Tree Planting

[dbltree]

I checked on the atrazine treated cuttings that John Walton of Big Rock Trees sent to me to to test and so far so good!

The area in general was sprayed with 41% glyphosate and anywhere from 2-4 quarts of atrazine per acre, allowing of course for the fact that using a backpack sprayer is hardly a precise applicator. If anything I suspect I got it on heavier rather then vice versa.

I planted in a low area overgrown with grasses and some blackberries and it looks like this now.

Most of the cuttings had sprouted and having done that are unlikely to be further affected by the atrazine at this point

a few had not sprouted but I doubt that atrazine was the cause

Most however were doing fine

Including the two where I applied it lightly to one and drowned the other one in atrazine

This is a simazine treated Ninebark cutting planted a month earlier

and a conventional seedling I sprayed atrazine on as well

Atrazine is not labled for any of these cuttings so this is something you can test at your own risk but like all herbicides, manufacturers rarely test every possible plant leaving it up to us to test it's safty and effectiveness on our own.

Based on what I see, atrazine is certainly safe on most if not all of John's cuttings but test some for your self next spring if you have atrazine on hand for corn or switchgrass...

 

[dbltree]

Conifers provide an awesome screen and in our area red cedars certainly do the trick!

Red cedars and Norway Spruce are probably two of the fastest growing conifers that will screen feeding and bedding areas for lifetimes.

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Conifers are easy to grow and easily kept weed free with Atrazine, simazine and Oust XP and are also easily planted by hand or with a tree planter. A single row planted 6-8' apart along a fence row or between a field and hinge cut bedding area will keep deer feeling safe.

Where there is more room a double row with trees staggered on 8-10' spacings will provide faster and denser screening. The pictures above are of naturally regenerated red cedars in a single row in a fence row and as you can see it is impossible to see through them.

Conifer screens along a road of course can end poaching problems and along the timbers edge can allow entry/exit while hunting leaving deer feeling safe and unmolested.

You can plant thousands or 50-100 each spring by hand making it feasble for landowners with any size habitat budget. Spray the strip to be planted the fall before with 2 quarts of Gly, 2 ounces of Oust XP and one quart of crop oi per acre and the next spring you'll have an easy to see, easy to plant strip.

Re-treat right after planting with 1-2 ounces of Oust XP and 2-4 quarts of Simazine or Atrazine and you'll have season long weed control for fast growth and better survivability.

Dense conifer plantings can be the difference bewteen holding whitetails on your property and not but choose the species carefully because conifers like white pines eventually drop their lower limbs and the screening effect disappears.

Start looking over your property this summer and make plans to start planting your conifer screens next spring....

 

[letemgrow]

Here is a downy serviceberry seedling I planted into a 12 inch rootmaker bag this spring. I moved it out today as it has filled up most of the spots in that bag and put on almost 2 feet of growth up top.

 

[letemgrow]

The persimmons sure are taking off!! Really grown in the past couple weeks and more are still popping up.

Same pot on 6-21:

 

[dbltree]

12 inch rootmaker bag

Did you plant directly into the bag or start in a smaller one first Phil?

 

[letemgrow]

Did you plant directly into the bag or start in a smaller one first Phil?

Those were bareroot seedlings so I skipped the first step and went straight to the bags.

 

[letemgrow]

07-06 update:

Seeds and seedlings are really taking off now!!

American Chestnut from a seed planted last fall.

5-6 year old American Chestnut and man the deer sure love to browse these things!! They are as hard on them as apple trees.

Northern Red from acorn last fall and already about 2 feet tall.

American Chestnut with 3 feet of growth so far this year.

 

[letemgrow]

Dwarf Chinkapins that were planted as acorns last fall look really good too.

 

[letemgrow]

This American Chestnut appears to be blight resistant. Sure is looking great so far where others next to it have died back to the bases and re-sprouted. If you do plant some make sure they are protected like apple trees or they will be browsed just as hard.

You can see here where the blight attacked the seedling, but it is healing over nicely.

 

[dbltree]

Paul Tauke of the IDNR forestry dept. sent me this:

This change is under consideration in order to conform the Administrative Rule with section 455A.13(3) of Iowa Code as amended by 2010 Iowa Acts, House File 2531 which states:

4554.13 State nurseríes.
1. Notwithstanding section L7A,.2, subsection 11,
paragraph "g", the department of natural resources shall adopt
administrative rules establishing a range of prices of plant
material grown at the state forest nurseries to cover all
expenses related to the growing of the plants.

The department is authorized to sell plant material in other states.

Hopefully it will be passed and people from other states can order trees and shrubs for the IDNR State Nursery :way:

 

[letemgrow]

Paul Tauke of the IDNR forestry dept. sent me this:



Hopefully it will be passed and people from other states can order trees and shrubs for the IDNR State Nursery :way:

That is good news!! :drink2:

 

[dbltree]

I talk about the effectiveness of OustXP a lot because usually 1-2 ounces per acre leaves tree plantings looking like this

It takes higher rates however of 3-4 ounces per acre to effectively control pigweed as you can see here

I applied 2 ounces of Oust XP and 2 quarts of simazine to this planting but it had previously had a massive crop of pigweed erupt from the first year spraying (I don't know what was applied then) so the ground is full of seed.

Most oaks can handle 3-5 ounces per acre of Oust Xp but even 1 1/2 ounces is lethal or at least causes damage to many shrubs making control difficult on shrub plantings. Seconday applications of anything that will kill broadleaf weeds will also kill the trees so it's pretty tough to get them after the fact although atrazine and crop oil is pretty effective when the weeds are very small and resonably safe for young trees (I would avoid spraying over the top)

In this case the trees are old enough and large enough that they will out compete the pigweed but it is something to be aware of.

Surflan A.S. (oryzalin) is an effective companion herbicide that can be effective in controlling pigweed and is safe for shrubs combined with simazine.

Surflan

One option for shrubs is to applu Oust and Gly in the fall to prepare the area and then use Surflan and Simazine (on shrubs) in the spring and for oaks and conifers the rate can be increased to 3-4 ounces and surflan or simazine can be added for more control....

 

[letemgrow]

If all else fails Paul, there is always the pull by hand technique

I have been using that a lot this summer, especially on shrubs and dwarf chinakpin oaks since they sucker pretty bad. This way I know they are not going to be damaged.

 

[dbltree]

If all else fails Paul, there is always the pull by hand technique

I decided on less "strenous" method Phil...

I tried a little trick on the pigweed that is reasonably safe around most trees although I did not spray over the top of the trees. Atrazine is a residual pre-emergence herbicide but combined with crop oil it does provide some post emergence control on many broadleaf weeds as you can see here.

I sprayed these less then a week ago with 2 quarts Atarzine and one quart of crop oil per acre and the results are obvious

Easier to control weeds before they come up of course but the heavy rains reduced effectiveness of many pre-emergence herbicides in our area and so it's nice to have a back up when things go awry...

 

[ricky sampson]

I have been planting trees for years and found that a tree tube is the only sure fire way to ensure your trees survive and grow the fastest. I can spray and mow around them and not worry about hurting them. I use glyphosate to spray and its cheap and easy to use and it kills everything.

I prefer to use Tree Protection Supply for my tree tubes. They have the lowest prices and give great tips and information if you call and on their blog.

I use the vented tree tubes to reduce excess moisture and lets the trees harden off for the winter.

 

[dbltree]

I have been planting trees for years and found that a tree tube is the only sure fire way to ensure your trees survive and grow the fastest. I can spray and mow around them and not worry about hurting them. I use glyphosate to spray and its cheap and easy to use and it kills everything.

I prefer to use Tree Protection Supply for my tree tubes. They have the lowest prices and give great tips and information if you call and on their blog.

I use the vented tree tubes to reduce excess moisture and lets the trees harden off for the winter.

Great link! Thanks Ricky!:way:

 

[dbltree]

That atrazine treated dogwoods from Big Rock Trees are still very clean and very much alive!

I've learned something new from this myself and will probably use atrazine more on tree plantings.

While most of our Oust/Simazine treated tree plantings are very clean...this planting ended up a sea of pigweed!

Oust must be applied at 3-4 ounces per acre to successfully control pigweed but that will kill shrubs and even one ounce caused severe injury to some shrubs in this planting. We tilled up the centers to plant milo and used atrazine on that area and it had the same effect as the Oust/simazine combo...zilch control of pigweeds!

Heavy constant rainfall didn't help because it moved residual herbicides deeper into the soil and the Oust "washed" into the centers and killed 90% of the milo. The pigweed could be easily killed with 2-4D but it's not worth the risk of killing the trees so I'll probably end up mowing it. Some areas we sprayed atrazine and crop oil on the pigweeds and that did help but again, constant rainfall kept us from spraying when the weeds could have been easily killed at 2-3" high.

Dual II Magnum is a very safe and very effective herbicide that is safe on trees and provides awesome broadleaf and foxtail control so next year this planting will be treated with an atrazine/Dual combo that will be safe for both trees and Concep treated milo....

 

[letemgrow]

Where do you get the Dual from Paul? I am needing some for my perennial sunflower plantings and if it works on trees and shrubs, all the merrier. This way I can also use a different approach to weed control other than roundup time after time to keep the weeds guessing and have less of a chance of producing a roundup resistant weed

 

[dbltree]

Where do you get the Dual from Paul? I am needing some for my perennial sunflower plantings and if it works on trees and shrubs, all the merrier. This way I can also use a different approach to weed control other than roundup time after time to keep the weeds guessing and have less of a chance of producing a roundup resistant weed

Most ag co-op's handle it Phil because it is a common corn herbicide...Cinch is a generic version...

 

[letemgrow]

Most ag co-op's handle it Phil because it is a common corn herbicide...Cinch is a generic version...

Got it, I will be looking for the chemical name on the back of the labels. :way: