Tree Planting in the snow

[johan3400]

I spent yesterday planting 2000 trees with three friends of mine. We used my L3400 and KK middle buster to put in 18 inch Osage orange for a privacy border along forty acres near me. This was one of those last minute projects which we were not sure would get done. None of the local tree planters were available from rental places as they were sure there would be too much snow and frost in the ground. I logged all the seat time and one of the others pushed the trees down right after the middle buster made the slit in the soil. The other two would walk behind stepping the soil down to close the furrow. When all was said and done we were pleased with the results. It took us 5 hours to finish the tree planting. We found little frost in the ground and the three inches of snow did not slow us down. I am sorry, I did not get pictures and now today we are getting snow again and I will not be able to show off the rows of trees.

 

[Ridgewalker]

That's going to be a heck of a thicket in a few years. I ran across a line of Osage in an old field during deer season once. You had to go around, no way thru unless you had a chainsaw.

You going in to the long bow business?

 

[ALHILLDIRT]

I need to plant some pine here, hopefully not in the snow. Did you use bareroot seedlings? Did you dig a continuous furrow, or as needed? How did you measure your spacing?

 

[nmu98]

I try to time my spring plantings to there is still a few inches of frost in the ground. The tractor does not get muddy. The post hole digger works great. And I do not seem to have issue with the trees not being able to get their roots through the hole created by the post hole digger.

I think you will have a great stand of trees next year.

 

[Airic]

Why Osage Orange? I've got lots that I'm fighting to get rid of but I do have quite a few that where planted in a row for fence. They also dull a chainsaw pretty quick.

 

[johan3400]

This was a custom planting job. A gentleman from the Chicago area wanted the trees planted and this time of year I do almost anything (moral or legal at least) to keep cash coming in. I was a bit reluctant to share that we planted osage orange. I am fighting the trees on my 63 acre specialty crop farm and thought it was crazy to plant that many of them, however the owner made the choice. We ran a continuous furrow and marked the tire to give us the proper spacing. Every time the mark made two revolutions we put in a tree. The owner has purchased 160 acres of rough ground and is making some real changes. No more crops just trees and natural areas.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I need to plant some pine here, hopefully not in the snow. Did you use bareroot seedlings? Did you dig a continuous furrow, or as needed? How did you measure your spacing?

I put out 75 trees last year using a PHD. It was a wildlife bundle of red buds, choke cherries, dogwoods, etc., mostly cover type stuff. I planted them in rows with 8' spacing. Then I offset the rows. The means when looked at from the highway you see a tree every 4'. I can brush hog up and down each row and then diagonally across the angles created by offsetting the rows.

Just make sure to use proper spacing for what ever you plant.

 

[ALHILLDIRT]

I put out 75 trees last year using a PHD. It was a wildlife bundle of red buds, choke cherries, dogwoods, etc., mostly cover type stuff. I planted them in rows with 8' spacing. Then I offset the rows. The means when looked at from the highway you see a tree every 4'. I can brush hog up and down each row and then diagonally across the angles created by offsetting the rows.

Just make sure to use proper spacing for what ever you plant.

We set out a 1,000 containerized long leaf pines 4 years ago, 3 people and 2 days hard work, on a 10x12 grid. That's a lot longer than the original post said he took on 2000 trees, so I have to wonder what he did different. Using a PHD to dig every hole would be way to slow.

 

[Ridgewalker]

We set out a 1,000 containerized long leaf pines 4 years ago, 3 people and 2 days hard work, on a 10x12 grid. That's a lot longer than the original post said he took on 2000 trees, so I have to wonder what he did different. Using a PHD to dig every hole would be way to slow.

Edit...I used a 3 pt. PHD...it took about 30 seconds per hole. I suspect he did something similar