Planting A Wind Break

[RPM]

I've been looking into this for months now - and thought I would share what I have learned to get some feedback.

My situation is that I need to plant a windbreak along one of the property lines - around 1000 feet. My house is basically in a big field on the top of a hill with nothing but grass around it. Sunsets, sunrises and the stars at night are all a spectacle to behold - but the winter wind is absolutely vicious. Soil is heavy clay and reasonably rocky (but nothing like New England!)

Because of the length of the windbreak I'm putting in, I'm looking at bulk buying tree seedlings from someplace like Musser Forests. Probably 2-3 year transplants. There are two areas that I am in the process of deciding on the course of action with ... I'd be very interested in real world experience on any of these.

1. Ripping & tilling vs. Post hole digger / planting bar for planting

All the latest research I have read says to rip the clay soil and then till a 4 foot wide strip before planting 2-3 year seedlings. Apparently this is far better for root development of young trees than putting in a hole with a post hole digger or planter. Supposedly the down-side to using the post hole digger is that it is just like potting the tree - the compacted clay soil around the tree hole restricts root growth. In the worst case you can glaze the side of the hole and really end up with problems. Numbers quoted are of the order of 50-100% better tree growth in the first few years if you rip & till vs using a post hole digger.

2. Use of weed-block fabric in place of spraying (or no attention)

A second recommendation is the use of weed-block fabric in place of spraying, wood chips or no attention. Obviously, you want to keep weed competition down for the first few years. Supposedly the use of fabric also reduces rodent problems (which are apparently a big deal if you use greater than 3" of wood chips) and reduces water loss from the soil around the seedling. The fabric is also supposed to be better for exposed areas - I know the wood chips I had around some foundation plantings are all in the next county! Life of the fabric is around 5 years.


I have quite a bit of information on the different rows of trees to plant. I was hoping to get away with just one or two rows, but it looks like it will eventually be three. Probably choke-cherry and Osage Orange as the first two - and then maybe a third row of evergreens next year.

Any and all feedback is welcome! I know this whole exercise won't be quick, easy or cheap.

Patrick

 

[TerryinMD]

Patrick,

Call your county extension office. They might have a tree planting program and have seedlings at a reasonable cost. Another possibililty is to see if you qualify for any Federal programs, you might be surprised at what you find.

Terry

 

[Thomas]

Evergreens are a good wind breaker...but the root system more of a top feeder.I planted several rows 8' apart and it does help,but the care{pruning,trimming&mowing around,insects etc..}can cost many hours...also a good lighting rod. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gifDepending on the type of soil you have also the trees in which you enjoy,maybe contact your local forrest warden for an ideas.

 

[rdln]

Evergreens will block the most winter wind, white,red, and scotch are probably the fastest growning but scotch will die from something before they are tall enough to break wind /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. At least 3 rows, 500 trees 1 year olds should run no more that $100, 3 and 4 years about a dollar/tree.

As far as soil work goes for seedlings rip and till mostly to get rid choking turf if you could rent a 3ph transplanter then spray round-up with out tilling before planting. bigger trees have deeper roots and you want the tap root going straight down so dig with PHD.

Buy from a county soil & water conservation district if you can they get great volume discounts.

Definitely get advice from extension agent.

 

[beenthere]

I would not negate anything you have found in your research, as most everything will work up to a point. Some approaches are more work, more expensive, and have mixed success depending upon the weather, etc.
For your questions, if I were doing the planting, I would use roundup and rip the soil in the fall only along the tree planting lines (2 ft. max width). In the spring, I would use a planting bar. If a post hole digger was used, I would get a 12" diam auger. Make 100% sure that the roots are not exposed to air before planting, and that the roots are not twisted when planted. They will grow in whatever configuration they are planted. Once the roots are established, I think they will penetrate the clay soil without much problem. If you have found otherwise, please clue me into the source. I would like to learn more about it.

Question 2, I would spray with pre-emergence spray in the spring and not use the fabric, mostly due to the extra work for fabric, the cost for fabric, and the long term results of fabric. Mowing around these trees with the fabric down is almost impossible, at best. The first year, some roundup may be needed along with careful mowing to keep down the ugly weeds that can come up and compete for water and light. Mow by throwing the mown grass toward the trees for mulch.

For the windbreak, have you considered spruce? In moist soils (clay), it should grow well, be very dense, and stop a lot of wind. I don't see how choke-cherry and Osage Orange would block much wind in the winter time, but maybe someone else knows that it does.

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[Knight9]

In our area ALL windbreaks are of the evergreen variety. That may be because deciduous trees in our climate only shelter 1/2 of the year /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif.

As far as roots penetrating a dug hole, I have always heard that if you dig a hole with a machine (ie post hole digger) and the sides are smooth, you should etch the sides with a shovel to allow points of penetration for roots. Otherwise the roots may remain in the hole only and weaken the strength of the tree.

According to <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.treehelp.com/howto/howto-plant-a-tree.html>Treehelp.com</A>...."When digging in poorly drained clay soil, it is important to avoid ‘glazing’. Glazing occurs when the sides and bottom of a hole become smoothed forming a barrier, through which water has difficulty passing. To break up the glaze, use a fork to work the bottom and drag the points along the sides of the completed hole. Also, raising the bottom of the hole slightly higher than the surrounding area. This allows water to disperse, reducing the possibility of water pooling in the planting zone."

Kevin

 

[canuk]

Having planted over 800 twigs on my property I've discovered that our biggest problem hasn't been weeds, it's been gophers!

We planted in individual holes which the gophers find almost immediately and love due to the nice soft dirt. The end result is a buried tree or no tree at all.

From now on we're either going to plant the twigs in a biodegradable pot or use my new tiller to break up the ground around the plants. Hopefully the gophers will leave the trees alone.

Warren

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya
i'd go with the spray rip kinda deal ..roundup works ok but i'd just spray spots where ya want the trees some long grass a yard or so from ya trees can act as a windbrake for the young trees some trees ya can release spray after ya plant i think most evergreens pines,firs,conafers(?)can be done but pay to check this will help keep weeds down frist few years and cheeper than mowing each week ..as for animal atacks there is some stuff ya can buy to spray young trees that keep most animals off them but again ya would have to find out from a tree guy in your area ...ok ripping try to do this the year before or reroll after ripping ya can have big air pockets that don't do ya trees alot of good if ripped i'd plant with a spade not a post hole digger cut's down the risk of glazing ,if the soil stays wet this is not a prob but if it drys (clay ground is worst)it bakes it may stop some water but the real reson is the young roots can not brake though it ,in time they will (most have seen tree roots grow though pipes!) but there roots may never grow to a strong system..another thing is some trees are root cut or wrenched ie the tap root is removed in bad windy areas try to stay away from these ,they do it here for forstry trees so rootraking is eazer keep in mind winter sun too ya may find in some areas a evergreen may make ya place to cold so maybe a mix of short evergreens with bigger leafdroppers to give summer shade and still slow some wind ..the big thing is DON'T make a wall let some wind still go though think of this hold a bit of windbrake cloth and a bit of plastic up in a strong wind whats going to last??
oh yea slow release fert may help too
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[RPM]

<font color=blue>white,red, and scotch are probably the fastest growning but scotch will die from something before they are tall enough to break wind </font color=blue>

Funny you should mention that. My neighbor has a single row of scotch pine around his property that isn't doing too well!

Patrick

 

[RPM]

beenthere,

Thanks for the tips - I'll look into the Spruce.

For the Osage Orange, the tip I was given was to train it as a fence. The instructions were simple, but I don't know anyone that has done it in practice.

When the Osage Orange is around 3 feet tall (1-2 years depending on the usual factors), you bend them over in the fall and tie them off to each other. The next year the lateral branches will grow up again. You tie those off in the fall a second time. After this you leave them alone for a thick hedge.

I was told that although a hedge like this doesn't block all of the wind, it will do quite a bit of good. It is also a good barrier to plant a row of evergreens behind so they don't get knocked around too badly.

Patrick