Help planting pine seedlings
 

Two years ago i planted 250 white spruce seedlings on my property in western ny. This spring i am looking to intermix some white pine seedlings into my spruce patch this year. My question is will either of these trees introduce diseases to one and other? I am looking to give my pine tree patch more of a natural look buy planting white pine where the spruce trees have died and also adding a few more, roughly 100. Right now they are spaced about 8' apart each way. Any Thoughts or suggestions???? Ohh yeah i am trying to create a bedding area for deer.

Thanks for the help

eddie

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

I cant offer you any specific advice other than to say that the DNR wildlife specialist who came to my property advised planting Norway spruce and White pines together in the same planting, as well as additional species. I wouldnt think it would be a problem, in fact every nursery I talked to recommended planting several different types of trees just for the purpose limiting the impact any particular disease might have. That way if a disease does hit you only loose part of your planting rather than an entire planting of a single species. Hope that helps some.

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RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Hi Brian, Did you plant your trees as seedlings? If so how much growth did you get in 5 years? Did you cage up your white pines to prevent browsing? Ive considered spending the money on 5' trees at $25 apiece in order to avoid the expense of protecting the seedlings and the obvious time factor. I may plant some bigger trees on the perimeters and seedlings in the interior part of the planting areas. What spacing would you recommend now that you see this growth 10-12 feet?

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Pilot; The recommendation for 3 row windbreaks in my area is cedar, pine, spruce. They' ve done fine for me. As for the seedlings; plant a few big trees for show but the seedlings are much more cost effective down the road. My price is .25 cents for a seedling so that would end up as 10 large trees vs 1,000 seedlings.

Dan O.

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Pilot....I planted 250 white pine seedings last year. I was worried about the deer eating them too, but up through mid winter, they hadn' t. We' ve had a tough winter , so we' ll see how we made out. I planted ours along a state road (for an eventual screen). I spaced mine about 10 ft apart. I can only hope they make it and take off big time this year. I was actually suprised how much they grew last year, considering they were seedlings.(some grew like 8" )
I had originally thought of planting trees a few feet tall also, but they just weren' t cost effective for me. I can get 1,000 seedlings delivered to my home, for about $100. Can' t beat that.

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RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Thanks for the info. guys. The seedlings are much more affordable and I definitely have more time than money. Anyone know if there is any cause for concern with atrizine in the ground when planting seedlings. Atrizine was used in the field last spring, being a herbicide Im guessing it wouldnt effect the trees since they already have root systems but Im not sure and its alot of effort for nothing.

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Hello Eddiee,

I do not think it will hurt anything either to mix in some white pine, where the spruce may have died back. Keep in mind that white pine will grow nearly 2 times as fast as spruce (depending on which type) also that white pine should be spaced at 15 ft apart if possible for " more bushy" results. They' ll grow closer together, but will have few branches once over 10 ft tall, and will grow high, and " pole straight" .

Pilot -

As far as atrazine in the soil - It is not a good thing but depends on the amount of residual remaining. If by fall last year, you still had some weed growth, especially small weeds, you' d probably be OK to plant pines. Last fall I planted where Atrazine had been the year before, with no loss. However, it was a rather weak application of the chemical. I think it will come down to a best guess desicion on your part - if in doubt, do not plant.

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Thanks farmhunter I may go out and look to see if there was much weed growth from last year. However I may just wait until fall or possibly next sping to begin planting. This really throws a wrench in my plans as far as food plots aswell. Im going to try some clover/alfalfa with wheat or oats this fall and hope for the best.

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

farm hunter; I had to persuade the conservation people to plant some of my trees (White and Red Pines) 10 x 10' . They were adament that 6 x 6' was the best for killing the grass, self pruning and the best tree quality in the final stand with the least amount of manual pruning.

Dan O.

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

I was talking with a biologist here in Vermont and he told me that white pine is a terrible food source for deer because the needles contain resins which gum up the
deer' s digestion. Although they could browse on them, my guess would be that deer would pass on the white pines for another sourse of feed.

I am also planting 200 9" -14" white pines this spring. I want to " thicken" up a bedding area.

. . . Rob

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Rob; if you wanted to thicken up the bedding area why wouldn' t you plant a lower branching tree (Scotch pine, cedar or Spruce) than White Pine?

Dan O.

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

Guess I figured they are fast growing (12" to 18" per year) and would grow in thick and bushey for the first 10 years or so. Then they will serve as good roosting for turkeys when they mature. I also have many spruce and cedar already growing. Can you recommend anything else to help the bedding area?

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

How did you guys plant your pine seedlings? First i brush hogged my over grown pasture. Then I used a flat shovel and removed a 1x1' square of the sod. Then placed the seedling in the hole and covered it with fresh top soil I dug from another spot on my property. Let me tell you, thats a heck of a lot of work. I planted 350 trees two years ago that way. I would say that about 85% are still alive. This year i am going to plant about 400 more. Do you guys have any better ideas. What about spraying round up in a 1x1' area and then just using a spud bar to open the gound an insert the seedling? Has anyone used this method? Any suggestions????

Thanks
eddie

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

eddiee; are you plnting plugs or bare root? I' ve been planting bare root so I use one of 2 methods:
1) step a planting shovel 10" into the soil and pull the shovel back towards yourself. Extract the shovel. Insert the tree and step forward on the opening to close it. This method is OK if the roots aren' t too big. It' s also the method that a friend of mine who grows Christmas trees uses.

2) My preferred method is to step a shovel straight into the soil about 10" . Extract the shovel. Push the shovel into the soil at at 45 degree angle to the first cut and lift the wedge of soil out. Place the tree slightly deeper than it' s soil mark, spread the roots and replace the wedge. Step down the wedge.

My daughter also adds that you' re expected to kick clean with your boot the area that you' re going to plant.

Rob; Balsam Fir' s are good cover and food for deer. Pines aren' t bad for protection (snow, wind) but a couple of rows of cedar or spruce will make the area almost windproof while having the pines as a clear deer runway when the pines get older.

Dan O.

RE: Help planting pine seedlings
 

I planted 850 bare root conifer last spring (Austrian Pine. Norway spruce, & white spruce). To plant, I laid out a grid so that the trees would be planted in rows, about 10-12 ft apart. Then with a wheelburrow full of seedlings I paced of 10-12 ft and planted. To plant, I tried several ways - but settled on an Ice-Spud. I could punch a hole with the spud in the wet ground, drop the seedling in, and kick in the base to close the hole as much as possible. It took two days, and I had tired shoulders and leg from kicking in the root.

I planted in the rain, in muddty ground - while messy proved to be good, as over 90% of the seedlings made it, and put on new growth over the summer. I planted in was a corn field the prior fall. I did not spray or mow last year, the berry bushes, and low weed growth protected the seedlings in the drought we had last summer. I plan to mow 2 times this year as grasses are beginning to establish.

I read that the largest cause of " loss" in seedlings - is mowing.