HannibalBowhunter
New Member
Even though tree planting seems far off at this point here as well, I did have a question. I am planning on planting trees in an area that was planted in rye this past fall. Would I need to kill the rye (i.e. herbicide) before tree planting or would the rye be beneficial for weed control this first few months?
dbltree
Super Moderator
You'll want to spray the rye so that the dead mulch will help hold soil moisture and also keep small weeds at bay for a bit.
Don't let it grow tall however as it would quickly shade the seedlings and dry up soil moisture when it dies....
Things are a bit different here, but we've had more snow this year than in last 2 decades combined...fortunately no damaging ice!
Elm is easy to spot this time of year as it is the first tree to begin shedding bud scales. Noticed yesterday while hinging that sap is beginning to move in most tree species. Will this affect hinge success?
Road survey across the property revealed a conservative 25-30 deer in pastures. The few 50 degree days have spurred the growth of various cool season forbs such as carolina geranium and chickweed....plus various cool season grasses...bermuda pastures can serve as habitat when times are lean. Noticed a dozen on a beeline to where my cousin fed some alfalfa hay...a good thing to know! 6-8 are regulars in the destination area. Deer sure are hungry right now, enough to risk daylight exposure....plus 'season is long over'.
Our bottomland is too wet for tree planting this year and don't want to risk drowning hybrid oaks there. I cut back the order from Oikos to just upland oak varieties....25 ea of burgamble, burlive, and chestnut leaf.
Have I mentioned that the BR550 blower will also move snow! :drink2:
Elm is easy to spot this time of year as it is the first tree to begin shedding bud scales. Noticed yesterday while hinging that sap is beginning to move in most tree species. Will this affect hinge success?
Road survey across the property revealed a conservative 25-30 deer in pastures. The few 50 degree days have spurred the growth of various cool season forbs such as carolina geranium and chickweed....plus various cool season grasses...bermuda pastures can serve as habitat when times are lean. Noticed a dozen on a beeline to where my cousin fed some alfalfa hay...a good thing to know!
6-8 are regulars in the destination area. Deer sure are hungry right now, enough to risk daylight exposure....plus 'season is long over'.Our bottomland is too wet for tree planting this year and don't want to risk drowning hybrid oaks there. I cut back the order from Oikos to just upland oak varieties....25 ea of burgamble, burlive, and chestnut leaf.
Have I mentioned that the BR550 blower will also move snow! :drink2:
dbltree
Super Moderator
I use Osmocote on al my "yardscape" flowers and such...great stuff! Reccomended to use when planting the acorns in the rootmaker potting mix too...:way:
letemgrow
PMA Member
Just fertilized some dwarf chinkapin oak acorns that are starting to sprout up. I know I was supposed to wait to plant them out when the temps were warmer, but when my wife said she needed more fridge space I was more than happy to put some acorns in containers in a south window.
Tell momma that BR550 would make a great easter gift to beautify her yard! She may just surprise you!
Got a lil note today from UPS....Oikios are on the way for ETA of Wed....25 each of burgamble, burlive, and chestnutlleaf...all paper potted. Which is best?...plant with or without removing paper pot? Have seen referece both ways!
Just about done hinging for the year...great timing too....ticks are out and 'spring greenup' has begun! :way:
Got a lil note today from UPS....Oikios are on the way for ETA of Wed....25 each of burgamble, burlive, and chestnutlleaf...all paper potted. Which is best?...plant with or without removing paper pot? Have seen referece both ways!
Just about done hinging for the year...great timing too....ticks are out and 'spring greenup' has begun! :way:
letemgrow
PMA Member
Which is best?...plant with or without removing paper pot? Have seen referece both ways!
The less you disturb the better, I say leave them on.
Lucky dog!! We are not even close to even digging a hole in the ground cause it is still frozen. :thrwrck:
dbltree
Super Moderator
Tell momma that BR550 would make a great easter gift to beautify her yard! She may just surprise you!
Got a lil note today from UPS....Oikios are on the way for ETA of Wed....25 each of burgamble, burlive, and chestnutlleaf...all paper potted. Which is best?...plant with or without removing paper pot? Have seen referece both ways!
Just about done hinging for the year...great timing too....ticks are out and 'spring greenup' has begun! :way:
I always leave them in the pot but I suppose you could take them out if you wanted?
Looked at a Stihl 600 magnum at the Iowa Deer Classic...now that's what I'm talkin' about righ there! :way:
Oikos arrived in great condition last Thursday and planted all this weekend in three locations. Chestnutleaf and burgamble were of the 6-12" variety. The burlive were 12-24" seedlings and I noticed that roots on trees of this size were pruned with an angle cut right at the base of paper pot. This got me to thinking! :thrwrck:
The shrubs we got from Okie forestry had 'massive' root wads and it would have been much simpler to prune most of that mess just before for dibble planting. :thrwrck:
So here is the question....Can roots be pruned to say 9" on bare root seedlings immediately before planting? Maybe it's in the readings somewhere and I just missed it!
The kids also planted about 5 lbs of live oak acorns while I went to pick up a load of lime. Wonder how well the mice played when the cat was away!
The shrubs we got from Okie forestry had 'massive' root wads and it would have been much simpler to prune most of that mess just before for dibble planting. :thrwrck:
So here is the question....Can roots be pruned to say 9" on bare root seedlings immediately before planting? Maybe it's in the readings somewhere and I just missed it!
The kids also planted about 5 lbs of live oak acorns while I went to pick up a load of lime. Wonder how well the mice played when the cat was away!
dbltree
Super Moderator
According to this link it's not a good idea!
10 commandments of tree planting
Ok...March 14th...time to get out the Rootmaker cells and get some acorns planted! :way:
We got 18 cell Rootmakers to start them in and they set in an open cell tray to allow air to circulate completely for air pruning.
I couldn't find all of the items needed to make my own soiless mix so i just used some Potting mix
My intention was to start the acorns in trays like this
However when I got the acorns out of the fridge, every single one was already sprouted...even the Red Oaks!
I planted the acorns from Oikos Tree Crops first and all of them had a root sprouted and many also sending out a shoot.
Look at the root system already developed on this baby!
and many of them were that way but I managed to stuff them into the cells!
Timburr Chestnuts
Red Oak
Thankfully my wife loves me enough to allow me to have a geenhouse in our living room!
Hopefully they will take off and get started about the time the weather moderates so I can put them outside. It's important for them to be exposed to wind and some temp variations but if I have to i'll put a fan on them for awhile to to encourage strong trunks...
Now I need to order more Rootmaker cells from Big Rock Trees to plant the Kazak apple seeds! :way:
letemgrow
PMA Member
Great stuff Paul!! I see you was lucky enough to get some of those hybrid oak acorns from Oikos. Missed the boat on that one.
You can prune those acorns back so they will send out more lateral roots. That one looks like it needs a rootmaker bag already and is a candidate for hybrid vigor!!!
Be careful not to overwater them with that peat mix, it is easy to do...trust me
You can prune those acorns back so they will send out more lateral roots. That one looks like it needs a rootmaker bag already and is a candidate for hybrid vigor!!!
Be careful not to overwater them with that peat mix, it is easy to do...trust me
letemgrow
PMA Member
Looks like storing white oak acorns in the fridge all winter is a great way!! These are some dwarf chinkapin oaks from various sources that are doing great. My wife needed more room in the fridge so she twisted my arm to go ahead and plant them now.
There are pots the DCO's are in from Stuewwe and Sons (sp?) and are ribbed on the edges to force roots down to the bottoms where they are air pruned.
Here is the link to the treepots I bought to test alongside the rootmaker cells and see if there is any difference.
Stuewe and Sons Tree Pots
There are pots the DCO's are in from Stuewwe and Sons (sp?) and are ribbed on the edges to force roots down to the bottoms where they are air pruned.
Here is the link to the treepots I bought to test alongside the rootmaker cells and see if there is any difference.
Stuewe and Sons Tree Pots
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letemgrow
PMA Member
Here is a dwarf chinkapin growing in a 4 or 5 inch deep jiffy pot, the advantage here is you can just plant the entire pot and all out whenever the seedling has outgrown it. I will be growing some dwarf chinkapins, various perennial sunflowers and black walnuts in these jiffy pots and see how well they do alongside the rootmaker pots and bags.
what do you guys suggest for building a poacher screen? I have a foodplot right out my back door and I want to build a screen so the deer feel more comfy while they are in the plot. I am looking for something fast growing if possible. I am also considering cedars. They are slow growing but the deer won't tear em up near as much as a pine. Throw some ideas out there guys. Thanks
dbltree
Super Moderator
Yikes! Thanks Phil...I'll watch that! :way:
What I prefer to do is plant a row or two of fast growing shrubs and then red cedars...the shrubs will grow quickly and then the cedars will fill in and you have a "forever" screen that is unbeatable and deer feel safe behind.
Check the front page for a list of shrubs like ninebark, wild plum and nannyberry that would do the trick...
letemgrow
PMA Member
Not as many cedars as the other goodies you listed. Sparse cedars on a south facing slope in winter is dynamite bedding. Dogwoods, plum and elderberry will provide good browse and cover to I would go heavier on those than the cedars. :way: