dbltree
Super Moderator
It's a simple matter to plant the tiny oaks in the paper pots, just by making a small slit in the soil with a shovel or dibble bar.
I planted some in my "way to large lawn" where I can monitor growth and "baby" them a bit, so I made sure to fence them to keep the rabbits at bay.
My soil is pretty acidic so I added pell lime, a fertilizer tablet about 2" from the roots and a flag marker to hold up the wire (and keep me from mowing them over)
One tree I cut a slit in the tree mat and slipped it over the tree
Then weighted it down with some "handy logs"
The problem with mats, newspaper, carpet and sometimes even mulch is that mice can burrow underneath and then girdle the tree.
Using a small tree tube rather then the fence would work well to slip thru the mat to keep mice out.
letemgrow has had good success using the short but double wide tubes to protect small seedlings.
Tree Pro has all types and sizes of tubes with 24" tubes running from $1.50 up to 4.00 depending on width.
Tubes are too expensive for me to use them enmasse on thousands of seedlings but they are fun to play around with when planting a few seedlings like these Dwarf Chinkapins.
***NOTE*** our new software only allows 4 pics per post, so be sure to flip back up to previous posts....
I planted some in my "way to large lawn" where I can monitor growth and "baby" them a bit, so I made sure to fence them to keep the rabbits at bay.
My soil is pretty acidic so I added pell lime, a fertilizer tablet about 2" from the roots and a flag marker to hold up the wire (and keep me from mowing them over)
One tree I cut a slit in the tree mat and slipped it over the tree
Then weighted it down with some "handy logs"
The problem with mats, newspaper, carpet and sometimes even mulch is that mice can burrow underneath and then girdle the tree.
Using a small tree tube rather then the fence would work well to slip thru the mat to keep mice out.
letemgrow has had good success using the short but double wide tubes to protect small seedlings.
Tree Pro has all types and sizes of tubes with 24" tubes running from $1.50 up to 4.00 depending on width.
Tubes are too expensive for me to use them enmasse on thousands of seedlings but they are fun to play around with when planting a few seedlings like these Dwarf Chinkapins.
***NOTE*** our new software only allows 4 pics per post, so be sure to flip back up to previous posts....
Joey Rott
New Member
Thanks for posting those pictures Dbltree. I plan on ordering a few hybrid oaks for my yard here shortly... and it's good to know what to expect. Those paper pots look pretty slick.
I planted a couple hundred or so, bur oak acorns over the weekend. Almost every one was shooting out a taproot. All of the seeds/acorns have been stratifying now for about a month.. and virtually everything has sprouted, except for the chinese chestnuts. Only about a dozen of the 150 or so have started the taproot. They probably just take a little longer.
I planted a couple hundred or so, bur oak acorns over the weekend. Almost every one was shooting out a taproot. All of the seeds/acorns have been stratifying now for about a month.. and virtually everything has sprouted, except for the chinese chestnuts. Only about a dozen of the 150 or so have started the taproot. They probably just take a little longer.
dbltree
Super Moderator
Can you elaborate on that sunject a little Joey?
Most white oak acorns need to be planted in the fall (bur oaks are of the white oak species)
Curious how you stored the acorns and how you are stratifying them??
Here's some links on stratification for those wondering what it means.
What Is Stratified Seed?
Stratification of Seeds
Overcoming Seed Dormancy: Trees and Shrubs
Cold Stratification
Joey Rott
New Member
I purchased these acorns & seeds from a supplier called Sheffields, so I wasn't involved in storing them or know what they did to store them over the winter.
http://www.sheffields.com/
Once I received them, I soaked them in water for a day and then placed then on damp paper towels inside ziplock bags. Then I put them downstairs in a cool environment to start the Statification Process. Some started to sprout within a week and others, like the Chestnuts are still waiting to sprout.
One thing I learned when stratifying them is to keep them in a lighted area and don't cover the acorns/seeds. Some of the acorns were under the papertowel, and they ended up getting mold, where most of the ones exposed to the light didn't. Besides acorns and Chestnuts, I order Austrian Pine Seeds and Wild Apple. Within 2-3 weeks, probably 90% of the pine seeds are sprouting, so I planted those 1st.
Right now, most of the remaining acorns/seeds are sitting in a moist multch bed, indoors. After 30 days, mold started to grow on most of everything, so I cleaned them off, put them in some miracle grow soil and haven't noticed the mold problem anymore. Hopefully I'll be able to plant the rest in the ground within the next couple of weeks.
I'm in a testing phase this year to see what kind of results i'll get by going this route, vs seedlings. It's definately less costs involved, planting is a breeze, and i'm hoping the transplant shock won't be a big factor like it can be with bareroot. The biggest question is will I get good enough success rates to justify going this route...
http://www.sheffields.com/
Once I received them, I soaked them in water for a day and then placed then on damp paper towels inside ziplock bags. Then I put them downstairs in a cool environment to start the Statification Process. Some started to sprout within a week and others, like the Chestnuts are still waiting to sprout.
One thing I learned when stratifying them is to keep them in a lighted area and don't cover the acorns/seeds. Some of the acorns were under the papertowel, and they ended up getting mold, where most of the ones exposed to the light didn't. Besides acorns and Chestnuts, I order Austrian Pine Seeds and Wild Apple. Within 2-3 weeks, probably 90% of the pine seeds are sprouting, so I planted those 1st.
Right now, most of the remaining acorns/seeds are sitting in a moist multch bed, indoors. After 30 days, mold started to grow on most of everything, so I cleaned them off, put them in some miracle grow soil and haven't noticed the mold problem anymore. Hopefully I'll be able to plant the rest in the ground within the next couple of weeks.
I'm in a testing phase this year to see what kind of results i'll get by going this route, vs seedlings. It's definately less costs involved, planting is a breeze, and i'm hoping the transplant shock won't be a big factor like it can be with bareroot. The biggest question is will I get good enough success rates to justify going this route...
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Joey Rott
New Member
My goal is to put them in the miracle grow just long enough to sprout...or until I have the time to plant them. There are a handful that are shooting up 1-2" stems out of the soil, so I'll hopefully be able to plant those real soon.
dbltree
Super Moderator
Thanks Joey! Keep us posted on how these plants do and the mortality rate compared to planting seedlings.
Next time we have a good crop of white oak acorns I'll send you some...
letemgrow
PMA Member
My guess is they must have stored them pretty quickly just above freezing or maybe a little warmer. There may be a temp that the white oaks will not perish at or attempt to send out the taproot so they can be stored. I would sure like to find out how they did it too!!!
dbltree
Super Moderator
Tree Planting - Tree fence
Little seedlings are best protected with rabbit/mouse proof screen or tubes but eventually they grow into something hormone charged bucks find irrisistable
That being said...don't wait to long to get some fencing around them or one day the tiny oaks you worked so hard to plant will be thrashed to pieces!
My son helped me drag some old rolls of woven wire up outta the woods where they have been laying for years after a line fence was replaced.
the price is right that's for sure!
It usually doesn't take to much to keep rampaging bucks away from young saplings so even 3 ft high wire will be enough.
If you have trees that deer will forage on as well (such as apples) then a higher fence or use of steel posts to lift fence up may be required.
This is cattle country here in SE Iowa so there is plenty of old fencing laying around that one can usually get for the asking.
Of course if you live in a state with "bambi" bucks...you may not need fencing...:moon:
Little seedlings are best protected with rabbit/mouse proof screen or tubes but eventually they grow into something hormone charged bucks find irrisistable
That being said...don't wait to long to get some fencing around them or one day the tiny oaks you worked so hard to plant will be thrashed to pieces!
My son helped me drag some old rolls of woven wire up outta the woods where they have been laying for years after a line fence was replaced.
the price is right that's for sure!
It usually doesn't take to much to keep rampaging bucks away from young saplings so even 3 ft high wire will be enough.
If you have trees that deer will forage on as well (such as apples) then a higher fence or use of steel posts to lift fence up may be required.
This is cattle country here in SE Iowa so there is plenty of old fencing laying around that one can usually get for the asking.
Of course if you live in a state with "bambi" bucks...you may not need fencing...:moon:
letemgrow
PMA Member
Of course if you live in a state with "bambi" bucks...you may not need fencing...:moon:
Just keep rubbing it in why don't ya
You are right on, being able to get old woven wire fence is pretty easy to come by in cattle country. I used free wire and posts to fence in all 20 of the new apple trees I put out on the farm (15 feet of wire each). I left a 12-16 inch tube at the base to keep rodents off since I already had them and will just raise up the fence about a 1-1.5 feet off the ground so it should be tall enough that deer cannot reach over it to nibble on the apple trees.
letemgrow
PMA Member
I only lost one tree last year with the shorter tubes, but anything bigger, and the rodents will make a nice little nest in the tubes especially if the tubes are close to a food source. Such as a giant hickory tree. That is what I found in that tube, a nest about 8 inches deep with a pile of hickory nuts in it and the american chestnut looked like a beaver was living in there. That was the tallest tube I had out though 18" ~ all the shorter tubes close by were not touched at all so I learned a valuable lesson there.
letemgrow
PMA Member
Been there done that...expensive lesson learned on my first apple trees...
I think they don't feel so safe in the shorter ones...
I have had the 4 foot tubes on morse apple trees and they are still doing great, a couple were chewed on just a bit, but I kept the vegetation down. I would not recommend it though, but smaller tubes with bare ground around them works great for me.
dbltree
Super Moderator
I received my hybrid bur-english and bur-gambel oak seedlings from the University of Idaho Nursery and the instructions warn against planting before thawing the seedlings first! First time I have ran into that but they store these seedlings at or below freezing and planting before they are fully thawed could kill the seedlings.
If seedlings are exposed to sunlight and begin photosynthesis with frozen roots, they will be unable to pull up water and the new seedlings will die.
One needs to let the seedlings thaw in a dark cool place before planting or store them in a cooler to keep them longer. I heeled some in and then covered them to keep them out of the sunlight.
They also have some different planting instructions and the use of a dibble bar is not recommend, nor is "stomping" the soil around the roots as one would normally do with bare root trees.
They have clear planting instructions here:
UI Planting Instructions
They arrive in bags of 5 clearly marked
The little root balls are the best I have seen so far with little danger of roots drying out while planting.
These are some I heeled into a small trench and covered until they can be planted
If seedlings are exposed to sunlight and begin photosynthesis with frozen roots, they will be unable to pull up water and the new seedlings will die.
One needs to let the seedlings thaw in a dark cool place before planting or store them in a cooler to keep them longer. I heeled some in and then covered them to keep them out of the sunlight.
They also have some different planting instructions and the use of a dibble bar is not recommend, nor is "stomping" the soil around the roots as one would normally do with bare root trees.
They have clear planting instructions here:
UI Planting Instructions
They arrive in bags of 5 clearly marked
The little root balls are the best I have seen so far with little danger of roots drying out while planting.
These are some I heeled into a small trench and covered until they can be planted
dbltree
Super Moderator
I picked up nearly 4000 seedlings from the State Forest Nursery Monday only to get home and find out they shorted me at least 800 seedlings that I had paid for!!
They use use prisoners there and they threw the seedlings in the truck and I didn't count or question them so I'll see what the office says when I call.
At any rate...count them when they arrive or if you pick them up!
They store the seedlings in a huge cooler with the bare root seedlings in plastic bags inside big white bags like this.
I hand planted some Swamp Wite Oaks in some low areas that I hinged locusts, maples and box elders. It's CRITICAL to keep bare root seedlings in water!!! Bare roots can dry out in minutes killing a seedling before it ever hits the soil, so be sure to carry seedlings in a bucket of water or a planting bag.
The oak seedlings had very large root systems so I used a shovel rather then the dibble bar and planted the seedlings in amongst the downed tops and marked with flags.
The rest of the seedlings will be planted with the tree planter and my son is eager to get started!
I'll add more pics of using the planter which takes a little practice at first to get timing down and one has to hang onto the seedling until wheels close around it or it will bury the whole seedling!
Stay Tuned!
They use use prisoners there and they threw the seedlings in the truck and I didn't count or question them so I'll see what the office says when I call.
At any rate...count them when they arrive or if you pick them up!
They store the seedlings in a huge cooler with the bare root seedlings in plastic bags inside big white bags like this.
I hand planted some Swamp Wite Oaks in some low areas that I hinged locusts, maples and box elders. It's CRITICAL to keep bare root seedlings in water!!! Bare roots can dry out in minutes killing a seedling before it ever hits the soil, so be sure to carry seedlings in a bucket of water or a planting bag.
The oak seedlings had very large root systems so I used a shovel rather then the dibble bar and planted the seedlings in amongst the downed tops and marked with flags.
The rest of the seedlings will be planted with the tree planter and my son is eager to get started!
I'll add more pics of using the planter which takes a little practice at first to get timing down and one has to hang onto the seedling until wheels close around it or it will bury the whole seedling!
Stay Tuned!