When it comes to adding options for feeding wildlife to your spread, it would be difficult to find one that outlasts and outperforms the addition of mast-bearing or fruit-bearing trees. Planting trees for wildlife not only creates a long-lasting food source but also adds diversity to your land. Although their impact will not be immediate, it will be lasting and create diversity. Likewise, trees added for shade, screening, or as a buffer make an impact that will last decades. With winter weather holding many of our states hostage, now is a great time to make plans for adding trees to your land.
Simply digging a hole and placing a tree in it will not allow the tree to reach its full potential. Do your homework to make informed decisions on placement, planting, watering, feeding and maintenance of your newly planted trees. Whenever trees are part of your goals you need to create a plan to not only choose the correct variety for the job but also one that will help you get the tree off to a good start.
What’s Your Objective? Tree Planting Goals for Wildlife and Land Management
The addition of trees to your land should help fulfill objectives for land improvement. Screening trees for blocking views and mast bearing trees to improve feeding options are common choices. No matter the addition, some basic techniques can help jump start your trees for a long and successful life.
Fruit Trees for Wildlife: Choosing the Best Varieties for Your Region
Todd Amenrud
Since the United States is such a vast country, fruit trees are not one-size-fits-all. When choosing a fruit tree, you need to consult the hardiness zone map that will direct you to choose a tree perfect for your region. Depending on the fruit and variety of the tree, some require different temperatures for optimal yields. Adding fruit trees to your spread can greatly improve feeding options for decades to come.
The first detail lies in knowing how much space you are willing or able to devote to the trees. Yes, I said trees. Most fruit trees, not all, require a pollinator which means you must plant more than one. Tree nurseries that provide the trees have made much of the work easier for the buyer by putting most of the pertinent information on the tree’s tags. Read the tags carefully to determine the mature height and recommended spacing for the trees before you make the purchase. It’s equally important to determine the correct pollinator for each tree so that fruit production can commence once the trees mature.
There are dozens of varieties of trees that can make an impact on food supply in as little as seven to nine years. Dwarf varieties of apple trees reach a height of eight to ten feet. Semi-dwarf varieties grow up to 12 to 15 feet in height and typically begin producing fruit a few years later than dwarf varieties.
Choose trees that are green and vibrant and that are uniform in shape. Don’t expect fruit from your trees during the first season of growth. In fact, production can take several. Once you are able to pick fruit from your own trees to enjoy, you’ll agree that the wait is well worth it. So, if you want to make some long-term and tasty improvements to your landscape, adding fruit trees is a great way to begin.
Screening Trees: Planting for Privacy and Habitat Enhancement
If your property or plots are visible from roadways or other people’s property, planting a row of screening trees can help keep your hard work hidden. White pines, spruce and other fast-growing evergreens are perfect selections. However, you should choose trees that grow best for your region. Consulting local nurseries will help you make the best selection. You can plant the trees in a single row or staggered rows. Ensure that your tree’s overall mature spread will overlap the other trees’ spread to create a true screen or blind.
Kenny Thompson
Tree Transplanting Tips: How to Ensure Successful Growth
Trees for transplanting come in three basic forms. Bare root, burlap or container trees can all be used, but each type has different needs for a successful transition to your land. When trees are purchased in pots or burlap wraps that have tightly compacted and shaped the roots, it is imperative that the roots be broken apart so that they will spread and not die. Broken apart does not translate to broken and damaged but instead you need to untangle the roots so that they become beneficial support roots that spread in all directions.
Bare root trees can be purchased from many nurseries and can sometimes be picked up from forestry organizations in early spring or near Arbor Day. You can even dig small trees from your own forest to transplant elsewhere. Bare root trees will differ since the roots have not been confined to grow in a crowded space. Their roots will hang loosely and you simply need to spread within the hole as you refill it.
Jarrod Stephens
Do not be deceived and think that you only need to dig a hole the size of the container or root wad. Planting in a hole that matches the size of the root wad can lead to failure. While there is not perfect size for the hole, digging one that is at least one-and-a-half times the size of the root wad will give your tree an opportunity to vigorously spread its roots in all directions.
For every type of tree, you should slowly backfill the hole and press the soil as you do. Ridding the hole of airspace will prevent the roots from drying out and dying, but be careful to not press the soil so tightly that it will not absorb water. Continue filling the hole and tamping the soil until you reach the original depth on the tree trunk. Fertilizing will not be necessary initially, but watering is a must.
Watering around the dripline of the tree every other day for at least two weeks is advisable for the first two weeks following transplanting. Your tree’s needs will be completely dependent upon your region and the weather for that given time. Water should be applied slowly so that it can soak into the soil and not run off.
In extremely dry conditions a deep watering tube can be added to ensure that the water reaches deeper in the hole. Whenever deep watering is necessary, place a small pipe or waterline in the hole as you cover the root wad while leaving the open end sticking out of the ground. You can pour water into the pipe, and it will slowly absorb around the deepest roots.
Tree Stabilization: Supporting Growth in Harsh Conditions
Wet and windy conditions can cause larger, newly planted trees to lean or even blow over. Roots will struggle to grow whenever the tree moves about. Simply using four ropes or cords tied to stakes that are driven into the ground can be used to stabilize the tree and maximize rapid root growth. Drive the stakes on four sides of the tree to give support in all directions.
Rob Kinney
Tree Protection: Safeguarding Seedlings from Wildlife and Pests
As deer hunters, we recognize that bucks enjoy taking out their hormonal frustrations on small trees and seedlings, let alone browsing certain species down to a nub. In addition, rabbits and rodents will often chew on the bark. All of your efforts to plant and establish trees on your property can be negated in a short period of time if you don’t wrap or cover your trees. Nativ Nurseries Tree Protectors (Tree Tubes) are inexpensive and ideal for this. They not only ensure your seedlings get past the vulnerable seedling and sapling stages, it also enhances growth rates. They improve growth by acting like a tiny greenhouse, increasing photosynthetic and transpiration rates. They also trap and direct precious moisture to the root system.
If you have trees too large for the Tree Protector, corrugated field drain pipe can be cut into short sections relative to the length of the tree’s trunk and then split in half. Place the pieces around the tree and use zip ties to strap them together. The covers should be removed in the springtime to prevent insect infestation and then placed back on the trees before the seasonal tree rubbing begins. The tree tubes need not be removed until the tree begins to outgrow the tube.
Fertilizing Seedlings: Why Nutrition Matters from Day One
“Do I, or don’t I, fertilize my seedlings the first year?” Is an often asked question, says Dudley Phelps of Mossy Oak’s Nativ Nurseries. “The correct answer is: Yes, you do. Many nurseries will recommend not fertilizing the first year, and that just makes zero sense to me. What does make sense is that those nurseries don’t trust their customers with fertilizer. They’re scared the seedling will be over fertilized or fertilized incorrectly, perish, and the customer will call or email with complaints wanting replacements. Would you not feed a newborn baby for fear it will over eat? No, you feed a newborn properly, to provide adequate nutrients for optimal growth and a lifetime of health.”
Rob Kinney
Dudley continued, “Much like animals, plants need optimal nutrition at the beginning stages of life to thrive for the remainder. A newly planted seedling needs proper fertility to quickly develop a large root system, which in turn translates into to “drought insurance” for making through the first summer. A healthy root system enables the plant to process more moisture and nutrients, which allows the plant to grow more above ground. This healthy growth increases exponentially because the plant has all the resources it needs, both above and below ground, to thrive. The key to not over-fertilizing seedlings is to place the proper amount of fertilizer in the root zone (underground), but don’t place the fertilizer in direct contact with the roots.”
If winter’s wrath is in full swing in your region, you don’t have to surrender to its chill but instead you can create plans for adding trees to your property. In regions where winter planting is possible, creating diversity in your feeding and screening options can be as easy as adding trees to your property. Do your homework and choose trees that will fulfill your land management objectives for many years to come.
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