Planting a 150 ft row of bushes. What is the best attachment to use?

[Carl_NH]

I would hold the trees/shrubs in a compost/leaf pile and water them at least weekly then plant in September. They need at least 3-4 gal/week/plant.

Or if you have a trailer, get 1-2 IBC Totes and trailer them to the site - they are 300 gal each and you could connect to a pipe to drip water them - a single tote would be enough for one watering.

 

[Hermio]

if you need 10" holes you will need a 12" auger. a 3point tractor post hole digger would work nicely

Some tool rental places might have those. Check with them.

 

[Tony H]

Not sure of the soil you are facing. The home I sold a few years back, I'd dig the holes, the property I'm currently building on needed my backhoe to dig the 300 small holes for the Norway Spruce I planted. So much stone that after hole is dug, I needed to use dirt from my large compost pile to fill around the transplants. An auger was useless, 2" into the ground and it would just bounce of the rock. Gas auger would do same OR grab and send me for a loop.
Maybe a Shovel and a Maddock would go quick

 

[Hermio]

I'm looking at planting a row of bushes.


A tractor Bucket Spade:

Front-End Loader - BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT

I am a fan of Bucket Solutions' clamp-on Bucket Spade. It is

www.tractorbynet.com

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Wow! I bet you could do each hole in under a minute with that.

 

[Hermio]

I'm looking at planting a row of bushes.


A tractor Bucket Spade:

Front-End Loader - BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT

I am a fan of Bucket Solutions' clamp-on Bucket Spade. It is

www.tractorbynet.com

Attachments

• 
  IMG_0428.jpg

  189.6 KB · Views: 896

Attachments

• 
  fullsizeoutput_198.jpeg

  4.9 MB · Views: 609
• 
  DSC00692.JPG

  4.7 MB · Views: 1,515

Are they still in business? Cannot access their web page.

 

[Brendanspapa]

A single moldboard plow might do it, depending on how deep you want to go.

 

[jeff3590]

I'm looking at planting a row of bushes. My first inclination was a hand-held auger but that might be a rough go with holes maybe getting to 10". I could use a smaller bit and drill multiple holes and try and combine them into a larger hole but when you are talking something like 50+ holes like that....meh!. Then I started thinking that maybe a tiller for my tractor might work but those only go so deep and I still need to move the dirt out of the ditch. If I had my backhoe(on order) then I guess that would be an easy solution. Other then those options anyone have any other ideas for relatively inexpensive ways to dig these holes? Would a trencher be an option?

Digging that many holes I'd see if the local rental yard has a 3ph post hole digger you can rent. It might even be worth a half day rental to rent it mounted on their tractor. Sure save some wear and tear on you and your helper.

 

[LouNY]

Did the OP ever state or list what he had available for implements?
A back blade could be angled and tilted to just open up a ditch type furrow.

 

[joea99]

I've not read every response, but, there seem to be no votes for just using a backhoe.

Assuming the machine has one, why not use that? Or did I miss where the OP says he does not have one?

 

[Carl_NH]

This is typical New England each 2x3' hole is 40% rocks 60% soil. Rocks are usually 5-18" and you can't plow or dig or use a spade, and a 3 PT PH digger is nearly useless with no down pressure. As Tony H stated go 2" into the ground and hit stones.

I had success with an 18" auger on a 3500LB Bobcat BT100 Tracked skidsteer with down pressure, then cleaned the holes out with my BH before planting. Still had to pick 4 yards of stone from 40 trees planted and use 8 yards of compost.

 

[jayhawk238]

I've not read every response, but, there seem to be no votes for just using a backhoe.

Assuming the machine has one, why not use that? Or did I miss where the OP says he does not have one?

OP has one on order but no ETA on it.

 

[RayR]

I'm looking at planting a row of bushes. My first inclination was a hand-held auger but that might be a rough go with holes maybe getting to 10". I could use a smaller bit and drill multiple holes and try and combine them into a larger hole but when you are talking something like 50+ holes like that....meh!. Then I started thinking that maybe a tiller for my tractor might work but those only go so deep and I still need to move the dirt out of the ditch. If I had my backhoe(on order) then I guess that would be an easy solution. Other then those options anyone have any other ideas for relatively inexpensive ways to dig these holes? Would a trencher be an option?

I bought a post hole digger with a 12" auger when I needed to plant about 1200 trees with 10" pots. I ended up contracting the planting. I was very interested to see what equipment the professionals brought: Sharpened spades. A 6-man crew planted the first 600 trees by supper time. Each hole was quickly hand dug. I've since planted hundreds of trees myself this way. Simple and easy.

 

[jtokc]

How about a middle buster, that gets you through the sod and more than halfway to your 10" goal.

I planted a 180' row of privet bushes a few years ago. I used a middle buster and made a couple of passes. The trench was plenty deep and wide for all the small starter bushes I planted. After making the trench, I had a load of garden soil delivered and loosely filled in the trench with the rich soil before planting the starters by hand. This worked great for 1-qt starter plants and now they are doing very well and are about 16' tall.

 

[future_vision]

I've not read every response, but, there seem to be no votes for just using a backhoe.

Assuming the machine has one, why not use that? Or did I miss where the OP says he does not have one?

It's on order but hasn't arrived. I probably would have never started the thread if it I had it.

 

[future_vision]

This is typical New England each 2x3' hole is 40% rocks 60% soil. Rocks are usually 5-18" and you can't plow or dig or use a spade, and a 3 PT PH digger is nearly useless with no down pressure. As Tony H stated go 2" into the ground and hit stones.

I had success with an 18" auger on a 3500LB Bobcat BT100 Tracked skidsteer with down pressure, then cleaned the holes out with my BH before planting. Still had to pick 4 yards of stone from 40 trees planted and use 8 yards of compost.

Not sure my land is that extreme form a rock to soil ratio but there are patches here and there where rocks are a problem. Especially when you hit one of those large rocks that usually have companion rocks just as big.

 

[future_vision]

I bought a post hole digger with a 12" auger when I needed to plant about 1200 trees with 10" pots. I ended up contracting the planting. I was very interested to see what equipment the professionals brought: Sharpened spades. A 6-man crew planted the first 600 trees by supper time. Each hole was quickly hand dug. I've since planted hundreds of trees myself this way. Simple and easy. View attachment 755395

I've seen that shovel . Pretty heavy duty and not as expensive as the one with the fiberglass handle

 

[fishdrivel]

I was thinking of trenching the whole thing for the two staggered rows. Not much 'neat' about that other than maybe the outer sides but even then the plan is to be trenched out 2-3 ft from the base. What are your thoughts about panting now? Leave in pots or get them in the ground?

Depends on what you are planting.
I am from New England but have never planted there. Much different than here. Ask an extension agent about your particular planting and location?