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12 acres. Tree plan.

135

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    . thanks

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    Amended my 2nd Order as i decided to plant more silver Birch

    2nd Order

    175 Alder. Will create an additional alder grove with the left over
    75 D Birch. These will be used with the alder on the wetter boundaries
    150 S Birch. They are such a nice tree so will use them now with the oak on the
    drier boundary
    50 Trembling Poplars
    100 Robur Oak
    16 W Cherry
    16 C Apple
    25 Scots Pine
    6 Rowan Ash.
    10 Goat willow from my own cuttings

    Full Total 910.

    Decided to leave the hazelnuts/Apple orchard for next year to make sure of where i want to put them.

    Now is all i have to do is dig a few holes.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,288 ✭✭✭monseiur


    I'm following this very interesting tread from the beginning. Just wondering - is there any particular reason that no one is planting Ash trees (Fraxinus) Ireland tallest native tree ? It would provide future generations with hurley sticks ! It's being imported at the moment due to a shortage caused by diseases etc.
    M.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,288 ✭✭✭monseiur


    Chisler2 wrote: »
    Inspired by this thread and the OP's progress and would welcome help from the experienced people here.


    First off..........I explored the route of getting a grant and having a forestry outfit plant. I decided to do this myself for full control without encumberances.


    I am a townie retired to a 15-acre smallholding in Mayo so forgive my ignorance I am learning fast (I have to!!!) Last February I planted out 140 baby trees (rowan, willow, hazel, hawthorn, whitethorn, blackthorn, five heritage Irish species apple trees and a couple of crab-apple) during "The Beast From the East" using pickaxe and shovel. Btw I am 70 years old 5'0" woman with osteoarthritis in hands and feet so it took some doing.

    You should consider getting in one or two Woffers in for a few weeks to plant your trees. You don't have to pay them - just provide living accommodation plus all meals. Almost all are young foreigners wanting to travel the world on the cheap so will work for their lodgings etc. Loads of info. on Google.
    With your arthritis, working outdoors in our damp wet climate is not recommended.

    Please, please, please in the interest of future generations, do not under any circumstances plant any hawthorn, whitethorn or blackthorn.
    M.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,642 ✭✭✭Thud


    monseiur wrote: »

    Please, please, please in the interest of future generations, do not under any circumstances plant any hawthorn, whitethorn or blackthorn.
    M.

    what's your issue with them?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,403 ✭✭✭Melodeon


    monseiur wrote: »
    I'm following this very interesting tread from the beginning. Just wondering - is there any particular reason that no one is planting Ash trees (Fraxinus) Ireland tallest native tree ? It would provide future generations with hurley sticks ! It's being imported at the moment due to a shortage caused by diseases etc.
    M.

    That same fungal disease (Ash Dieback, as caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) is now widespread here in Ireland, and the common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is no longer supported or approved for any government schemes:
    https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/treediseases/ashdiebackchalara/

    https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/treediseases/ashdiebackchalara/#nonplantingash
    Non planting of ash
    In December 2012 the Department delisted ash as a tree species approved under the afforestation grant schemes and shortly thereafter delisted ash from the trees species approved under the agri-environment options scheme (AEOS, now GLAS). In 2013 the European Commission approved the Department's application to allow farmers participating in the current agri-environment schemes, who had concerns regarding ash plants planted under the schemes showing symptoms of Ash Dieback, to apply to remove the ash plants under force majeure. The National Roads Authority also agreed in 2013 to suspend the use of ash in any roadside/motorway plantings and since then it uses alternative species. Coillte also made a policy decision not to replant with ash.

    It's probably a good time to invest in carbon-fibre hurley technology :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 264 ✭✭Accidentally


    monseiur wrote: »

    Please, please, please in the interest of future generations, do not under any circumstances plant any hawthorn, whitethorn or blackthorn.
    M.

    I can fully understand Blackthorn, but what's your issue with Hawthorn(same as Whitethorn to me)?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    monseiur wrote: »
    I'm following this very interesting tread from the beginning. Just wondering - is there any particular reason that no one is planting Ash trees (Fraxinus) Ireland tallest native tree ? It would provide future generations with hurley sticks ! It's being imported at the moment due to a shortage caused by diseases etc.
    M.

    Tnks. I would have loved to include Ash and Wynch Elm but at the most I am trying to establish a boundary. I do intend to plant some later on so if they don't survive it won't be such a setback.

    This is the next stage I am looking forward to this summer.
    Meadow Maker

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    Blackthorn can be a nice tree if it's growing in a field that is being grazed by sheep. The sheep will eat the new shoots that spread from the roots and you will just be left with a nice 12/14 foot tree.

    But if you have Blackthorn growing with no sheep to keep it in check it will spread and turn into a maze of thorns.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    Some Photos:

    Trenching the trees. This keeps them all snug.
    IMxRvdT_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    Before
    nJ6jtjb_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    After
    lrWphuZ_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    My favourite trees for planting so far are the Oak , the worst are the Wild Cherries. Damn they have long roots.

    I can plant 50 a day. Beyond that i found that my technique suffers and i rush it as the body begins to ache :).
    So 150 odd done so far this week. ( Mix of Birch, Oak, Cherry, Crab Apple, Scots Pine )

    Will swap over to the wetter fields for the next few days for a change where it will be mostly Alder and D Birch with the odd crab apple/cheery thrown in .

    The weather is fantastic so far and the soil is nice and soft with no frost and just the odd light shower.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    Prune the long roots


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    JJayoo wrote: »
    Prune the long roots

    Cheers. Didn't know I could do that.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,642 ✭✭✭Thud


    Pics not showing for me


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,403 ✭✭✭Melodeon


    Thud wrote: »
    Pics not showing for me

    Me neither :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,643 ✭✭✭victor8600


    Melodeon wrote: »
    Me neither :(

    Not me ether. Are those private google drive pictures?

    <img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/.....&quot; border="0" alt="">


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,403 ✭✭✭Melodeon


    Yep, some sort of enormous Google link:
    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/otVPXFdwi59AlsL5FwVOPa1-TzG8hbrV6ZiCvp84F6zA2H_U_c_bPN1HtqmCxfZFxH7dkTilEcKS_B2ezlHQYrwe_hFKDWKslr7QPSwUgeOMoXlGmcr1WGQSeMMBl6rDegOujpfp0IDoa8uaadaH0NzNoKJZkSJALqtYT1J5j80wBYxK_Rgi-6cAVnsl-HL8OBeYYlSmEoZS7vBsWV4thZOcoqmf9lP6Jbm9o-myLQuBF_I6JC-_kReapSoaa9IMIoInycSyZBp6K5PbpQ-GJeiTMXvFy6mmxIytCN2OzmxbMgK5BjJZqfHyupMe7jJ1-39fCDFcK1RW1Rn_kLVn5adY7inx4Nv1QWbWfkF9Hiy7AsO9W0VulimuVRKktjF9C3ZT25eBdb0sFMjEug7ldkZWjDta1wiRuVGwo-1ithyYOF4esaeefi9cUHe5cJ4T-GejBg3z-y_JKvT9dVtTsF2IhQWscu13gIy-VKXmsvP6MJ_aDRoYuL_6fsDhZypem0ZsyZt7pP4CCdgyAhvH5NiVbqrAF4ZD83CwSMbVx0lUQsCP6lsz_9HmS6kxe4cEh152E5wmOR7eODOJ0GvEis3bs_kaIw=s814-w814-h610-no


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    Checked and seems to be a problem with Google photo links. Will use a different host...

    Should be fixed .

    Planted 70 Alder today.
    Tomorrow is the day i have been most looking forward to.
    Going to plant the trembling poplars. Finally figured out where to put them

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 9,041 Mod ✭✭✭✭greysides


    Just read all through this. Very interesting so keep us informed as time passes please. It's a project that I wouldn't mind being able to do myself.

    The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. Joseph Joubert

    The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It's to promote critical thinking.

    Adam Grant



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    greysides wrote: »
    Just read all through this. Very interesting so keep us informed as time passes please. It's a project that I wouldn't mind being able to do myself.

    Will do.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 264 ✭✭Accidentally


    80sDiesel wrote: »
    Some Photos:

    Trenching the trees. This keeps them all snug.
    IMxRvdT_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    Before
    nJ6jtjb_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    After
    lrWphuZ_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    My favourite trees for planting so far are the Oak , the worst are the Wild Cherries. Damn they have long roots.

    I can plant 50 a day. Beyond that i found that my technique suffers and i rush it as the body begins to ache :).
    So 150 odd done so far this week. ( Mix of Birch, Oak, Cherry, Crab Apple, Scots Pine )

    Will swap over to the wetter fields for the next few days for a change where it will be mostly Alder and D Birch with the odd crab apple/cheery thrown in .

    The weather is fantastic so far and the soil is nice and soft with no frost and just the odd light shower.

    You're doing a lovely job, but you really don't need to dig a big hole for each tree. Bare root will be quite happy with slit planting, either in a T shape, or just a wedge cut with a spade. You'll get through hundreds in no time, and the results will be exactly the same.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,642 ✭✭✭Thud


    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


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,830 ✭✭✭air


    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


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    Do you have any deer on the area?

    Rabbits and hares would have a go at those trees


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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?

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    How many guards did you get for 700 euro?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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 :)

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 773 ✭✭✭Uinseann_16


    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?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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?

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 773 ✭✭✭Uinseann_16


    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:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    Are your guards similar to these?

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

    59 cent per guard if you buy over 100.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users Posts: 438 ✭✭Chisler2


    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.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 773 ✭✭✭Uinseann_16


    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


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    .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.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 438 ✭✭Chisler2


    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?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,643 ✭✭✭victor8600


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 438 ✭✭Chisler2


    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.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    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.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,642 ✭✭✭Thud


    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


  • Registered Users Posts: 438 ✭✭Chisler2


    Thud wrote: »


    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.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    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 .

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



  • Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    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!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,642 ✭✭✭Thud


    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


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    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.


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