How big of a PHD?

[jr838]

I will consider that. If I dril an extra 6" or so I could spade the hole square pretty quickly and let it fall into the bottom. Will look more into this.
Any references?

I would rather use a backhoe, using a post hole digger sometimes slicks off the walls of the hole and it acts like a pot that roots won't penetrate resulting in a tree that's root bound

 

[Fxfymn413]

I had to use the BX2660 to dig a hole with the 24 inch auger bit when the L model couldn't maneuver around to reach the spot I needed the hole in. The BX worked just fine in clay/small rock soil.

I use the 24 inch auger to plant shrubs/trees all the time. It is also really handy to use to mix soil supplements such as peat into the hole before placing the tree.

 

[Angler]

I used a 24 inch on my Kubota that supposedly has 24.1 PTO HP. No problem on my heavy soil, did break a few shear pins (bolts) when hitting a decent sized rock though.

 

[dnw64]

I haven't dug deep there, but down 12-18" with a shovel is nothing. And lots of wells are just a piece of 2" pipe with a well point on the end driven down with a backhoe... Totally different than my 60 years of experience in VT!

 

[qualsite]

I'd just scoop out a wide hole with the front loader about half the depth of the pot [should be really easy in sandy soil], pull it out of the pot, rough up the root ball a bit, set it in the middle, then fill in the hole with some fertilizer and compost, mixed with the removed soil in your front loader, then dumped back in the hole. Don't over supplement your native soil, otherwise the roots won't want to leave the cozy new pot you made them and venture into the regular soil where they really need to live. Tree roots don't like clean augered holes, which can just end up being a pot drilled into the ground for them to rot in, although not so much with sandy soil. Trees appreciate a mounded planting anyhow, rather than sinking into the ground for the crown to rot... and they will always sink after planting. Not so much a worry with good draining sandy soil, but with our clay on top of hardpan, they need all they help they can get during planting. For watering, I use 1/4" dripline on a hose that I move from tree to tree, looped around the tree. Just keep the water from puddling on the crown by not planting too deep, and force the roots outward by watering away from and around the new tree... make them look for the water and they will find it. Just enough water on the existing root ball to keep it healthy, but still wanting more. Also, if they are grafted trees, ensure that the graft is never buried.

 

[homey53]

I’ve read that square holes are better for planting than round ones.

And triangular shaped are better yet.LOL

 

[Fixastuff]

And triangular shaped are better yet.LOL

Outside the box thinking. Pentagram holes grow the fastest but downside is plants are now evil.

 

[homey53]

Outside the box thinking. Pentagram holes grow the fastest but downside is plants are now evil.

 

[sandman2234]

I would also like to mention that when you start drilling with the PHD, don't let it feed itself. Make sure that it is pulling the loose soil up and out. I had a very small tractor digging post holes at a friends house and he just let the auger screw in, and it lifted the front of the tractor. He pushed the clutch in to stop the front end from going up, and it slammed the front end back to the ground. A couple times of that and we got out some shovels to dig the auger out. Tractors don't have a reverse gear for the pto!
David from jax

 

[dnw64]

Ended up buying a Countryline from Tractor Supply, as it had an available 18" auger (didn't see another Cat 1 that specifically said it could take an 18"). Got it set up and did a test hole. Was like a hot knife through room temp butter. The only thing I had to figure out was that once you get to the depth you want, shut the PTO off and lift the auger, otherwise this super sandy/loose soil falls back into the hole.

 

[Rockbadchild]

yes for sandy soil you have to turn it off like you did... watch to not go too deep and exceed the lifting capacity (aka lifting the front end)

For clay if its wet you have to be careful if it corkscrew in you have to lift it parodically if not it can get stuck, as long as it comes out in chucks you are fin but yourself in sand you should be just fine... I run my tractor idle when I do my holes and I watch for rocks and I am ready to lift the 3point when I start earing the bit grinding on rocks. While it goes down I also clean around the hole so materiel doesn't go back in and if I want max dept I will remove the material that falls back in using a hand auger.

 

[old and tired]

For what it's worth, I take multiple smaller bites before I get to the depth I'm looking for....

 

[Rockbadchild]

For what it's worth, I take multiple smaller bites before I get to the depth I'm looking for....

It comes to a point with experience you can tell what the auger is doing and what you need to do in your soil and moisture...

 

[dnw64]

Well we got it done yesterday. Everything went far better than expected. Partly because there were no issues with the PHD, and I had twice as many peolpe show than expected to help (and most of them had experience planting). We had all 61 trees planted within 2 hours.

I had been concerned we might run into some roots from some large trees not too far from where we were planting. My biggest concern with that was that the auger might get tangled/caught up in them, and with no reverse it could be a big hassle getting it out. Well we did run into some, but it just slowly chewed through them.

Got the drip line installed and one load of wood chips spread, all done in time for an early lunch. I was hoping to just get the trees planted by the end of the day...

 

[dnw64]

Back (left) row are all Photinia. Front row is a combination of Viburnum, Limelight Hydrangea and White/Pink Crepe Myrtle (dwarfs).