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Tree Planting

Does you guys think its better to grow your trees a home a few years before transplanting if you have that option. ? I have a tone of apple trees and pears , small oaks also a pile of red cedars I thought grow them where I can water and monitor a few years before I plant , they are seedlings .. Thoughts ?
 
Trees in pots

If you have the space and pots I think it can be of great growth benefit for some trees. A few years ago I was able to purchase several hard plastic original style root-maker pots from a small nursery. Based on recommendation from the seller, over the past several springs I have re-potted several small white oaks, Asian pears and crabapples in these (4 gal pots I think) using the 'not-so-good' soil (a lot of clay, not potting soil) in my garden (for 1 year only). The pots are buried ground level and mulched just like you would be planting the tree in the wild, but with the advantage of regular watering, fertilizing and wind protection. For me, growth is probably 3 to 4 times greater than in the wild.

Each spring I dig the pots out of the ground and take them to their new home where the pots are removed and the entire soil/root mass is planted. The large soil/fibrous root mass really gives these trees a great start now because you now have soil that will retain moisture (unlike potting soil) and the new surrounding soil is often better, so the trees root easily.

Another thing I have started doing is buying reduced priced trees from Lowes and Menards late in the spring (usually apple and pears, but peaches too). By now these big, leafed out trees are always badly root-bound, but that's ok. Un-pot and make sure to cut all of the circling roots off and remove some of the outer potting soil to insure this won't continue. The trees are then re-potted (with a good potting this time) in much larger nursery pots (cheap plastic ones with drain holes). I place them in small rows in the garden on old 2x4's so they drain and can be tied up so they don't blow over. I also mulch around the pot if I can get the free city stuff to keep roots a little cooler. With regular watering and fertilizing these trees develop great root systems as well. Key here is that they need to be planted in the fall either before or after leaf drop (cannot over-winter above ground in these pots). Just before transplanting I completely wash the roots free of the potting soil with a spray nozzle at home and wrap them in the a plastic bag so they don't dry out. These are like bare root trees now, but with a great root structure and no potting soil to dry out next spring/summer. Good luck!
 
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2016 Planting Plan

What is everyone planning for 2016?

This is my list:

Planting some mast and browse items for the deer...
25 Elderberry
25 Dwarf Chinkapin Oak
25 Silky Dogwood
25 Hazelnut
6 ACN apple
6 ACN pear

For the ducks...
5 Dwarf Chinkapin Oak
25 Buttonbush

Hopefully planting 100's of evergreens...but strategically planting pockets of 15 or so with at least 3' cages to protect from winter browse damage. Also hoping to start a small Christmas tree grove for future cabin trips to cut down a Christmas tree of our own.
 
Along a ditch I have some wet areas that are producing some good willows. I think these are willows?
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If they are, what can I expect these to turn into? Obviously, bigger willows but will 1 willow take over and shade out the rest? I hear you can cut them back and keep them younger and more dense; anyone have success with this?

Last questions. I want to grow these with cuttings with two goals; try to shade out the reeds canary grass and to provide thicker travel cover along the ditches. I was going to cut and put in buckets of water until the roots grow. Has anyone simply cut them and stuck them in the ground and can I do this in the spring? Will oust impact the cutting if I spray around the same time as planting?
 
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Willows can be all sorts of sizes, there are native ones that are shrubby like sandbar and pussy. As for large ones, yeah, you can keep them shrubby and dense with pruning. You can plant them directly in the ground and if no competition, they can do good. If the site is spongy wet, then can even plant directly in reeds canary grass and they grow fine since they don't have to compete for water.
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but I don't know if willow is what you got, what are all those black things hanging in the trees.
 
BigfootWillow.com said:
but I don't know if willow is what you got, what are all those black things hanging in the trees.
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I don't know! ha.
I meant to call out the poor photos in the original post. I will be there this weekend and will take more pictures. I had the forester out a while back going over some TSI and pointed these out from a distance and he commented on willows. The reason for my post is that I have looked everywhere to try to confirm what these actually are but haven't had any luck. I wish I could remember what the leaves looked like. Mine don't look like what you have pictured. I cut a shooting lane through some this fall and the back was more hearty/think than what you have.

But whatever they are...they appear to be fine in the reeds canary. At this point, not big enough to shade out the grass but maybe in the future with the aid from herbicides?!?!
 
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Here are the leaves, certain its a willow:
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I found these clusters in some of the trees. Looks like a cluster of leaves that just didn't "leaf" out? Most of the trees had these; pretty common or some disease or stress??
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Just some others but pretty sure it's a type of willow, just not sure which:
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Looks like some variety of willow to me. If it's in reed canary, I'd almost guarantee it's a willow, as they love having their feet wet.
 
General features of plants and leaves makes me guess sandbar willow, its pretty common and is one of the few that sucker, get around 15' tall, so those in the photos could be mature, old wood less vigorous for propagation.
 
I need to spray in the next 2 days for a tree planing. The site is almost all RCG and it'll be a gly/oust/oil mix. If I don't spray, they'll have no chance. But, what severity of overall kill can I expect with these cooler temps and rain? I don't need an immediate kill but don't want to do it for nothing. Wonder if I have to come back after planting to spray
 
Hope your planting is farther than 6 months away. Oust needs that long to be safe on planting. Gly will only be immediate kill with no residual.
 
U will be fine on kill. Oust is pre and post so it'll kill stuff deader than dead. It'll fry it. Be careful with oust. No shrubs. Can use on hardwoods & cedars. Ur roundup will kill as well as long as at high enough rate (if trying to kill cool season grasses) & has 1-2 hours minimum before rain. Just spray on a sunny day. I personally use oust very little now. Prefer atrazine (simazine if no rup), prowl & surflan with roundup. Sometimes I do a little plateau/panoramic/journey as well. Oust & plateau are very low rate. Oust, NOW - I'd be doing little and add other pre's. Like .5 oz for example. Plateau would be 2-8 oz per acre so low rate as well. For most folks- I'd stick with atrazine/simazine, prowl & surflan with round-up (and some crop oil is nice). A lot of other options and herbicides r great too. Just my 2 cents.
 
I have a quick question for you tree guys out there. How do you feel about Alfalfa in your tree planting. I got the grasses under control but then a sudden flush of alfalfa has shown up. Any help would be appreciated thank you.
 
EatSleepHunt said:
I have a quick question for you tree guys out there. How do you feel about Alfalfa in your tree planting. I got the grasses under control but then a sudden flush of alfalfa has shown up. Any help would be appreciated thank you.
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Probably not a big deal? My area's forester suggested clover in my rows if I wanted
 
Any idea if a guy can rent a tree planter? One of those 3pt ride on deals. SouthCentral Iowa location
 
HorseDoctor said:
I would check with the habitat chairman of your local PF chapter &/or county conservation group.
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I found some info on neighboring counties that they do rent them out; cheap 15 a day. But can't find anything right now for my county. Will be calling as asking if the county of use really matters
 
Above. Check each county's conservation board and call the Nrcs of each surrounding count and I bet u locate one.
For legumes in tree plantings- i like white clover the best because it's low growing and it smothers weeds. U still need to keep up on mowing but white clover would be my 1st choice (I suppose down side is critters like it so u need to be careful & keep trees protected). If u wanna get real fussy.. I believe a Dutch white clover would be about the shortest growing white clover a person could plant. I haven't done that but worth a shot. N

For herbicides.... I've had a wet year and some periods I couldn't stay on weeds like I prefer.... I tweak my herbicides every year and the learning will never end, ever. Plus- each year seems to be different for challenges. I took some problem areas and put the hammer to them, almost everything in the arsenal and I will say- clean, effective and powerful control. Realistic for everyone??? Yes but u need to load up on some varieties.... I did use Plateau again and I'm glad I did. It's low rate & carefully applied but a phenomenal herbicide. My cocktail (other than post emergents like carefully applied Gly) were: plateau, prowl, dual II (s-metolachlor), atrazine & surflan. I know it sounds like overkill but it's honestly the only brew that has literally got every weed covered. Most effective mix I've used by far. Now- oust is probably the most potent and effective on broad range of weeds BUT it sure does not cover all of them and I don't use it because I plant so many fruit trees and shrubs. Good luck to u guys- keep those trees protected.
 
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