% coco peat | Open top, craned in upright |
Three-quarters of the grades we grow fall below 100 mm caliper, so for most orders the soil-free preparation is the standard one, not a special request. Preparation is rated to hold a tree for up to 45 days in transit — deliberately longer than any scheduled sailing to the Gulf, so a vessel delay costs time rather than trees.
What is settled and what you should confirm
Settled: we can supply below 100 mm caliper with no field soil on the root ball, and say so on the specification that goes with your quotation.
Confirm before production: import conditions change, and they are set by your authority, not by us. Whatever a supplier tells you, the import permit and any conditions on growing medium have to come from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in your own name. Tell us what the permit says before we start preparing, because the medium decides the method and the price — and it cannot be changed once the balls are cut.
If your project is in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain, the same question applies with a different authority. Send us the rule as your broker states it and we will tell you plainly whether we can meet it.
What to send us
A species list with caliper in millimetres and quantities is enough to start. If you are working from a planting schedule or a bill of quantities, send it as it is — we read tender schedules every week and will normalise the sizes ourselves.
How the root ball is prepared, measured and wrapped
Send us your planting schedule
Species and grades we grow