How we Planted 4,000 Trees and Shrubs - What we Planted and Why | Dream Farm w/ Bill Winke
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- Опубликовано: 21 апр 2024
- It took a total of ten days, but we finally got them all in the ground. We used a combination of skid steer auger, hand-held auger and "Dibble Bar" to get 4,000 trees into the ground. We planted a great assortment for wildlife and future value that will make the farm look better and make it more attractive for wildlife not to mention easier to hunt. Here is what we planted, how we planted, where we planted it and why.
Pretty impressed with how many you got done wow!
Thanks. It took a long time Steve. Longer than I expected.
Nice, excited to see what results you have!
Good luck
Thanks Robert. We will post updates. Have a great day.
Bill, that is an impressive amount of work and kudos to you and your family and friends for making that dedicated time investment. That is alot of work with that many trees and as you explained very worth it. I do the same here in southwest PA but have never planted that many at once. It will be great to see the update videos over time to see the tree progress as they grow. After planting on my farm every Fall and Spring for the past 12 years I am really enjoying seeing the hard work yield results now. A very rewarding and lifelong investment by stewarding the land and improving habitat. Thanks for sharing and encouraging others. God bless.
You are correct about the work and the stewardship. We really like planting habitat and making improvements to the land whether through planting, TSI or (lately) burning. It is very rewarding to see the results. Thanks for the comment. Have a great day.
Great video Bill, it will be interesting to see how the trees and shrubs do in years to come.
Agree. I love planting stuff and watching it flourish and change the environment it is planted in. Thanks for the comment.
I did 800 two foot trees one spring by hand, I said never again. That fall I planted over 9000 walnut,red and white oak seeds. I used a tractor with a one row plow and went down a couple of inches a month before I collected the seeds. Dropped the seeds a foot apart and covered with the dirt. The seeds plantings are bigger than the trees I did by hand. Way easier on the body for me. Ken, thanks for sharing Bill
In 2017 I did 650, I weighed 172 lbs when I started and 162 when I was done. Real interesting that the seed trees passed by the others I’ve never thought about that!
Ken, we have planted 30 acres so far using the direct seeding method (planting acorns instead of seedlings). I will do an update on that project soon once we can tell how many are growing. Thanks for the comment.
@@bill-winke respect to you all, 30 acres is a staggering number. Not afraid of work, that’s for sure!
Do you guys have a recommendation where to buy acorns or tree seed? I slacked and didn’t pick any up last fall.
@@joesommers3171 I have gone to parks with nice straight oaks and pick them up in the fall. I also worked on a farm that had hickory and walnuts and would pick up nuts after work... I'm a cheap ass... lol
We plant trees every year as well, trying all kinds methods. We've always gone more of the plant small numbers and give them more care route. Perennial drought is always a problem for us in SE Kansas; so it takes a lot of maintenance the first 3 years or so to be successful. I can't imagine planting trees in those kinds of numbers; I don't envy you, but I admire you for sure!
I appreciate the comment. Ethan and I planted 1,000 last year and the survival was very high. That's what prompted me to go for even more this year. I think the low to moderate deer density, low rabbit population (high coyote population) and the rains we have been getting should promise good survival but time will tell. Have a great day.
My back hurts just watching this. Well done.
My back took the strain OK, but man my right hand is still crippled. Not sure if it was/is nerve or ligament stress. I used it to push the dirt and roots down into the hole on each tree I planted and now I can barely use that hand. It has about 25% strength. Hoping it bounces back. I should have just used some kind of tool to push the dirt/roots in rather than my hand. Mistakes are a great teacher.
Planted 850 shrubs this year, used the Harbor Freight 6 inch Auger. Worked great.
Six inches would be good for most trees. Our 4 inch auger was just a bit small for some of the stuff we planted. Especially the hazlenut.
Hard work nice job!!!
Thanks Jason. Much appreciated. Have a great day.
That's alot of work, hopefully you have a good success rate, good job done
Thanks Cathy. It was a lot of work, but I do believe with the rains we got that this planting should do well.
Very rewarding work. You should consider pollarding those willows when they get going (1-2 years). You will get a shrubby effect, which will help your screen.
I think that is a great idea Kurt. I will definitely do that. I just hope the deer leave them alone to get that age! I appreciate the comment.
Just did 800 rooted, 500 cuttings....love it!!
Had some help...
Help is the key! I planted about 1,500 trees on my own this year without any help and that was plenty! My right hand is still crippled. I am not sure exactly what happened there, but hopefully it snaps out of it.
I’ve been planting white pine and white spruce around the food plot the last few years. No equipment just a dibble with great success
Have you been caging or tubing those? In my experience, the deer love to eat white pine.
@@bill-winke so here in western Massachusetts are deer numbers are low. I haven’t had any issues with them eating the white pine they have browsed the hemlock a little but not bad. What set me back was when a porcupine chewed the hell out of the hemlocks over the winter.
Boy your arms and shoulders are going to feel it! Holy man that’s a lot of trees
My hands took the worst of it. They weren't strong enough.
I got about 100 Dunstan chestnuts just sprouted and about 75 red osier cuttings that are rooting also, expensive but it's been fun so far!
Those are really good trees/shrubs for deer. I would definitely keep them caged/tubed as deer will love to eat them too soon otherwise. Good luck.
Dream Big brother 🙏
Thanks Edward. You too.
Bill it sure is fun to start those big projects and just as fun when they’re done haha. Those augers on bobcats are great. Planted hybrid chestnuts with one. Do you plant any chestnuts? Thx for the video
Dan
Dan, for sure that skid loader and the auger were the ticket. I wish the ground on the hillside would have been easier to navigate. We sure could have got done a lot faster if we didn't have to use the hand auger. I need to plant chestnuts and I plan too. That will happen in the next few years. Thanks for the comment.
I remember you talked about CSP for clearing cedar. Did you use that for the trees too? I’m on opposite side of the state in the Loess Hills and have chatted with the NRCS about a planting project. Just not sure I want to wait out the process. Also, more for Jordan, how about a shirt with a habitat building/ field of dreams theme. A nice buck walking out of the corn with the line from the movie if you build it they will come.
The trees and shrubs were part of the CSP program. Definitely worth waiting out the process if you are going to plant very many trees. Good luck.
Looks like a big and successful project! Any concern over the cedars choking out shrubs on that hillside or will fire be in the equation?
Thanks Alex. We will definitely need to remove those cedars in some manner over the next couple of years. I don't think I can burn because the fire will also kill the stuff we just planted (or most of it). I can see coming back with a forestry clearing saw or similar to remove most of the cedars. Another option that might be fun is burn them individually using a spray of gas and diesel fuel and a drip torch. Maybe. Would be fun at least!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you should NOT bend those roots in a “J” when planting.
Either dig a deeper hole OR trim the roots to length of the hole.
I think we did OK there. What you don't see when watching the video is what we did when we pushed the dirt in around the sides of the root system. We were also pushing the roots down with the dirt. They may not all be pointing down (some go around the circumference of the hole), but very few of them were left pointing up. We did watch that pretty closely. I am guessing that we won't lose a single tree to J-root. Some of those hazelnuts had such big root clusters that we had to cut them back pretty aggressively to get them to fit in the holes. It will be interesting to see if they got shocked and if so, how much.
I tried several times to plant spruce and pine windbreak only to have it eaten down to the ground. Finally used the plastic snow fence to fence them off successfully. Good luck.
We may end up having to do that with the willow plantings. I hope not. Thanks for the comment.
I’ve planted some of the hybrid willows. They do grow remarkably fast. I do cage my small numbers to relieve deer pressure and get a trimmed tree rather than more of a shrub. It’ll be fun to watch and see how your high number plantings of the willows work out. Ps I was surprised in a good way how long the willow leaves held on into the later fall.
Kevin, I have heard they are good screens. I hope the deer leave them alone for a couple years to get them established. It does pay to have a lower deer density and but even at that, when they find something they prefer, they will not hold back even if there are only a few of them. Good luck and thanks for the comment.
Bill, what happened with the acorns you planted in that one area?
Stephen, we will update on how the last two direct seedings have done. That will happen once it gets warm enough that the little trees are popping out of the ground. I am super interested to see how the seeding from last October does. I think it will be really good, but what I have been seeing so far from the shallow acorns. They seem to be really putting out roots and getting established. It will be interesting to see how the ones buried deeper do. More to come soon. Have a great day.
Bill
Question, did you consider using switchgrass for screening? Would like to hear your perspective on screening options and why you went with what you did.
Thanks for the content you put out there.
Switchgrass would not grow tall enough to screen us from deer on the slopes above. Another option might be miscanthus but I don't really like the looks of that stuff as much as I like something natural like trees. If the deer leave them alone, the willow will grow 5 to six feet per year and fill in quickly.
You needed bigger holes for those large transplants. Hope they will survive. Hows those oak trees you direct seeded last year.that looked promising. Hope you do an update on them.
Cutting back the roots will work too, as long as we keep getting rains. I have done that before. Fortunately, only a small percentage of trees had to be cut back (all hazelnut bush). I will do an update on the direct seeding as soon as the soil temperature gets warm enough to push the new growth out of the ground. The surface acorns are putting down roots but not stems and the ones under the ground will need a bit longer. Look for an update in a few weeks.
Awesome job bill major rewarding . I.
Noticed all the Cedar trees in the back. Are you gonna leave them? Are let him grow. A lot of times they take over and kill everything around them. Just wondering enjoy your videos.
Steve, thanks. Not leaving them. We will have to remove them in the next couple of years as the seedlings start to take up space. I will likely leave a small pocket of cedars just for increased edge and diversity. Have a great day.
Great work Bill! Wondering how you bought the trees in bulk like this?
I bought these at the Iowa DNR nursery.
Thoughts on using miscanthus along the trails for a faster screen 1-3 years versus or in conjunction with using the willows since the trees are a slower process 3-7 years for an ideal/adequate screen?
I think that is a good idea. I had a neighbor in southern Iowa that did that and it worked really well. Like you say, it took about three years to have a working screen. My only reservation is the fact that Larry project didn't look "natural" to my eye. Not a huge deal, but I like stuff to look a certain way when I am done. I do know that the Miscanthus will work for this purpose though.
In 2015 I edged my property line w 3/4 mile of mescanthus rhizomes. It screens, but the stalks fall over, and it looks like a scene out of the Nile w all the rushes. Today, 7 years later, I would plant jolly green arborvitae to achieve that wall-like barrier. If i were to screen down through the middle of my property, the willows would look fairly natural.
Bill, you used to seed fields with bags of acorns. how did that do? I logged sections of my farm and I am sick about the sassafras and other weed trees that are coming up. How can I reseed my oaks and walnuts?
I will do an update on that once it gets warm enough for the new growth to show up above ground so we can determine how well it worked. If you are trying to reseed, you have two options: 1. Kill everything, till it up and plant acorns and walnuts from seed or 2: kill everything and plant seedling oaks and walnuts - you will probably have to tube them. Maybe fire is the best way to kill what is there is before you start replanting. You should really consult with a state forester as those guys will know exactly how to do it and will likely have ways for you to get cost share in the process. Good luck.
An old man once told me... Hard work ain't easy." Hoping you are rewarded for all that hard work. I carefully planted 125 white pines. They lasted one season and were eventually choked out by all the surrounding grasses. The pines didn't compete well with the grasses. If I ever attempt that again I'll do a prescribed fire and then chemical burn at each tree location just to give them a fighting chance. Anxious to see how your trees and bushes fare. I always put neon flagging tape on every new plant. It helps me when I come back later to check their progress. Nature can sure hide your plants in a hurry. Hope it all works out as you planned!
Harley, that is great advice from the old man! Sometimes nature hiding your plantings is a good thing as long as the plantings continue to progress. Not only does nature hide them from you, but also from the deer. To a certain extent, I am actually counting on that to help with the survival rate of these trees and shrubs. Thanks for the comment. I will keep everyone updated on how they are doing. Have a great day.
I live in Iowa I’m pretty sure your farm is too and i was wondering where u get your trees from
From the Iowa DNR Nursery up in Ames. Good luck.
Maybe try switchgrass for temp screen
It takes a while get switchgrass matured and filled in. I think the hybrid willow (if the deer don't eat it all) will fill in much faster. It is supposed to grow five feet per year!
It's a toss up to use or not use tubes on your trees. I planted 4-5 ft bare root saplings from Lawisil Norsery in Cascade, Ia (Think they are gone now) after a few tmiber cuts, to replenish the area. These were 5Ft vented tubes, from Timber Mgmt. Here is what I found they do protect the trees, the bad news is they will make a great nursery for grass to grow inside the tube, and sometimes choke out your sampling. The other issue is when you remove the tube you will discover the sapling has No back bone and will just fall over.
Thanks for the input. We will tube some because it is required by the CSP contract per the forester. I don't think we have to given the lower/moderate deer density and low number of rabbits (high number of coyotes). But it will be interesting to see how the ones in the tubes do compared to those outside the tubes. Have a great day.
Hate to bring bad news, but once the deer find your hybrid willows, they will eat them to the ground.
Unfortunately, they need to be protected. Big Rock Trees does a lot of screens. I started a screen this year and fenced it off. But I don’t mind doing it in 125-150 foot strips and then doing another in a couple years once they establish properly. Silky willows are safer to plant, but only get 12’x12’
Double stagger of willow and hybrid poplar work well, but deer will eat them both and then come fall rub every last one of them. One good thing, they will shoot up root sprouts.
Our deer density is not super high and they are not hungry here so I may get those willows a year or two. If that happens, they will be tall enough to fend for themselves. It will be interesting to find out.
Always good to see some habitat work in this State. We continue to loose more than we gain. Frustrating the farm groups are trying to axe our forest reserve program. Waiting to see how the Senate finishes the bill.
Thanks for the comment Mike. It is a rewarding mission for sure - and a necessary one.
Are you able to use cleth on all these trees to kill grass from choking them out? Grass seems to be my biggest issue planting saplings and I was going to look into clethodim to knock out the grass if trees were more tolerant of that vs other herbicides
Yes, that is the plan. I will confirm but I am 99% sure that clethodim won't hurt trees.
J rooted alot of trees
Some, but let's face it, when you have a root cluster that big you can afford to J root a few of the smaller ones. We didn't J root any of the primary roots - just a few of the smaller ones. Plus, I have been told by an expert in botany (a professional arborist) that it is not as important as everyone makes it out to be. In fact, he said it doesn't matter. I bet none of the "j-rooted" trees die or show any signs of setback.
I’m doing something similar on my ground, not to this scale though. What tubes did you buy? I’ve developed a tubing to fencing system. Great information, I need to get a hole digger!
Hopefully the deer don't reak havoc on the saplings, I hear if there not protected they can hurt em pretty bad! Good luck, and hopefully in 5 yrs we will be talking about success!
I hope we will be Troy. I do think that with our lower deer density we can get this to work. That is the hope. I will know in a few months. The seedlings I planted last year (1,000 plum, chokecherry and redosier) have done well so I think these will make it OK too. Thanks for the comment.
Maybe I missed it, but where did you get the treed?
From the Iowa State nursery. Located in Ames, IA.
Back in the 90s my brother, dad and I planted 1700 pine trees for a friend in a single day.. we were feeling pretty good about ourselves... then they all died! 😂 I have higher hopes for your 4,000 trees! That's a lot.
Boy, that is disappointing. Must have been a really dry year, I am guessing. I have had moderate success on dry years but overall pretty good success planting on wet years. There is a lot of transplant shock and if you add dry conditions to that, they can fail pretty fast. Good luck and thanks for the comment.
We planted about 6000 trees with a tractor and 3 pt planter last April in a sandy river bottom. The first year mare's tail came in badly but I think it hid the trees well enough that the deer couldn't find them to destroy them. Made good deer bedding the 1st year and Im hoping it provides good brooding structure as well this summer.
Nate, I have seen that also in areas with high deer numbers. The weeds cover the plants you are trying to develop and hide them from the deer. On the downside, the weeds also reduce growth rate and survival rate to a smaller degree, but it is worth it unless you plan to tube or cage everything. Good input. Thanks.
Is the driver of the red chevy tagged out on turkeys?
That was Carsen's truck. He shot one on public and guided a youngster to his first turkey on the boy's family farm. Pretty cool.
@@bill-winke that is AWESOME! Congratulations to the both of them
We're u get that many trees??
Iowa DNR Nursery in Ames.
Where can a get these trees in this quantity?
Iowa DNR Nursery.
I did 250 with a power hand auger like that! How sore were you when done bill????😂
Pat, it was really my hands that took the biggest beating - really more from pushing the dirt and roots into the holes than from the actual drilling work. My right hand is still not working correctly. Really strange, but hopefully it is just temporary nerve/ligament stress and it will bounce back soon. Thanks for the comment.
I had the six in auger nice for bigger root balls but sore shoulders wrestling that in clay areas great videos!!
Your more man than I am... At 53 2 days of habitat work is all I want in a row. Chainsaws give tennis elbow, and tree planting is hell on the knees and back. I plant trees with an old manual fence post digger, and 200 is more than I can do. (I never order more than that any any year unless I have help) My 11 year old daughter is my saving grace as she can run circles around me, and saves what is left of my knees. Persimmons and Red Osier this year are in the ground. I suspect that hack and squirt will be all that follows this year, as it gets warmer. I'm lucky in that I have a lot of younger White Oak, I just need to ID and kill anything shading them out, to release them.
Sounds like a great plan. I am definitely slowing down and feeling it more and more every year, but it is great "exercise". Thanks for the comment and good luck with you plan.
Dont get them too deep.😊
Nope, I think we were good. We were pretty careful keeping in mind that the dirt in the holes will settle when the rains come.
God bless private land 🙏🇺🇲🏹
I have a love/hate relationship with it. You love owning it, but the projects never end. For example, I haven't turkey hunted yet because every extra minute is spent working on the farm. If I didn't own land, I would be hunting somewhere instead! So in some ways it is a double edged sword. Have a great day.
Thats called BULL work, My body hurts just watching. Hopefully your hard work you will see come to fruition. Great job
Thanks Jon. Much appreciated. I am still bouncing back. Lost about 25% use of my right hand in the process. I am guessing some kind of ligament/nerve strain. I hope that returns soon. And, I sure hope it pays off. I believe it will since we got a lot of rain to get the plantings started off well. Have a great day.
What happened to Ethan? He just vanished and a new kid showed up. I must have missed something.
Ethan is doing his own thing with a real estate career. The "new guy" is Carson Christenson. He was an intern for us last year and still does some things to help.
Obviously, you’re no dummy. You’ve been successful at what you’ve done but hybrid willows really can’t you mix it with something at least has some value
I need something that grows fast for the screen. I have lots of other trees that are more oriented to create value.