How to start nut trees?

[Jacob J.]

Good info here, thank you everyone. I'm starting some orchard trees this year you've given me some things to think about.

 

[kyle1!]

Not Brian, but I have about 90% success rate in transplanting Red Oaks and a little less with the Walnuts. Usually if I can get them out of the ground okay, I can get them to survive.

On my property I can not get a red oak to survive after the first year. These are not acorn planted trees but 2-3yr old seedling bought from a nursery and also a few 2 to 3 gallon pot size red oaks. They leaf out then the next year they are crispy. I have not tried them in the 1/16 of an acre on my property where my northern pecan and sugar maple are doing well. That may be the ticket for a succesful planting of red oak.

Brian.

 

[Tom Henson]

Floating acorns

Brian, You said you float your acorns then dicard the bad ones. Are the floaters bad and the good ones sink?

 

[PB]

Brian, You said you float your acorns then dicard the bad ones. Are the floaters bad and the good ones sink?

The good ones sink. At least that is what I remember. The ones that float are usually hollow and are missing the internal parts that contain the embryo.

 

[kyle1!]

Yep, Throw the floaters away. If you look closely at the acorn there usually is a pinhole where the insect burrowed inside.

Brina

 

[brnchbrkr]

I planted these acorns and walnuts about 5-6yrs ago to make seedlings to transplant. It is survival of the fittest now because I never got around to transplanting them. Plot size is around 10ftx15ft.

Brian

Thin the herd! You sacrifice/transplant one to give another more room to grow. Your choice to keep the healthy one where it grows and move some of the others around it.

Now is perfect time to transplant with everything dormant and starting to wake up.

Get yourself a Nursery Spade shovel
http://www.gemplers.com/product/W419/King-of-Spades-Nursery-Spade


Spread them around your acerage, and you will be surprised on survival rate.

Just make sure to water in really well and don't bury the rootball.

 

[kyle1!]

I suppose I could try but these are approaching 5-7ft tall and will have a massive root ball/tap root. I'm looking to plant some more trees around the place so it is worth a shot. I will wait another month or so because the ground is still frozen. Thanks

Brian

 

[brnchbrkr]

bare root

this time a year, a lot of trees are shipped bare root.

Up to 2" diameter or more or less..

Kept in the shade and in cool storage.

With plenty of moisture from head to root.

Mainly have to keep the roots wet untill you put them in the ground.

Go for it when the frost will let you dig.

http://www.arborday.org/trees/NineNum8.cfm

not sure of this next link, but the main thing is give the tree and ground plenty of moisture once you transplsnt a tree.

http://www.perennialparadise.org/planting-bare-root-trees/

 

[kyle1!]

Get yourself a Nursery Spade shovel
http://www.gemplers.com/product/W419/King-of-Spades-Nursery-Spade

I wish these shovels didn't cost so much I would have bought one already. My cheap plastic handle spade is still going strong. I have planted alot of bare root stock and it does as well as potted items if you water them well.

I plan to plant 10 to 20 trees as soon as the frost is out I'll start digging some burr oak and walnut. I have plenty available. The ones on the inside of the plots don't get as much sun and are smaller. Hopefully they will be an easier transplant.

I may try that diaper recycling. I still have a child in diapers. Could be stinky on a hot summer day though

Brian

 

[kyle1!]

I know just talking to myself. I found a used king of spades KS-D on ebay with 1min to go. No other bidders so it is mine. No one else in this country wants to transplant trees

Brian

 

[PB]

I know just talking to myself. I found a used king of spades KS-D on ebay with 1min to go. No other bidders so it is mine. No one else in this country wants to transplant trees

Brian

I can't wait for the ground to thaw.

 

[Zodiac45]

Good info here, thank you everyone. I'm starting some orchard trees this year you've given me some things to think about.

What are you starting Jacob? I've done several new (to me) varieties of apples over the last 5 years. (Honeycrisp, Pixie Crunch, Sundance, and Johnathan's)

 

[brnchbrkr]

Did you win the bid or did you get sniped? ;-)

I know just talking to myself. I found a used king of spades KS-D on ebay with 1min to go. No other bidders so it is mine. No one else in this country wants to transplant trees

Brian

If you won, lets see a pic of the spade and $. ;-)

Need to see the edge. ;-))

May have to sharpen it up a bit. Grinder time if it isn't sharp!

One way to figure out the diameter of root ball for your transplant is to put some twine around the base of the tree then measure where the end touches the other end of the twine. Put the end of the twine at the base of the tree and stretch straight out to where it touched the twine. Now start making a circle around the tree with that length of sisal, (twine). This should be the minimum size of your root ball.

http://arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=81398&d=1226034751
http://arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=81399&d=1226034769

By the looks of your plot, you may just put a spade in the ground and pop out a few trees at once. No problem, just seperate them, keep them wet, and get them back into the ground.

This winter we got a lot of snow before the cold -20 F weather set in.

Right now, we have no snow, and no frost.

Getting real close to test out your new spade!

;-)

 

[kyle1!]

Here is the auction; http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=150326366983 The cheapest I could fine on online was $85 with shipping. Diamond shaped blade instead of straight. It does need to be sharpened but it is built like a tank.

My plots are high density that is for sure and I will not be able to spade just a single tree's root ball. I'm real anxious to start transplanting that is for sure. I get a break from kid sports in March so the frost better be out of the ground Last year I planted seedlings in April while it was snowing and 30 degrees.

Brian

 

[brnchbrkr]

spade

Give your spade a couple of licks on the grinder. Try to follow the original sharpening. Should be done on the inside face of the spade.

Lets say you wrapped your rope around the base and it measures 4" circumference. Hold one end on the trunk and at the 4" mark away scratch the dirt with your spade. Make a complete circle around the base of 4". and this is a minimum for ball.

Some rules of thumb for size of dirt ball is, 10" of dirt for each inch diameter of tree measured up 6". If Tree measures above 6" you move up to a foot above the ground for your measurement.

So a 3" diameter tree should have an 30" ball. These are some guidelines say if you went to buy some trees already dug.

Lot's of variables. But Spring has to be your best time. Watch for the buds to swell and get digging before everything leafs out.

Now in your case, get a good sharp hand pruner and lopper. The roots may need some pruning once you have tried to hand dig them.

They like a nice clean cut, on a slight angle, if you have to prune.

Best to make a clean cut, vs leaving a torn root when planting.

No frost here, and raining today....;-(

 

[kyle1!]

Thanks for the planting info on size etc.

Brian

 

[True Blue Sam]

Squirrels like to dig up the nuts, and a friend of mine came up with a nice solution. He burns soup cans in a fire so they will eventually rust away, then he cuts an X in the closed end. He turns out the points and puts the can down over the planted nut. Squirrels can't get to the nut, the tree can come up with no trouble, and in a few years the can will melt away.

 

[kyle1!]

That is a good idea to protect the acorns from the squirrels.

brnchbrkr, You must live close to the concrete jungle of Chicago/Rockford. My plots are in a very wet area almost swampy. When digging last night in the oak plot the shovel would just disappear in the goo. No root ball is coming up with these tress the dirt just falls off the roots. I went to the tree planting area on the south side of property and clink. Frost is at 3inches

Using the King of spades spade I chop/chip the soil out. With the soil on the ground i take the spade again and chop it up like mincing an onion. I planted 3 trees dug 6 up. I don't feel so bad throwing 3 away when I know I have 100's left These had the most roots out of the 6. Rain is forecasted for the weekend and that is why I planted last night at 10pm.

The spade is just awesome and money well spent.

Brian

 

[brnchbrkr]

Rain here

for the last 2 days....

Talk about muddy...Think the last thunder cell went by for now, time to take the kids out for a walk ....

Mud is not the best time to dig trees, but you got to due what you got to due.

Hold off on watering in the new transplants!!!

Temps got down in the teens last week with no snow, so frost set in a couple of inches. Pretty sure it all got washed away this weekend.

You guessed pretty good at where I am located, now how did you due that?

:jawdrop:
:greenchainsaw: