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| Well I finally committed my savings to about 45-50 acres of pasture in central Kentucky that I'm planning on building on next year. Except for the area around the two ponds the soil is mostly well drained maury silt type. Unfortunately The entire property doesn't really have more than 7 trees total on it and for that much land there isn't much in the way of privacy between my place and the other farms. Eventually I'd like to have some established timber stands but for now I'm hoping to line the road side about 20-30 feet back, two sides of the property and some on each side of the long driveway with red oaks and a few other species.
Problem is I don't really have a clue when it comes to planting trees and this would be a considerable investment especially since I'm tempted to go ahead and plant older/bigger trees. I've estimated about 1500 feet of road frontage and then about 2000 feet for the 2 other sides. So I'd like to end up with something like 130+ trees. I'm worried about buying all these next spring and then losing most of them due to ignorance. I've seen plenty of helpful threads on this forum but I'm hoping someone can kind of kick me in the right general direction: Is this impractical for me to try to do myself within the span of a single year? Is this something I should just contract a nursery to do? If I do this myself given that I'll be relying on rain to do most of my watering is there an age I should plant? Would a bunch of smaller bare root saplings make more sense? I have plenty of experience and equipment 'planting' fence posts. Whatever size I go with, getting them in the ground isn't really a concern. I'm mostly worried about maintaining that many trees as they get established. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by Tn_Tree_Man 7A (My Page) on Sun, Sep 30, 12 at 21:16
| Click on this link to the Kentucky Division of Forestry. They can supply you with trees seedlings (on the cheap). If you contact the Area Forester in your region, he/she can probably even offer programs to help with your expenses. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Kentucky Division of Forestry
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| Q. Rubra are fast growing. I would go smaller if money is an issue. In areas where you won't water, I would try planting acorns. I would think it would only be a 3-4 year difference in establishment of starting at 6-7ft red oak and starting from seed, some of the seed grown may outgrown the bigger transplant, having not needing to "get established", and they have their taproot, which is important for a tree that will be surviving on rain only. Just my observations, I thought I'd share. |
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| Please diversify. I don't think its an issue in your area but Red Oak is extremely susceptible to oak wilt. The forestry division is a good one as they should have a decent selection. Otherwise many counties have a sale for seedlings. |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Sun, Sep 30, 12 at 22:06
| Interesting idea-starting from seeds. In any case, smaller is better in large-scale planting efforts such as the one you envision. The local foresters, whether county, DNR, or whoever is most active in your area is a very important part of this project. They will have the most and the most appropriate info for that area. Sooner or later, someone will tell you to diversify, so I'll say it now. On the other hand, a good deal of repetition of your two, three, or four favorite species will go a long way towards mimicking how nature usually does things, other than in the deep tropics, and will offer aesthetic value to your scheme. So get in touch with your local agency. Then hit us back with more questions/comments. +oM |
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| Typically when transplanting large #'s of trees in north Louisiana, we planted them in Jan - Mar. Bought them as seedlings from wholesaler or from state forestry service. Pines are most typical and best chance of success, but hardwoods can be planted as well. Of course the dates will vary somewhat for you as you are further north than I was. Hardwoods typcially need some shade and more moisture than the conifers. Might try a row of conifers between the southern or western sun exposure to provide sheltering shade to the little hardwood over the next few years. |
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- Posted by jimbobfeeny 5a IN (My Page) on Thu, Oct 4, 12 at 17:29
| Around here we really don't have any conifers - A few hemlocks on shaded sandstone cliffs (Hemlock Wooly Adelgid hasn't hit Indiana's native hemlocks yet), but other than that, none. Of course, there's white pine and numerous spruces - They aren't naturally found here. Hardwoods are what grows, especially beech, maple, and elm. Ash, oaks, and hickories take over abandoned land first, followed by the beech and maple. Basically, pioneer species will do well in full sunlight, while the climax hardwoods tend to require a bit of shade to establish. If you are planting 3 years or older seedlings, it really doesn't matter. |
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| "Eventually I'd like to have some established timber stands but for now I'm hoping to line the road side about 20-30 feet back, two sides of the property and some on each side of the long driveway with red oaks and a few other species. Problem is I don't really have a clue when it comes to planting trees and this would be a considerable investment especially since I'm tempted to go ahead and plant older/bigger trees. I've estimated about 1500 feet of road frontage and then about 2000 feet for the 2 other sides. So I'd like to end up with something like 130+ trees." To prevent a dense thicket of weeds & such from growing up around your trees, you'll be mowing (maybe bush hogging) around them. Any thoughts on how you plan to make your trees stand out, so you mow around them & don't hit them with mowers or weed whackers? The suggestion to start some with acorns got me thinking about that. I tried several tree rings this year for newer plantings, but found out water doesn't penetrate past the weed barrier underneath well at all. Mulching 130 trees over a few thousand feet could be a hassle, and since a mulch bed can actually soak up light rains before they reach the soil, could work against you a little in theory if you're prone to hot, dry summers by chance. So be ready to water a bit if next summer goes like this last one did! I also suggest you diversify; perhaps some white oak group for more oak wilt resistance (if memory serves), some yellow poplar (a.k.a. tulip poplar, which isn't a poplar), red or sugar maple... Maybe some different varieties of pecan tree that will cross-fertilize each other, for wildlife (& maybe people) food? Richard. |
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| I'll second or third or whatever the suggestions to choose small specimens (they establish much quicker, they adapt to the site better, they have a better chance of survival in the short-term and would likely outlive initially-larger specimens, are much cheaper and easier to plant, and often catch up to bigger specimens in just a few years). Initial satisfaction (larger plants) cost more in more ways than just money. I also really like poaky's suggestion to go with seed (for certain types of trees like oaks). Diversity is simply a must in my opinion! I sure wouldn't want mostly red oaks or any other type of tree if this were my project. Take time to learn how to plant (if you don't already) before taking on the task. A hopefully helpful link is included below. Consider each point carefully. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub
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