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Late Winter Tree Planting

2,138 Views | 10 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by CS78
CS78
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As part of my habitat improvement plan and wildlife management exemptions, I decided to plant some beneficial trees. White Oak is prime for deer. They'll flock to a tree like a herd of goats when they start dropping. Nuttall Oak and Willow Oak for ducks and deer in the low areas because they're the most flood tolerant. Native Persimmon in the dryer areas. And Button bush inside and around pond banks for wood ducks. Some of each planted along the Navasota river bottom. And some near Lake Somerville.

I started in Late January with 100 mixed white, nuttall, and willow oak from Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries. https://www.nativnurseries.com/collections/oak-trees Dudley in their sales department is a great help. He has a bunch of helpful youtube videos too. Unfortunately, the Mossy Oak trees get a little pricey and are labor intensive, requiring an actual hole to be dug for each one.

I also ordered more bare root seedlings from Missouri DOC. https://mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-seedlings/order-seedlings 100 nuttall, 100 white oak, 200 persimmon, and 100 button bush. At only $32 per 100 trees, I was expecting small seedlings that should be easy to put in the ground with a dibble bar but many were really too big for a dibble.

Dibble bar- https://www.amazon.com/Timber-Tuff-TMW-73-Dibble-Green/dp/B07DMJNTGW/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=dibble+bar&qid=1584912952&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-6

For protection, tree tubes are highly recommended. 60" if deer are thick in your area. 48" if not. This was the cheapest place I could find them. Unfortunately, they took about 6 weeks to ship. https://www.johnsonsway.com/products/tree-pro-miracle-tube

Unpacking the native nurseries nuttall oaks.



Planted by digging a hole maybe a foot across and a foot deep and mixing compost about 50/50 with the existing soil.



Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the tree tubes were slow to arrive and I had a number of trees get dug up before I could get them protected.



Bare root white oaks. I guess with the ground not being as disturbed and no use of compost, the bare root plantings did not attract whatever dug up some of the first group of trees. These are not getting tubes until they actually sprout.




Normally February should not be dry but this winter was crazy dry. Rigged up some drums to gravity water from the 4-wheeler or truck tailgate.



Went back out yesterday to see how things were looking. Persimmon and nuttall are just starting to bud. The White Oak and Willow Oak are really taking off in Navasota. Not as much in Somerville.

Nativ Nurseries White oak Navasota River-



Willow Oak Navasota River-



If I could do one thing different, I would not have ordered near as many of the bare root seedlings from Missouri DOC. It turned in to one hell of a project getting them all in the ground. Dudley from Mossy Oak later suggested spreading out your effort and do a little each year in an attempt to avoid the risk of flood, drought, etc.

Ill try to update this thread as things progress in the future. This is new to me so if anyone with more experience would like to add info, feel free. Same thing goes for anyone else planting and wanting to share progress.







ursusguy
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cochrum
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AG
That's really cool. Update us on how they are doing in a few months. I'm interested.
Usoos
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AG
Those are great to see.

I did something similar in Washington County. Only planted 27 Shumard Oaks. They started to leaf out a couple weeks ago.




Apache
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AG
I recommend pulling that flimsy bamboo stake & removing that green tape asap.
If not removed the tape can girdle the tree and kill it
Usoos
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AG
Will do. thanks for the advice. The bamboo and green plastic came with the trees, so I just left it on.

I've been babying them for the past couple months. Planted them second week of December, been driving out there weekly to water them and pull the weeds/grass.

These trees line the drive up to the house, so hopefully in a couple decades we'll have a nice tree lined entrance.
Fannie Luddite
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AG
If that is the green stretchy tape it will expand with the tree growth and eventually fall off. The wire of course is a different story.

I did something similar, planting over 100 trees, mostly 3 or 5 gallon, over a period of years. I finished building my house a few months ago and now have shade trees. I left them tied to the rebar supports for two or three years and then removed them.

The biggest challenge is to water them every week in the summer until established. I missed one week of watering cedar elms and while they lived, their growth rate was much slower than the rest. Put down mulch, but keep it off the tree itself, to help the soil retain water. My shumard red oaks would get sunscald, so you might need to wrap the trunk with burlap or tree wrap. Some tree varieties are susceptible to sunscald (Red Oak, Chinese Pistachio) so you might need to do some research if it will affect yours . Don't trim the tree for several years since it needs those leaves for growth.

It is definitely a worth while effort.
CS78
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The button brush from Missouri doc has done very well. I'd guess 90% are growing strong. The wood ducks should be loving them in a couple years.


Stinking tent caterpillars have shredded the white and nuttall oaks at one property in the last week. I sprayed the inside of the tubes with malathion that I had with me. Should that work? How long are they usually around for?

FullDraw
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AG
We have an east Texas place with plenty of bogs/low places that hold water and a pond. We also have wood ducks. The button bush idea caught my eye. Is this the best seed plant for wood ducks, are there others that are good as well?
CS78
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They do eat the seeds but they eat a lot of invertebrates off of them. It's also their favorite cover. https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/buttonbush/

If I was planting other food for wood ducks it would be the nuttall and willow oaks along with a native pecan that produces a small nut. Of course those take longer.
FullDraw
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AG
Appreciate the response!
CS78
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I'm eagerly awaiting to see what sprouts back out. I know I lost a number of oaks and persimmon in Somerville. The lack of rain was just too much for them.

Anybody planting? Ive begun with chestnut plugs in some easy to water spots. Limited expectations there. I have the right soil but worried it might not get cold enough here. Have nuttall oak, willow oak, *****apin oak, *****apin, sand plum, mayhaw, and more button bush on the way. All bare root.

Ive really been trying to find some Bastrop pine seedlings but no luck. Only source I can find is for reforestation in the burned areas.

Found another good source for affordable bare root seedlings if anybody is looking.

Products (superiortrees.net)



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