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Seedling Care
- Do not allow the roots to become dry at any time! Plant seedlings as soon as possible after you receive them. If you are going to be able to plant the trees within seven days of receiving them, leave them in the shipping package. Put the box in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Do not allow seedlings to freeze or to get above 60 to 65 degrees. If moisture is a concern.Place the roots in moistened newspaper and place back in the box. If you need to keep the seedlings for a longer period of time, remove from the box and take out of the plastic wrapper. Dig a trench in the ground deep enough to cover the roots, place seedlings in trench and cover roots. Be sure to water the soil so that there are not any air pockets. After that, the seedlings will need to be watered about once per week to make sure they do not dry out. The seedlings will be safe until Spring, but if they begin to bud out, you will need to plant them ASAP!
- Planting Your Trees
- The hole you dig will need to be large enough in diameter and depth so you can easily place the seedling in the hole without smashing the root. The hole needs to be deep enough so that the seedling can be planted at the same depth that it was growing at the nursery. (Note: look for the color change on the stem of the seedling.) Do not jam the root in a hole that is too shallow, this will cause a J Root and the tree will not grow at its best. All trees will grow better in well-drained soils. Sunlight is very important for most trees and plants, so plant in full sun, if possible. Do not plant in swamp areas that never dry out.
- Spacing Your Trees
- Oak and Chestnut trees should be planted 30-40 feet apart. If you plant in rows, the rows should be at least 25 feet apart and stagger the trees in each row. You need to plant at least 10-12 trees in one area in order to aid in pollination and give a larger support of food in an area.
Fruit Trees should be planted in groups 20-25 ft. apart. It's best to plant them in groups and mix varieties for better pollinartion.
**We have had a 95% survival rate in our test plots. Most feel that if you have above 75% survival rate you are doing well. We expect your seedlings to be in the upper percentage.**
- Fertilizing Your Trees at Time of Planting
- Fertilizing and using Moisture Mizer on your trees is very important at the time of planting. We have found that Double Action Slow release fertilizer works well for us. When you plant your tree,1st place one teaspoon of moisture mizer in the bottom of the hole, fill the hole ½ way with dirt, then mix one full tablespoon of fertilizer into the soil , being sure not to touch the roots, then fill the hole with dirt. The Double action fertilizer will feed the tree for the first full year. This also helps cut down on the maintenance of your trees.
- Protecting Your Trees
- The whole idea of planting the seedlings is for the wildlife. However, wildlife can be trouble for the seedling by browsing (eating) them. In our test plots, the Plantra Jump Start Tubes have done a great job. We have also seen a large increase in growth by using the protectors. The protector is designed so that it can be removed without damaging the tree and can be used on another tree. This will also cut down on the overall cost of improving your wildlife habitat.It is not necessary to remove the tubes.The tube will start to deteriorate after the tree out grows it.We strongly recommend the use of plantra Jump start Tubes.
- Weed Control and Pruning
- If you keep down the weed competition, the trees will grow much faster. In mid May or early June, we spray Round Up around the base of the trees. **Be sure not to get Round Up on the tree.** If you use the Plantra Jump Start Protector it will help shield the trees. Do not saturate the ground, only mist the weeds.
Pruning your trees will enhance growth. You should prune the trees each Fall after the trees are dormant. Cut off the small, lower limbs and any suckers that come up from the bottom. By pruning the lower limbs, the tree will not have to support as many leaves and limbs, so it will be able to grow taller much faster. Prune so that you have a single trunk on your trees.Generally you want to prune the bottom third of the limbs.
- Honeysuckle
- The Honeysuckle needs to be planted before the temperature reaches 80 degrees. We recommend constructing some type of structure of protection for newly planted honeysuckle. You should also use landscape fabric.Till the area dig the holes add moisture mizer & plant your Honeysuckle 8 -12" inches apart. Now secure one end of the frabic and begin rolling it out.Once you reach a plant cut a small slit in the frabic and pull the plant thru.Close the flaps and secure with sod staples. We then use a 50 ft. long, 5 ft. tall stretch of wire (net or dog wire) and fold it in half. This creates a 50 ft. long, 2 ½ ft. tall "A" frame structure. This allows the honeysuckle to grow up through the wire for deer to eat without damaging the root system. We also recommend planting these honey strips in your green fields so you can disk and bush hog them regularly. Do not fertilize the honeysuckle when planting, it is better to wait 2-3 weeks to give the honeysuckle time to adjust to the new soil. Triple 10 fertilizer can be used. Apply 10 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. every 45 days during the growing season.
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