Tree Auction....opps! Now I got a LOT of holes to dig.

[Fug1000]

Went to a tree auction this morning and broke the bank before the 1st hour went by. So many good deals!

So now I gotta plant all these suckers but I only have a 12 inch auger bit and most of the balls are 24-36 inches.

So......what's the best way to do this?

Maybe drill 3 holes close together in a triangle shape and hoe out the middle or is there a method I am unaware of ?

 

[texasjohn]

You'll have to try the 3-hole method.... if it were in my soil, it wouldn't work too well.... with my PHD, it would break thru the wall of adjacent hole and make a mess.... your experience may holey vary

Good luck.. congrats on those tree bargins!

 

[George2615]

Maybe you'll need to rent one of these.

 

[thatguy]

A tree auction?? now I have heard of most everything.. I have never heard of that in my area, but I could be leading a sheltered life.. lol

good luck getting those in the ground.. I only have 6 small (one gallon) evergreens to get in the ground tomorrow.. Sure wish i have your PHD for that, but my manual PHD are just about the right size..

Brian

 

[Fug1000]

Yep, seems to be a common thing around here in Ohio.

And the buys...... keep in mind, these are nice big trees, all kinds with 2-4 inch trunks.

I got a 330 dollar 6ft. lilac for 85 bux and that was the most expensive tree I bought.

I saw many $60-$100 trees you may find at a place like Lowes going for $10-$30 bux at auction.
People were loading up. A lot of landscapers were there.

Here is a place near here with an auction in September... A. Brown & Sons Nursery - Auction Information

If your in the market, I have to recomend these auctions.

Here is this places flyer from last year ... http://www.brownsnursery.com/docs/Auction Flyer Front.pdf

I looked up the specs on my PHD and it can handle a 24 inch bit. The ground here cuts like butter with my 12 inch. I am thinking about getting a 24...wonder if I have the muscle for it?

 

[radman1]

I would try the 24" auger. Maybe you can rent one instead of buying. I rented a 24" bobcat auger for my cheepie 3 pt PHD once. Made an adapter shaft out of a piece pipe and drilled a couple of holes in the pipe. Drilled the holes slowly and carefully with no issues. Run the tractor very slowly, as the large bits spin relatively fast. Planted about 30 trees that way. I later purchased a hydraulic bobcat auger and bought a 24" bit. Some balled and burlap trees may be bigger than 24" at the top but I just drill the hole a litter deeper, take a spade and make the top of the hole a little wider as needed. The excess dirt falls in the hole and doesn't need to be removed since the hole is deeper than needed.

3 holes with a 12" auger and then digging out the rest is a lot of work unless you have very few holes.

The other option is to rent a small machine like George 2615 suggested. Have all of your areas marked out, rent the machine for a few hours and return it. Then plant your trees.

 

[teachdocs]

Went to a tree auction this morning and broke the bank before the 1st hour went by. So many good deals!

So now I gotta plant all these suckers but I only have a 12 inch auger bit and most of the balls are 24-36 inches.

So......what's the best way to do this?

Maybe drill 3 holes close together in a triangle shape and hoe out the middle or is there a method I am unaware of ?

By your comments, these must be ball/burlap estate sized trees. They likely have a heavy metal wire on the outside of the burlap.

I planted about 100 trees of this size and the simplest method involved my rear 3PTH rototiller:

The 48 inch width is just about the right size for the trees you describe. Till a 50 inch square hole (start one way, then move 90 degrees and do the other way). Till as deep as you can get (about 12-14 inches). Most locations do better with part of the tree ball slightly above the ground surface.
The soil will now be easy to work with. Use a shovel to push the center dirt and create the funnel to sit your tree in. Pull back the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the burlap and fold/cut the wire down as far as you can get it. Push the rest of the dirt around the ball and stake the trees.
This method was by far, the fastest, and I have a BX23 and could have used the backhoe, but it just wasn't any faster.
If your soil is pretty dry and compacted, add half a bale of spaghum to the hole and till this in as well. It will help to soften and retain water.

Good luck!

 

[Fug1000]

Sounds great but I don't own a tiller. So if given the choice to get the tool for the job, would you spend over a grand on a tiller or a lot less for a 24 inch bit?

I'm leaning towards the bit.

 

[rickmacheske]

If you think your tractor can handle the 24" auger, go for it. Mine handles a 12" with no problem until I hit the hardpack that is about 30" under the surface of my field. Hmmm...now I'm wondering if my PHD has a 24" available...

 

[AMR]

That tiller idea sounds pretty good. I just put in 6 apples, 3" caliper, 36" root balls. The only issue with that is ROCKS, probably the same with the auger. We got lots of 'em, big too. I ran the tiller this weekend for a food plot and went for a pretty good ride a couple times.

I used the plain old BH method to plant my trees. Digging around my house is really variable, 3 of the 6 holes were really easy, less than an hour and the tree was in and backfilled. Also, I amend the soil in the holes. I overdig and come back up with a sand/loam/organics mix, roughly 2/2/1.

3 of the holes where bears though, nothing but rocks, one rock ended up almost two feet square, weirdest thing, looks like it was cut with a saw. The best I could do was drag the rock off to the woods and then flip it over with the loader off of the lawn.

The only benefit I would give to the BH method is the ability to overdig, loosen the soil, and then amend it on the way back up. Otherwise, I bet the auger would be light years faster, except you will be backfilling by hand, even with the BH there is some hand backfill work.