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Tree Planting

F

Fullers Farmalls

Member
I ordered about 600 seedlings from the Game Commission to plant around our property and river to try and improve the habitat a little. My question is how far should I plant the arborvitae so to get a good screen in say 5-8 years? Also these are bare root seedlings and I would like to make sure that they survive as best as I can. What do you guy recommend adding to the soil we plant them in to help increase their survival? Thanks. Also I'll be planting most of them with a post hole digger so it is tractor related.
 
I planted some seedlings with post hole digger, took the cores, mixed with manure and refilled. That was a ton of work and the cores settled real bad. These were 12-18" seedlings. I would just put them in with a spade next time, I think they are less disturbed. You will probably lose more to deer than to poor planting.
 
I planted about 300 hundred Austrian Spruce trees a few years back, bare root plants, they are now about 30 foot tall, I planted 3 rows, about 15 feet apart and they have grown a together quite well, I used a hand gas drill and a gallon pot size drill bit, a lot of work, but had good survival, they need a LOT of water though to make it through the first few months
The pattern below is who I planted mine around 3 sides of my yard, the X is where a tree is, but you can adjust your spacing by the type/species of tree you have and the anticipated growth height and width
My dad planted white and red pine in the same pattern, they also get tall and big

X-------15ft-----X--------15FT-------X--------15FT----X-----15FT--------X

15FT spacing this way too

X----15FT-------X-----15FT-----------X-----15FT----X-----15FT--------X

15FT

X--------15FT---X--------15FT-------X------15FT-------X
 
It depends on the species. There are Bush species and tree species. The tree species will fill in, but not to the ground, at 4 to 5 foot spacing, in about 8 years. The bush species will grow with branching primary wood and fill in far more readily at 2 to 2-1/2 feet. Planting tree species close will cause them to get interlocked and self shading with bare branches and less desirable esthetics. The bush type will be closer to the ground and form a hedge. both are shallow root oriented and form a mat under the surface with easily torn up roots. The tree type is more this way than the bush. a 25 foot tree type will have a 25' diameter root patch. Jim (I have experience with both)
 
Since I deal with this quite a bit, I would say to not add anything to the soil for planting trees. Hopefully the seedlings are suited to the site and soils, so nothing should be needed. Remember that the seedlings are not hybrids, so they don't need much to make them happy. Be sure to plant them as early as you can in the spring. That way they can get their roots down before it gets hot and dry, and that way they shouldn't need any water.
 
I would also spade them in using a single shovel bite to open a wedge like crack and placing them at the bark to root depth then stepping the crack shut with foot pressure as the spade is pulled out. Hungry rabbits and deer will eat them off at ground level like a mower. Chicken wire cages might be needed. Ask the conservation people what they have found in your area that eats them, and what to do to limit munching. Jim
 
Arbor vitae = deer candy.

If you has deer, you won't need to worry about spacing. Cedars and white pine the same. You are in for a battle.
 
Planting 600 you won't have time to mess around. As already mentioned, use a tree spade when the ground is wet. Spray the arborvitae with deer repellent before planting and carry them in a bucket of water while planting.
 
We plant a lot of trees, and the only real way to grow deer candy is in wire cages! Our problem is we sprayed them in the fall but when the snow melts in the spring we can't get to the location, and the deer ate them. We planted 1000 white spruce last fall and going to do another 2000 this spring. We buy containerized seedlings, they are easier to plant. When planting bare root you need to get the roots pointed downward, otherwise you get what is called a J-root, and it stunts their growth. We plant about 500 to the acre, and won't do more than 2000 in one season, just in case we have a drought. We had a plantation of about 20 acres into hybrid poplar, planted 18 years ago, and they were harvested last summer and went to the paper mill. We are going to replant about half back into hybrid poplar.
 
Attachment didn't take for some reason.
a149339.jpg
 
To really keep it tractor related I planted a thousand or so bare root pines a few years ago. I took some advise from my uncle he told me to bolt a piece of angle iron to my tractor wheel and drive. Lol I did just that and had them trees planted in a day. I used a piece of 2 x2x3/8 and let it ha g past the tire about 8". It just happens that a 13-6x28 tire gives 6.5 foot spacing. I laid the rows out with a tape and stakes then drove down the row, set the seedlings and moved to the next. The angle made a nice little pocket a d I just flipped the sod back over a d stomped it down. I didn't lose very many at all.
 
FF, I too have bought many seedlings from PGC and have had very good survival out side of deer damage. I would suggest that you consider doubling up spacing. Then in a few years you can always cut out what ever you choose.
By the way, how did you place your order this year?. I tried on-line but can not print out the order form.
Good Luck Jim B
 
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