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Auglaize Soil and Water Conservation District |
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The 2009 Tree Sale The 2009 tree sale will take place in the spring. Order forms will be available online and at our office.
ODNR has information on almost every tree in Ohio on their Tree Index web page. In celebration of Arbor Day, Earth Day and National Soil and Water Stewardship Week third graders across the county were given an austrian pine seedling from the Auglaize SWCD along with an informational flyer with instructions on planting. This year there were 22 classrooms, which included 450 students that received tree seedlings. The SWCD would like to thank all the teachers for their participation in this activity.
Seedlings are young trees or shrubs that are planted from seed. They are grown for 1-2 years and then dug up. There is usually a variation in height and size, but this is the fastest and least expensive way to start a tree. These are basic things to watch for and do when planting a seedling. -Plan ahead! Think about what these trees will look like in 10 years, will the branches cross your property line? -Will the tree grow into overhead lines, shade your garden or cause snow to drift into your driveway? -Will the roots tunnel their way down into nearby drain tiles, or crack foundation walls? -Depending on the species be sure it has enough room to grow tall and wide! -If planting your seedlings in a yard area, protect them with a fence or marker to protect them from the lawnmower. -Plant early to avoid hot and dry weather, around 40 degrees is ideal. Plant in moist but not wet soils. -Even if planting is delayed never allow roots to dry out especially in high temperatures or windy conditions. -If planting is delayed for less than a week, store seedlings in a cool, dark and damp place such as a cellar. -If planting is delayed for more than a week, store seedlings in cold storage 35-40 degrees. -Do not immerse seedlings in water for storage, but allowing them to soak for 1-3 hours just before planting is okay. -Digging a hole may be one of the best options, this allows the roots to be spread over a larger soil area and crumbling the soil on top of the roots ensures better soil to root contact. -The roots should fall straight down in the hole to avoid “J-rooting”. J-rooting are roots that bend in the planting hole back towards the soil surface and after a while can cause tree death. -Plant the seedling at the right depth. Usually there are signs of this on the bark. Be sure the hole is wide enough so that the roots are all parallel with the ground surface and not pointed upwards on the side of the hole. -Remove most of the air pockets around the tree to help keep the roots from drying out. Be firm, but do not stomp the ground around the seedling -Root pruning in hardwoods may be beneficial in some cases. After planting, new root initiation often occurs at the site of wounding; clean fresh wounds may provide a more vigorous root system. For root pruning to be beneficial, the seedling must have at least 5 roots measuring 1/16 inch in diameter. The roots remaining after pruning must be at least 4 inches in length. Root pruning is not necessarily recommended. -Effective weed control enhances tree survival and growth. Mowing, mulching, mechanical cultivation and herbicide can all be used. Close mowing around the seedlings often results in damage to the main stem. Four-six inches of mulch (wood chips, sawdust, ground bark, etc.) provides weed control, conserves moisture around the seedling and reduces temperature extremes. -Sawdust and other finely ground wood products tie up nitrogen as they decay; to reduce this problem, avoid mixing soil with the mulch. Mulch that contains black walnut should be composted for at least one year before using.
Windbreak Suggestions There are several ways to plant windbreaks depending on how many trees you want to use, what kind of trees and where you want to put the trees. If you want the trees to be intertwined when they are adult then plant them closer together. If you want them to have spaces between them, then plant them farther apart and allocate enough room for both of the trees to grow. -Plant approximately 75 feet away from the nearest leeward building.-The effective leeward distance is 15-20 times the height of the tree. -Check with your local township for specific zoning rules, but seedling rows should be 8 feet or more from fences, utility lines, property lines and roads. -If using the seedlings for a living snow fence, locate them on the north of east-west roads and west of north-south roads. Living snow fences should extend a minimum of 50-75 feet beyond the now drift problem area.
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