Cheap border trees

[jkratz5]

Hey fellas,

I am looking for some pines or some other tree that I can:

1. Purchase in bulk for a decent price
2. Trees will eventually provide cover between a gravel road and one of our major crop fields. We have problems with poachers and gaukers all year round and this is one thought we have to reducing this problem.

Anyone have any suggestions for trees to use and where I might be able to get a bunch for a decent price. They could even be 12" to start with as I don't have the funds to pay $100 a tree or more.

Kratz

 

[Bow Ben]

Hey fellas,

I am looking for some pines or some other tree that I can:

1. Purchase in bulk for a decent price
2. Trees will eventually provide cover between a gravel road and one of our major crop fields. We have problems with poachers and gaukers all year round and this is one thought we have to reducing this problem.

Anyone have any suggestions for trees to use and where I might be able to get a bunch for a decent price. They could even be 12" to start with as I don't have the funds to pay $100 a tree or more.

Kratz

If you go with pines I would go with Norway Spruce. They are one of the fastest growing evergreens and handle a wide variety of soils well. Most counties have spring tree sales where you can buy seedlings cheap, especially if you buy 100 or more. I have bought bundles of 100 Norways for $40-$45 that are 12-18 inches tall. In the short term have you thought about switch grass? That can give you 6-7 foot tall cover in 2-3 years.

 

[muddy]

If its the crop field I'm remembering you may want something that can handle excess water as well, doesn't it flood most years? You may want to consider a 100 foot boarder of big blue stem.

 

[Sligh1]

Don't put all your eggs in one basket... Do ROWS.... Some examples that each have their +/-'s....
Hybrid willow
Norway spruce
Red Cedar
Swamp oak or shingle oak
Many shrubs (most don't want the invasive Autumn Olive BUT there are others that are almost as good).

In the mean time, I'd research both Egyptian wheat & possibly Miscantheus. Some native grasses may be enough as well- Big Blue like Muddy mentioned will get really tall and stay there for sure til around January-ish which is plenty late (snow will eventually fold it down BUT far after it's needed)- possibly not quite as thick as you'd like and you may like EW for it's height/thickness. With all the scenarios listed, it will give you the +'s to all of them if you have rows of each or a few. personally, I'd do a shrub, a leafy/fast growing tree and a conifer and I'd do egyptian wheat for the years until your plantings are big enough.

Iowa DNR nursery is a great place to purchase!

 

[muddy]

Want to block it off totally... big round bales, dozens and dozens of them, then stack them!

 

[LoessHillsArcher]

The DNR has a hybrid poplar that is really fast growing and would create a quick screen. It is supposed to die after 15 years or so.

Willows also make a great screen if you have a wet area and you can get them going... the deer ate ours before they stood a chance.

 

[Sligh1]

Want to block it off totally... big round bales, dozens and dozens of them, then stack them!

This is really funny BUT... I had an 80 about 8-10 years ago (my 1st and only piece at the time) where guys would shoot through a 150 yard long opening... I planted stuff, put trees in, etc- didn't work. SO- I had my buddy spend a few days dozing, $1500 later and I had a 10' tall dirt burm along the whole 150 yards (yes, that was really cheap)- stopped it cold.

 

[ShedHunter1]

I talked to my neighbor tonight and he planted a pile of hybrid willows for a screening. He has them all tubed and says they grow fast. If I'm correct I thought he said 5-10ft a year depending on rain fall that they would have a 60 yr. life span. They look great. He bought them from the Iowa state nursery.
I plant a pile of red cedar on our farm they look natural with the rest of the cedars.
I buy them at Kellys Tree Farm in Clarence, which isn't to far from Iowa City. I think they were $3.00 a piece for 2 ft. bare roots. I think $6.00 for 2 ft. potted ones. I just get the bare rooted ones. They looked awesome when I picked them up and look better now after 3 years in the ground. They also have a web-site, KellysTreeFarm.com
Good Luck Kratz

 

[DE2IA]

I planted 1000 red cedars as a screen three years ago. I got them from the Iowa state nursery. They were cheap and were about 18" at planting. In just three years they are now 4 to 5 feet tall and look great. Attached are some pictures of before and after.

 

[muddy]

Hybrid willows would be sweet. Those things grow like freaking weeds.

 

[Hardwood11]

Screen

Great advice from the other guys, two trees that I would add:

Aspen (Grows fast and suckers into a thick stand, good for wildlife as well)

-or-

Pin Oak (Grows at a medium rate, but keeps its leave until spring)

The absolute best screen I have ever seen was

Plum
Aspen
Pin Oak and some red oak
Spruce and Red Cedar (about 2-3 rows of each)