12 acres. Tree plan.

80sDiesel · 22-12-2018 9:10am

Yes a wedge cut would be far far quicker but with the 'dig method' I am destroying the grass roots around it and by laying the upturned sod I am hindering grass growth.
The barefoots are also 2-4 foots and the root system is too large also for the wedge cut.

Thud · 22-12-2018 10:20am

I use a bit of plastic sheet i dig out onto then lift the edges and tip back into the hole when the tree is in, might save you a few minutes on each tree

80sDiesel · 22-12-2018 2:04pm

Thud wrote: »

I use a bit of plastic sheet i dig out onto then lift the edges and tip back into the hole when the tree is in, might save you a few minutes on each tree

Cheers but I probably will just add some mulch later.

50 Trembling poplars planted. Took no time at all as I was creating a 'grove' so less walking to do. Soft butter soil and a beautiful sunshine day sure helped.

Planted 7 Scots pine also. Have the below art in my head when I am doing them.

Negative space.
flat,550x550,075,f.jpg

air · 25-12-2018 2:31pm

80sDiesel wrote: »

Cheers but I probably will just add some mulch later.

I think you misunderstood, he means he digs the spoil out onto a sheet of plastic to allow him easily empty the last of it back into the hole

JJayoo · 26-12-2018 12:09am

Do you have any deer on the area?

Rabbits and hares would have a go at those trees

80sDiesel · 26-12-2018 5:23pm

JJayoo wrote: »

Do you have any deer on the area?

Rabbits and hares would have a go at those trees

No deer and no rabbits/hares that I can see but I have a trail camera set up so I can see what's around.

50 silver Birch yesterday and 75 Downy Birch planted today. Can see the finish line.
I reckon I will have 50 odd oak spare so thinking of creating a mini oak Forest.

80sDiesel · 27-12-2018 3:58pm

Yep have rabbits/hares. Trail camera was not in that field so moved it there now.

They ate the crab apple ( only had 6 down and have spares) and destroyed 6 odd oak. Will need to replace them.

So rabbit guards it is. Should I go the whole hog and put them on the Birch,Cheryl and alder also?

80sDiesel · 28-12-2018 8:57pm

Picked up spiral guards from future forests. Had just enough in stock to cover me. Not cheap! 700 euros!

Replaced the damaged crab apple and oak. Couple of Birch were decapitated but seemed ok so will keep an eye on them.

So planting on hold till I put on all the guards.

Guy from future forests says it's probably a hare the way it cut the oak in half. Might put down some dog food to attract more foxes.

Have the trail camera set up.

JJayoo · 31-12-2018 12:39pm

How many guards did you get for 700 euro?

80sDiesel · 31-12-2018 7:26pm

JJayoo wrote: »

How many guards did you get for 700 euro?

Think it was 625 or something. Found 2 dozen more at a local garden centre today. I also ordered bamboo stakes aswell as otherwise it looks like i have fields of 'soft willies'

.

The trail camera footage was interesting. Pre the guards i could see the rabbits ( yep rabbits not a hare ) at the saplings. Post guards i can see them going from sapling to sapling not been able to get at the sapllings.

So the guards seem to work and it appears to be rabbits not a Hare.

Only a dozen left to do and then i have to reguard them when the stakes arrive. So finish next weekend. Then i guess i just wait

Uinseann_16 · 31-12-2018 8:20pm

80sDiesel wrote: »

Think it was 625 or something. Found 2 dozen more at a local garden centre today. I also ordered bamboo stakes aswell as otherwise it looks like i have fields of 'soft willies' .

The trail camera footage was interesting. Pre the guards i could see the rabbits ( yep rabbits not a hare ) at the saplings. Post guards i can see them going from sapling to sapling not been able to get at the sapllings.

So the guards seem to work and it appears to be rabbits not a Hare.

Only a dozen left to do and then i have to reguard them when the stakes arrive. So finish next weekend. Then i guess i just wait

If its rabbits have you considered culling them back to help ease any pressure they may put on your trees in combination with the guards?

80sDiesel · 31-12-2018 8:28pm

Uinseann_16 wrote: »

If its rabbits have you considered culling them back to help ease any pressure they may put on your trees in combination with the guards?

Any suggestion how I could cull them?

Uinseann_16 · 31-12-2018 8:32pm

80sDiesel wrote: »

Any suggestion how I could cull them?

Buy a .22 rifle or a shotgun and shoot them their actually quite nice for eating, or you could trap them, maybe if you know someone who does some shooting theyd go and shoot some of them for you ,if not try the shooting forum here if theres quite a population there'll be someone near enough who'll be glad of another permission:pac:

JJayoo · 31-12-2018 9:19pm

Are your guards similar to these?

https://www.thegardenshop.ie/tree-guard/

59 cent per guard if you buy over 100.

80sDiesel · 31-12-2018 10:51pm

Uinseann_16 wrote: »

Buy a .22 rifle or a shotgun and shoot them their actually quite nice for eating, or you could trap them, maybe if you know someone who does some shooting theyd go and shoot some of them for you ,if not try the shooting forum here if theres quite a population there'll be someone near enough who'll be glad of another permission:pac:

The trail camera picks them up at 2:30 to 3:30 am. Would fancy an air rifle but during the day I have never seen one rabbit!
Looking into traps.

80sDiesel · 31-12-2018 10:52pm

JJayoo wrote: »

Are your guards similar to these?

https://www.thegardenshop.ie/tree-guard/

59 cent per guard if you buy over 100.

Yep know that site but I needed them now and they were closed for Xmas period. I got the 75cm ones.

Chisler2 · 01-01-2019 1:03am

JJayoo wrote: »

Are your guards similar to these?

https://www.thegardenshop.ie/tree-guard/

59 cent per guard if you buy over 100.

Even more economic (and environmentally kosher!) to recycle plastic bottles by top-and-tailing and slicing to a continuous ribbon.

Uinseann_16 · 01-01-2019 3:44am

80sDiesel wrote: »

The trail camera picks them up at 2:30 to 3:30 am. Would fancy an air rifle but during the day I have never seen one rabbit!
Looking into traps.

.22 Air rifle and a lamp/spotlight you'll have rakes of fun and something to eat along with protecting your plants
Plus an air rifle would come in handy for other things like pesky coke cans:P or crows/pigeons

80sDiesel · 01-01-2019 5:36pm

Uinseann_16 wrote: »

.22 Air rifle and a lamp/spotlight you'll have rakes of fun and something to eat along with protecting your plants
Plus an air rifle would come in handy for other things like pesky coke cans:P or crows/pigeons

Yeah sounds good. Lamping. Would also be handy to shoot the crows that keep chasing the local hen harriers. I don't need much of an excuse to buy another gadget.

80sDiesel · 06-01-2019 2:15pm

So all planted.

In summary:
Field 1 - Border of Birch, oak, Cherry,crab apple, 4 scots pine and 3 oak placed by themselves in field.
Field 2 - 4 Scots pine, 4 Cherry and 3 Oak
Field 3 - Border of silver Birch and 2 Oak
Field 4 - 4 Scots pine 4 cherry and 3 Oak
Field 5 - Border of Alder, some aspen and a
Grove of Alder. 4 Oak , 1 Scots pine.
Field 6 - Grove of Aspen and some alder and
Downy Birch. 2 Scots pine
Field 7 -Border of Alder, Birch, Oak, and Cherry. 2
Scots and a small forest of Oak and
grove of Willow
Field 8 - Border of Alder and Downy Birch . 8
scots pine

Chisler2 · 08-01-2019 6:52pm

80sDiesel wrote: »

So all planted.

In summary:
Field 1 - Border of Birch, oak, Cherry,crab apple, 4 scots pine and 3 oak placed by themselves in field.
Field 2 - 4 Scots pine, 4 Cherry and 3 Oak
Field 3 - Border of silver Birch and 2 Oak
Field 4 - 4 Scots pine 4 cherry and 3 Oak
Field 5 - Border of Alder, some aspen and a
Grove of Alder. 4 Oak , 1 Scots pine.
Field 6 - Grove of Aspen and some alder and
Downy Birch. 2 Scots pine
Field 7 -Border of Alder, Birch, Oak, and Cherry. 2
Scots and a small forest of Oak and
grove of Willow
Field 8 - Border of Alder and Downy Birch . 8
scots pine

Diesel your commentary on your planting has been inspirational. Its thoughtfulness has resolved my vague ideas for the upcoming February planting of 450 native deciduous saplings, and what species to fill into the limited-species bundles which Trees On The Land supply.

However my land could not be more different to the paddocks in your earlier planting photos. Far from "soft and buttery earth" I have about 2" of poor topsoil over shale and rock, waist-high (OK..........I'm only 5' 4"!!!) clumps of rushes and small pockets of soil.

Remembering the slow agony of last February's planting with pick-axe and shovel I realise I need a 2.5 lb mattock-cum-2 prong-fork gizmo..........a dual-purpose tool on a 50" handle (the rubbish fiber-glass mattocks on offer retail all seem to have 36" handles........a recipe for slipped disc).

Any posters here know where I could get such a tool?............or a forge within 100 Km of Westport where I could find a blacksmith to make me one?

victor8600 · 08-01-2019 7:24pm

Chisler2 wrote: »

...my vague ideas for the upcoming February planting of 450 native deciduous saplings.... I have about 2" of poor topsoil over shale and rock...

How about renting a small excavator to dig holes? Making 450 holes in rocky soil by hand is a challenge.

Chisler2 · 08-01-2019 9:43pm

victor8600 wrote: »

How about renting a small excavator to dig holes? Making 450 holes in rocky soil by hand is a challenge.

Thanks for the suggestion Victor but digger and post-hole borer options already explored and dismissed due to the steep-sloping fields (farm is on a shoulder of The Reek) and heft of the rushes. Believe me I could write a book! It's the "old way" or "no way"! I intend to lift and shift larger stones during the planting process to have material for repair of my boundary walls.

JJayoo · 09-01-2019 1:37am

The massive rushes will always be on the best bits of land.

I'm also planting at the moment. 100 large oak in so far. Learned some hard lessons during the drought and pruning the oaks hard, I don't need a tree with a beautiful crown in the first year, I just need it to establish itself and live.

Thud · 09-01-2019 9:36am

Chisler2 wrote: »

Diesel your commentary on your planting has been inspirational. Its thoughtfulness has resolved my vague ideas for the upcoming February planting of 450 native deciduous saplings, and what species to fill into the limited-species bundles which Trees On The Land supply.

However my land could not be more different to the paddocks in your earlier planting photos. Far from "soft and buttery earth" I have about 2" of poor topsoil over shale and rock, waist-high (OK..........I'm only 5' 4"!!!) clumps of rushes and small pockets of soil.

Remembering the slow agony of last February's planting with pick-axe and shovel I realise I need a 2.5 lb mattock-cum-2 prong-fork gizmo..........a dual-purpose tool on a 50" handle (the rubbish fiber-glass mattocks on offer retail all seem to have 36" handles........a recipe for slipped disc).

Any posters here know where I could get such a tool?............or a forge within 100 Km of Westport where I could find a blacksmith to make me one?

How big are the saplings, would something like this work?
https://www.vidaxl.ie/e/8718475850496/vidaxl-auger-ground-drill-orange?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgLTcuKXg3wIVQrDtCh2kpQSvEAQYBiABEgIGivD_BwE

Chisler2 · 09-01-2019 5:45pm

Thud wrote: »

How big are the saplings, would something like this work?
https://www.vidaxl.ie/e/8718475850496/vidaxl-auger-ground-drill-orange?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgLTcuKXg3wIVQrDtCh2kpQSvEAQYBiABEgIGivD_BwE

Depending on species the whips are between 20" - 36" but the roots are thick and plentiful. Last year I dug holes as big as I could to accommodate the roots without inhibiting them..........so it was useful to pick up in an earlier post here that it does not impact on the tree's growth to trim the roots. Indeed the little trees I put in last February are doing surprisingly well, given their start between flooded land and frozen land during The Beast From The East!!!........so maybe they needed all the roots they could get!

I looked at these Thud and it briefly seemed like the solution BUT (a) they are heavy to lug around uneven 1:1 sloping fields and (b) I was warned to expect a sprained wrist and/or a broken hip in the first day of use as they "buck and twist" when the tip hits any sizeable stone (and the fields are mostly stone with scant soil).

I also explored this (Honda) option:- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fort-Cynar-High-Tip-Mini-tracked-dumper-Barrow-Honda-GX160-Italian-Made/173611862146?hash=item286c12c882:g:RxYAAOSwRPhbjP37:rk:1:pf:0 but unfortunately the centre of gravity is high in these machines and they are unstable on steep uneven ground.

The last resort is something like THIS https://www.etsy.com/listing/595784746/magna-grecia-2-tine-pickmattockwhich is designed for digging and trenching in all types of soil. The claim is it can tear through roots, hack apart stones, and break up clods........all of which I need. Most importantly it has a long wooden handle and is heavy-duty.........unlike the cast mattocks with 36" fibre-glass handles available in co-ops or high-street chains . Any suggestions would be helpful as I need to find the tool for the job urgently.

80sDiesel · 12-02-2019 9:47pm

80sDiesel wrote: »

So all planted.

In summary:
Field 1 - Border of Birch, oak, Cherry,crab apple 4 2 scots pine and 3 7 oak placed by themselves in field. + 1 rowan
Field 2 - 43 Scots pine, 4 Cherry and 3 Oak
Field 3 - Border of silver Birch and 23 Oak + 3 scots pine + 3 rowan
Field 4 - 43 Scots pine 4 cherry and 3 Oak
Field 5 - Border of Alder, some aspen and a
Grove of Alder. 4 Oak , 1 Scots pine.
Field 6 - Grove of Aspen and some alder and
Downy Birch. 2 Scots pine
Field 7 -Border of Alder, Birch, Oak, and Cherry. 2 3
Scots and a small forest of Oak and
grove of Willow + crab apple + 1 rowan
Field 8 - Border of Alder and Downy Birch . 8
scots pine

Just correcting so i can keep track.

I had to get more crab apple to replace those destroyed by rabbits and bought some rowan trees.
The rabbit guards seem to be working and i am not picking them up anymore on my motion camera.

Besides having to just stake again those bareroots which have shifted in the wind, its all waiting and hoping .

lordgoat · 25-03-2019 9:17pm

Great work 80s, loved reading this thread. I'm planning on putting in around 30-50 native trees around the family home later in the year. probably 15 apple trees, 5 cherry ones and then a mix of the rest. Were I in your neck of the wood I'd gladly have offered you a hand!

Thud · 26-03-2019 10:50am

lordgoat wrote: »

Great work 80s, loved reading this thread. I'm planning on putting in around 30-50 native trees around the family home later in the year. probably 15 apple trees, 5 cherry ones and then a mix of the rest. Were I in your neck of the wood I'd gladly have offered you a hand!

We've done something similar, almost finished our 3/4 acre orchard planted over the course of a few years, We've ended up with:

Almond 4 (1 variety)
Apple 21 (18 varieties)
Cherry 8 (6 varieties)
Crabapple 2 (2 varieties)
Hazelnut 4 (3 varieties)
Pear 2 (2 varieties)
Plum 9 (6 varieties)
Sweet Chestnut 3 (1 variety)
Wallnut 3 (2 varieties)

Berry bushes/canes (Blueberry, Blackcurrant, Aronia, Honeyberry, Mulberry, Rasp/Tay/Tummel/Boysen etc) ~20

A few other non fruit trees for pollinators and some willow as a windbreak

JJayoo · 26-03-2019 11:04am

All the talk about climate change and the carbon taxes Ireland will be slammed with, and the people actually out there doing something positive get zero credit while the cnuts complaining get airtime.

12 acres. Tree plan.

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