Need some tree experts help

[BlackRaptor]

I'm not sure if i put this in the right section or not. Its a project but if there is a place for tree related questions free feel to move it.

Okay here is my deal.
I live on a dirt road and i do not have a long lane its yard ditch road so what i'm going to do it plant a couple rows of trees right along the ditch line for two reasons.
1. to cut down on the dust rolling up.
2. privacy so its a little harder to look in the front windows of the house when driving past.

i'm thinking 150 200 trees. will be using my 3pt posthole auger to dig all these crazy holes.

Now for my question what i want to do is stagger the trees. So the first row space them every three feet than behind them about 5 foot do anther row 3 foot spacing but opposite the first row so they fill in each others 3 foot gap so when they get big you cant see through them.

The Trees i want to use are
Dogwood for the bush line in the front
Than Cedar for the back line.
Does anyone know if Cedar and Dogwood grow well together? i know some trees cant be planted next to each other.

I've attached a picture showing what i'm thinking.
Thanks!

 

[troutsqueezer]

My two cents:

I don't know if the two trees grow well together but I do think your spacing is way too close. I did almost the same thing as you've described - that is, place one row staggered behind the other and I went five deep. The difference is, I used Deodora cedar trees only and spaced them about 12 feet apart. It looked pretty sparse when they were only one foot high but it turns out the spacing was right on now that they have grown. At three foot spacing, they may look far enough apart when they are saplings but as they grow, you might find yourself removing every other tree and perhaps repeating that process as they grow more.

 

[Baby Grand]

^+1 what Dennis said.
I'm no expert, but I'd give them some breathing room.
For a small tree, a mature dogwood can have a fairly large crown - maybe 30 ft diameter - it's a "full bodied" tree.
Choose your dogwood variety carefully - we had some kind of blight that ravaged them in our area.

 

[Kyle241]

Also you need to take into account your soil type. Dogwood can be finicky about that.

 

[BlackRaptor]

Good stuff thanks guys. I have a soil table map of my place so i think soil wise i'm good other than on the right side before that old tree like i circled in red is a wallnut tree and those stupid things kill every other tree near them thats why my grove has bare patches. Now days i cut down or pull walnut suckers when i see them.
I think for the red dogwood the 3 foot spacing might be ok i want to to grow and tangle together but maybe cedars i double ot triple the spacing

 

[SanDucerro]

I think for the red dogwood the 3 foot spacing might be ok i want to to grow and tangle together but maybe cedars i double ot triple the spacing

My vineyards vines are 7 foot apart - and I think that's a foot closer than I'd like. I can't imagine one tree being only 3 foot from another. A Red Dogwood will grow 25 foot high AND 25 foot wide at maturity. They also require full sun, so if you plant them too close they'll not do well at all. Here's a site showing the trees requirements: www.arborday.org

 

[MissouriSprayer]

Red Cedar and Native dogwoods grow all over Missouri and Kansas. Ive spent more than I care to think killing and cutting both in pasture

 

[forgeblast]

If its on the side of the road look for salt tolerant trees. With that being said I have dog woods running down the bank infront of our house, then I planted Forsythia (actually just the cuttings from other forsythia stuck in the ground). and then I have a row of pine trees. On the side facing the house I have hazelnuts running in front of the pine and will enter plant blueberrys once the hazelnuts get to their full size.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I have eastern red cedar and dogwood growing wild in close proximity.

 

[BlackRaptor]

Thank you guys. I'll research on the spacing more. upside is the more spacing the less trees i have to buy. Win Win.

End goal is to close it in and not be able to see the road or have people see up onto the place.

I dont think roadsalt should be a problem the ditch is pretty deep so plowed snow never comes close to the treeline. also its a dirt road i dont think i've ever seen salt on the road. But worth noting though still.

 

[MarkV]

I agree that the spacing is a bit tight. I also think I see a power line pretty close to you proposed planting. Would hate to see you spend years getting those trees to size and have the power company come in and cut them up. Here the power company has a 30' easement that they have the right to control.

MarkV

 

[mroldstyle]

Do you have any apple trees? Apples and cedars dont work well

 

[Coyote machine]

If there are any nurseries near you I'd inquire of them what spacing and what trees would grow best and fastest for your needs in your zone. This is what they do as professionals and even if they charged you for the consult, possibly at your site, it would be money well spent. Often they will waive the consult fee if you buy the stock from them. This can be advantageous too due to warranty's on some tree stock.

 

[hazmat ranger]

I agree with talking to a local nursery. There is always the challenge of balancing having privacy early but not choking the trees as they grow. My neighbors' fir trees (planted 4' apart 15+ yrs ago) are thin at the bottom- 25' tall but you can see right between them. Maybe a hedgerow for immediate privacy with trees behind that will fill in a few years later?

 

[forgeblast]

Mussler Forests just sent me a catalog, they have varities listed by salt tolarence, along with ones that will provide screening.

 

[troutsqueezer]

My neighbors' fir trees (planted 4' apart 15+ yrs ago) are thin at the bottom- 25' tall but you can see right between them. Maybe a hedgerow for immediate privacy with trees behind that will fill in a few years later?

The reason I chose Deodora cedars, they grow right to the ground if you let'em.

 

[KennyG]

The plan you have is pretty "formal". Be careful how close you get to the driveway. I have flowering trees lining my drive and they are pain. They are too close and I hit them with my truck antenna, my trailer gate, etc. They are sized such that trimming the lower branches would ruin them. Last year I had an excavator in to dredge my pond and he took down several limbs (not on purpose) just getting the trackhoe in and out. I also have evergreens that were planted too close and I'm going to have to take them out because of that.

I would suggest that after you get your trees decided on and located, you think about adding a few strategically placed, fast growing flowering shrubs like forscythia. That will give you some quick privacy and visual interest. 10 years from now when the trees are established you can take the bushes out if you don't want them anymore.