Planting another 300 trees

[Tororider]

Here are a couple pics. The first is of my dad using the phd. The other two pictures are of two of our borders where we already have 3 or 4 rows of trees and are going to add one more row behind with the holes already dug.

 

[Tororider]

We got a little less than 200 of the 300 planted. It is taking longer than I had hoped, although it will still be far better than last years mess. This year once we get them planted all we will have to do is water them a bit, not basically replant them since the transplanter didn't work so well, but I digress. Here are some pics.

 

[john_bud]

Nice!


Did you ring the "dinner bell" for the deer as you left?

jb

 

[davitk]

A friend of mine who shared a tree order with three years ago put a nice ring of mulch around each tree, he was so proud of his work for the first couple of months but came to our weekly breakfast meeting one morning cussing up a storm "I may as well have set a dinner plate around each tree **** it!!"

It does look nice, Tororider, but might want to spray some deer deterent, or just plan on staying lucky. Jb, how do you keep the deer away?

 

[Ridgewalker]

Nice work Toro! I agree with the other re spraying for deer. I have been hitting mine with Deer b gone every time I am down on the property.

That stuff has to work...it smell extremly nasty!

 

[tony123]

toro, the trees look great! I'll say nothing of the deer, as your muscles are likely too soar to find it amusing at this point.

I wonder what it would cost to do a cheap drip system with a drip at each tree? I bet it would be more affordable than you think, and likely increase your success rate by a great deal. Would it work to buy some cheap hose, lay it all out and put a small hole at each tree? You could then set it on a $15 timer. Might do the whole thing for less than $100???

The first year is the hurdle.

 

[Tororider]

We didn't have much problem with the deer last year, although we were talking about getting some deer b gone type spray this year. There is plenty of clover and other treats for the deer so hopefully they will lay off.

We don't have a source of water on the property right now, so we bring in water in the 425 gallon, not 325 like I said earlier, water tank from filling it at my parents. We are thinking about borrowing a fire pump from my uncle, the same uncle who we borrowed the phd from, and pumping water out of the marsh in back of the property.

Finished up today, 13 more fraser firs we need to decide what we want to do with, and then I want to get another 50 more blue spruce. The fun never ends.

 

[john_bud]

Jb, how do you keep the deer away?

300 win mag, 30-06, 100gr Muzzy...

I may have to try the deer b gone on the trees. The ones that are non-munched are 2-3' taller than the munched ones.


I've found that the cute little bunnies have been munching on my hard wood trees all winter. Grrrrr. The .177 bunny b gone seems to work and the red tail hawks are happier.

jb

 

[mojoinco]

I'd love to have the 'drought conditions' you guys worry about. March was 0.1" (or so) versus average of 1.1". April was only a bit better (and that is our wettest month). After such a nice summer last year!

Anyhow, trees, we have issues with weed competition. You just about have to use weed barrier. After that gophers and deer are probably the next issue. I have used the gel, but only known of the granules. We just soaked it overnight and mixed it into the soil.

I bought a small gas powered PHD last year at auction for planting trees (it had 2,3, and 6" augers). You can have the manual PHD for a group of trees (I can't imagine planting hundreds).

Have fun!

 

[Tororider]

Last summer we didn't get hardly any rain, lake levels were way low. We ended up toting the tank back and forth a couple times a week. We would really like to avoid doing that this year.

Any suggestions on deer repellent, other than firearms as they are out of season, not that we have had any success in season. I think that, judging by scat, the coyotes are having the best luck.