tree planting

[laurencen]

Hi all, I need some ideas, I have again 800 plus small trees, we have tried tilling, shovel and auger but takes way too long, I want to fabricate a tooth for mounting on a Kioti CK20 gear that will dig a trench and fold the ground to one side, then drop the trees into the row and simply drive along to press the soil back down, I would like to make a propper tree planter but do not have the time to put it together

Thanks in advance for the ideas

 

[ray66v]

Seems like a good job for a middle buster plow. Or, Call the local Boy Scouts, (if you have them there), and see if they would like the project. I planted about a million trees, back in the Scouts

 

[JCB]

Laurence,

I doubt you'll find anything that easy short of a dedicated planter, and I agree with Ray.

Trouble with "flipping" the soil back over is that it won't be that easy and you'll probably have air pockets. We planted 1500 seedlings last year using a middlebuster/subsoiler. It was backbreaking, but relatively fast. We'd drive a trench, layout trees, then on hands and knees, flip the soil back over, tamp and back fill by hand.

Three of us got about 1200 in the first day and finished by noon the next. Best part is we got about 90% survival rate.

Three days ago I planted another 200 in an afternoon by myself using the subsoiler, and I spent a lot of time walking back and forth. You'll be much happier doing that with at least one other person. Three worked pretty well too.

Joe

 

[laurencen]

thanks Joe, my best idea to date would be a hook type of J shape, I am considering setting it at 10 degrees to one side, think ice cream scoop open on the ends, now if this was pulled thro the ground it should cut a clean J in the ground the angle hopefully will set the ribbon of soil off to one side leaving a gap, once the trees are placed driving on the ribbon of soil should pack it, the J would have more of a \ rather than a curve, think V with one side vertical, this soil ribbon should wedge back in place, ideas ? comments ?

Laurence

 

[SGBotsford]

I can rent a tree planter from the county -- about $50/day.

For it, you have to have tilled soil. You pull it along, and a pair of disks opens a trench, the rider (guy on the planter) puts a tree in the trench, a couple of sweeps fill the trench in, and a pair off packing wheels behind tamp it down. A third guy walks behind, straightening trees up, and packing as necessary. Can do 300-400 trees per hour.

Unfortunately I'm not triplets.

I ended up doing it like this:

Tilled up the land. This included a pass with a 3 bottom plough, then disk. Then a pass with a chisel plough with just 3 chisels space as close together as I could. This broke up the hard pan clay layer.

The actual planting I did by hand. One hand had a mitten. Reach forward, scoop back, with the other hand, the seedling was placed in the hole as it collapsed. fill pack, slide up the measuring stick, next tree. I could do 100-120 trees an hour this way, but my knees could only take about an hour at a time. I had enough other jobs that I would end up doing an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon.


WEED CONTROL is critical. You have to at LEAST mow short. Mulch around the new trees helps a lot.

 

[LBrown59]

Hi all, I need some ideas, I have again 800 plus small trees, we have tried tilling, shovel and auger but takes way too long, I want to fabricate a tooth for mounting on a Kioti CK20 gear that will dig a trench and fold the ground to one side, then drop the trees into the row and simply drive along to press the soil back down, I would like to make a propper tree planter but do not have the time to put it together
Thanks in advance for the ideas

Why plant them and wish you hadn't done it in 20 or 30 years and then have to spend big money and work to get rid of them ?

Been there done that and so did my FIL.not

 

[kyhobbyfarmer]

How big are the seedlings that you are wanting to plant? I don't know if you can get your hands on one, but around these parts we have tobacco setters that do pretty much what you describe. You just do your primary tillage, hook up the setter, and a guy that rides on the back places the plants on a spinning carousel that sits the plant into a trench, then the packing wheels set it in. They can be had pretty cheap (50-150 for a "working" single row) if you can find em. I've used em to set out many an acre of tobacco, tomato plants, sweet potato slips, cabbage, well, pretty much anything that is started in a greenhouse beforehand, and the only problem I could foresee would be getting the roots deep enough, but that all depends on the size of your seedlings.


Dan

 

[boxygen]

Why plant them and wish you hadn't done it in 20 or 30 years and then have to spend big money and work to get rid of them ?

Been there done that and so did my FIL.not

Way to go LBrown to post something that is abosolutely no help and almost completely off topic just to say something about yourself. Learn to call it a rest - everybody is sick of it. I'm surprised you didnt tell him to buy a BX for every tree he has to plant and post pics of yourself on them doing unidentifiable work.

 

[tree grower]

Size of the trees makes a big difference. If they are plugs, aka container-grown (67 to a tray) plant them with a dibble- Forestry Suppliers item # 69027. If you have 3-4 yr old seedlings or transplants--stuff in the 10-20" range- you are better off with a planting machine, or plant them by hand. The planting machine described by Mr. Botsford sounds like it will require tilled ground, but most of the machines used by Christmas tree growers in the NE work best in untilled sod. For examples see Forestry Suppliers no 61563 or Kelco TP300. In these machines, a coulter wheel cuts the sod, and a shank opens the trench. The hired help sitting on the machine sets the tree into the trench right behind the shank, and angled packing wheels close the trench. You still need someone to go along to straighten the trees and stomp down the sod around ones that need it.

The reality is that you don't need to buy a $3000 planter for 800 trees. Do you have a power auger for ice fishing ?- it makes a perfect hole for planting trees, and your backfill is nice loose soil. If you are in heavy prairie sod, planting with a round pointed shovel can be a bear. Regarding weed control, 'amen' a hundred times over. Best approach is to apply Roundup in September to kill the grass strips, then plant into the strips next spring.

 

[BHD]

I made a tree planter,

I used a shank, (it is adjustable but not necessary) on a small thee point tool bar,

on both sides of the shank there is a piece of sheet metal about 10 gage that makes a tunnel to slide the tree in,

behind the wing which is about 2 foot long, are two wheels about the size of small boat trailer wheels, (actually came off a tumble bug plow), and the ride independently and are set at an angle which pushes the dirt back up next to the roots and packs it. they have about 6" of up and down travel and each wheel is indepent of each other and the shank,

a person rides the machine and can plant a mile of trees at about 1 mph,

the seat and the tray rides on the wheel arm,

one holds the tree until it is in the dirt, the tunnel is about 14" deep and can plant trees with roots from about 4" to about 16" by setting it deeper, note the top of the tunnel Veed out for easer inserting of the tree,

the jug is to space the trees, when the jug come up to the just planted tree it is time to plant the next one,