# containerized seedlings



## forestryworks (Feb 8, 2010)

I'm doing a 2 acre tree planting job for a landowner this spring.

the hardwoods come bare root and the conifers come in plugs.

my question is, which type of tree planting tool do i need?

dibble






or a specific tree planting shovel like the bushpro shovel?


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## slowp (Feb 9, 2010)

The dibble for plugs. It'll go fast. For bare root, how many do you need to get in the ground? How rocky is your ground? Sometimes a chainsaw augur is good. But you need at least 2 people to do augur planting efficiently, ideally more. One augur guy can keep several planters busy, until it breaks down.  The planters need to search the woods for the perfect stick to tamp the dirt in around the trees. 

Otherwise, we use hoedads. Only the inspectors  use shovels.

You can weld a dibble thing on the bottom of a hoedad and kind of have both. But it will lessen the effectiveness of the hoedad.


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## forestryworks (Feb 9, 2010)

300-450 hardwoods
around 300 softwoods

5-7 different species.

spacing will be of variable densities, ranging from 15x15 to 20x20.

leaving some natural openings, filling in others.

this will be a non-commercial forest. the reasons to plant will be to increase biodiversity, limit spread of eastern red cedar, confine the limits of common persimmon, improve air quality and soil conservation (good ground with lots of great native grasses - no grazing though as the tank doesn't hold water), and to improve the aesthetic value of the land.


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## 2dogs (Feb 9, 2010)

If you are ordering the planting stock make sure you know how long you have to get them into the ground. 3 days is common here. If this is public ground it is a good project to enlist the aid of your local Boy Scout Council.


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## forestryworks (Feb 9, 2010)

I might have them do that. I'm the "sometimes part-time" Asst. Scoutmaster when I'm home or not in school.

It's gonna be during my spring break, so it might be their spring break as well.

Soft ground for the most part. Retains water fairly well. Have a few drier sites for one or two of the pines.


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## Jacob J. (Feb 9, 2010)

The "Dibble" is aka a plug shovel here, and that should work fine. A Hoe-dad is better on steeper or rocky ground. Real tough, rocky ground might necessitate a miner's pick in addition to the hoe-dad. 

In heavy clay soils I use the Cannon tree planter, a one-person auger that mounts on a medium-sized chainsaw powerhead, like an 044.


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## slowp (Feb 9, 2010)

Just remember, Brown side down, Green side up. 

I forget how to say it in espanol. Most all of the planting around here is done by exchange students. This is sad. My first job in the woods was on a tree planting crew.


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## Walt41 (Feb 9, 2010)

I would go with an auger. We actually did a 5,000 plant at my place last spring, the auger seems to loosen the soil better and the delicate roots can then penetrate easily. The ones we used a shovel on(when auger broke) had less new growth.


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## slowp (Feb 9, 2010)

We had a higher survival rate when an augur was used.


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## captndavie (Feb 10, 2010)

In 2005 I was out there for fires. We were around Shawnee and Seminole most of the time. You definetly do have a cedar problem. I was thinking it was something other than eastern red cedar though. I could be wrong, its been awhile.


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