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Tree Planting

Did find a tree planted in my county. Talked to the conservation sup about availability....gets used maybe twice a year. At just $15 a day...get out and plant some trees fellas! Maybe the state nursery wouldn't have raised prices by 50%...actually don't know if they did but that was the proposal. Anyone know for sure?
 
ACCF American Chesnut

Surprised to see that little spiny thing on top of the chestnut! Way too tall now for me to get at the bur and I doubt it's pollinated anyways.

2016


2015


2013
 
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goatman said:
Looks great Phil. How old is it?
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I lost track of this one to be honest. It would have been one of the monsoon years a few back where the rains just never stopped when I planted it as a seed. It laid there for a few years from that and then really started popping as of 2013. Was 3' tall before 2013 at best.
 
Dwarf Chinkapins have been putting on the acorns for a few years now. So far, once they have started, its been every year.



This one has smaller acorns in clusters.



Looked back at some more photos and these DCO's were fall planted acorns in 2009....

Here is first years growth in July of 2010.

 
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Is there a good source for shrub/bush bare root seedling around central or southern Iowa, or any of Iowa? Thinking dogwoods, wild plum, elderberry, speckled alder, etc. Iowa State Nursery might be too expensive for me now
 
I dont know the prices of the Iowa State Nursery and these others will require shipping, but Lawyers Nursery out of Montana has good prices or Missouri Dept of Conservation will ship out of state as well with what I consider good prices. However, MDC typically sells out if you dont order early.
 
MDC looks like $32 per 100 seedlings. Iowa state nursery is ranging from $65-90 per 100. Thanks for that info
 
Can I still take cuttings from willows when they're already leafing out? I plan to cut and stick in the ground within a few minutes time. The ground is moist to not well drained.
 
Sligh1 said:
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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What are my options? Trees are right at bud break.... got behind and didn't get them sprayed in time. What options for herbicide application do I have after bud break?
I assume I would need to spray mixes? One for the trees-norway spruce, white pine, and oaks. And another mix for the variety of shrubs?

Thanks!
 
Clethodim & crop oil is now your post emergent. Still avoid spraying on tree even though it's theoretically no issue. Mix it with any combo of these PRE-EMERGENTS (and yes, I can tell you how much of each if needed)... I'd pick 3 of these, ideally 4. 3 will cover the nasty grasses, horrible weeds like Pigweed & Waterhelp, lambsquarter, ragweed, etc, etc.....
-Surflan
-Atrazine (simizine if unable)
-PROWL H2O (do this! also color is orange so you know where you sprayed)
-S-Metolachlor or Acetochlor - can buy anywhere, called stuff like "DUAL II MAGNUM", Warrant, Brawl I think?, etc, etc. Common.
-Plateau/Panoramic/Journey, all the same. Low rate stuff so it's not really expensive when you figure it out. and it works incredibly well, insane good.

All of em are good and if you really wanted to, could do all of em. "BUT DUDE, THAT'S A LOT" - no, not really, it's not that bad, you'll use it if you buy in 1 or 2.5 gallon containers (even next year, whatever). You don't wanna spray just one thing where it won't cover "XYZ weed" and you're screwed. Trust me, do it right. This stuff is not hard to find, anyone can order, spend the money and do it right. Anyone who cheaps out on the herbicides, it's one of the MAIN reasons I see thousands of dollars of tree plantings and days of work completely go to waste. Do the spraying right!!!! Good luck!!!
 
I know you don't run the event but any idea on what "those who have 1/4 acre or larger planting area will be eligible to receive trees" means? I'd like to go, for the trees
 
arm said:
I know you don't run the event but any idea on what "those who have 1/4 acre or larger planting area will be eligible to receive trees" means? I'd like to go, for the trees
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So, in simplicity/reality, anyone with land will get free trees. They likely will simply ask "do you have acreage to plant these" and it will be on the honesty policy, almost sure. So, non-issue.
 
My last purchase made me the proud owner of a struggling/failed tree planting. I'm slowing trying to recover this. Original planting in 2012

This spring, in one of the plantings I found the rows and mowed them; just up and down with a brush mower leaving the grass/weeds in the rows with the trees. The trees exploded with growth. This planting is now oaks around 12-18" tall and sycamores from 4-8'. Everything else in the mix must have died and these were the stoutest species? I didn't do any spraying in this planting. I've heard from most that mowing is overrated and to spray for best results. Like any sane individual, I'm going to do the cheapest and easiest route that gets results and just keep the rows mowed. This is only 1 years worth of results...do I really need to spray this area?

In another planting I thought the trees were 100% gone. Thick monoculture of grass and I saw no trees at all. So this spring I mowed everything to the dirt and sprayed after green up. I came in and planted only 400 trees in long spaced out rows. I came back almost 2 months later and I had sycamores about a foot tall and a couple 6" oaks and was able to almost come up with the original rows. What I'm thinking is that the roots took hold at original planting and I might have mowed the tops down to nothing but they were able to resprout. So now I have a mess of overlapping rows where my only option is to go in with a backpack sprayer to maintain these.

I need to tackle another section that is a hybrid of the two above. I see some trees but can't find the rows (the trees I see look like natural generation). I think here I want to go in this spring with oust after the grass and weeds green up. I'd use a boom sprayer and go over top of everything that is there. I can accept a little risk of losing some trees that might already be opened but I think I'll be able to find the rows well with the vegetation out of there. I'm just not sure about the timing of the vegetation green up with tree budding (no i don't really know all the weed species in there). How big is my window here? A few days or a few weeks? Or is there another solution if I can't find the rows.
 
Having trees “too thick” is not a problem right now. Don’t worry bout that part. U have plenty of years to thin survivors and u will have more casualties before then.
Spray..... I’d spray. Yes. You have a good window to do this. Especially with oust. Oust is a pre and post emergent so technically speaking- you could spray it anytime trees are dormant. I’m not a huge oust fan for variety of reasons but it’s a solid choice on hardwoods.

How many acres of trees or # of trees with talking? I would not spray with boom sprayer. I’m digging back in my brain here.... I think I literally sprayed 40-50 acres of trees (that’s a lot of frigin trees!!!!) with a spray gun, one by one off small tractor with tank pto sprayer on back. I’d say it took me, guessing, 4-5 solid days. Well worth it. So- I guess on that math, maybe that’s 10 acres in a long hard core day. But- when u realize how much work tree planting’s are and how long u want them for- a day of hard work is silly business vs long term value.

So.... all I’m saying- I’d take a little extra time and gun spray em. I recall getting pretty fast and I didn’t get a ton of overspray on trees. Which - u can spray on top if dormant but- I still avoid it. That’s just me though. If ur dead set on soaking trees- I might change ur cocktail of herbicide..... if I were spraying ON trees and they were hardwoods- I’d spray dormant obviously - I’d do: .5 oz of oust (just spooks me), 15 oz clethodim, crop oil, 2-3 qts atrazine or simizine (princep) & id for sure add all or 1-2 of following: prowl h2o, surflan, plateau/panoramic & dual II magnum. Yes- dormant trees are fine for roundup but if it’s grass- I like clethodim better - just outta safety and paranoia.

Oust at 1-3 oz to acre or plateau/panoramic at 12-20 oz per acre are your 2 longest residual & broad-spectrum herbicides I can think of. Heavy hitters. Both are excellent. More risks with oust but oust does have post emergent killing and is a great tool.

Sounds like a chaotic mess- it’s not. It’s not that expensive and well worth it. No 2 People will agree on herbicides. I do my own unique cocktail but I add different pre’s for a variety of reasons (say for example, pig weed and waterhemp later in summer- this is a HUGE issue!!!). Million options though.
If u are comfy with oust..... you sure can go higher rate. Just follow label carefully, be very careful on shrubs and bottom ground applications. Watch soil types. It’s good but can be potent and I’ve seen oust damage in past that does have me gun shy. It’s a fantastic herbicide if u are extremely careful. Others may say different, just my opinion.

So - sorry on long rant. Spray while trees are dormant - spray so u have long residual control and spray with herbicides that u know will help tackle fast growing late weeds like foxtail, lambsquarter, giant ragweed, pigweed, waterhemp, etc. think back to all those hot July & August days when those evil things were putting on 2-3” a day!!! Be prepared and do it right. Broad spectrum of herbicides that will last all season and u be happy.
 
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We're only talking 8k trees. I was on the oust train because that's what the forester recommended and I bought enough of it, might as well use it. I mixed a trial batch last spring around some 1" diameter trees and they did great with barely a weed to date. Not dead set on soaking them. I could try quarter acre or less to try and pick up the rows. I really just want to uncover what's there and then fill in as needed and maintain. Fill in can happen the following spring to work out post emergent, I have other places I want to plant. Plan E would be wipe clean and redo everything.

Let's say spray gun, how much area around the trees? 1' or 2'? These are 6' row spacings.
 
Don’t wipe out trees. No way.
2-3 ‘ around trees be fine. Or if did a band over it all- 3’ Rows be fine.
Just think of ur herbicides like a corn farmer has to.... put down atrazine for a fairly broad spectrum of weeds- but things like foxtail, grass, etc bust through. Dual II magnum helps with foxtail but even the 2 aren’t usually sufficient now days. Pigweed & WH can even get going in corn if timing is bad. folks add in Callisto or go to Acuron which is FOUR herbicides in one. There’s too many problem weeds that will catch u.
I’d rate Oust as one of the best single herbicides but I personally don’t think It’s enough in most scenarios.
Yep- I’m “getting into the weeds” throwing out all the herbicides BUT - at end of day - give it a go, follow the label, add a couple more u feel comfy with and be prepared to spot spray later in season if u get a nasty flurry of “xyz” weeds. I’d prefer to deal with them aggressively BEFORE they even come up- which is why I have my “mad scientist” cocktail but I realize most don’t wanna deal with all that. Do ur best and protect and watch trees to beat back weeds if needed.
 
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My tree planting this year was complete failure. Just could not keep up with watering when it didn't rain for basically 3 months. Bummer, money wasted, etc. Tough year for trees summer of 2017.
 
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