My neighbor bought these trees from a guy on Craigslist. One of the things was he had a bobcat and a flatbed trailer to help haul and plant. Also, he did have one cut off at a certain point... we are guessing someone needed a Christmas tree real bad.Thanks for your input, these are the headaches I’d love to avoid. Any idea where your neighbor got his trees from?
I hopped on here to see if anyone has any experience panting pine trees fro bedding.Check you local county tree sale program. Mine offers some large spruce tree bareroots.
2 rows of spruce okay, 3 would be better. Trees on north and wide side will create nice deer bedding if more rows are planted.
I hopped on here to see if anyone has any experience panting pine trees fro bedding.
I didn't plant them for bedding, but the deer are always bedded in my screen 30 yards off the road. The same at my friends 5 miles away. It is a good place to find sheds come spring. It's hard to believe that even the mature bucks for some reason will bed right next to the road. It might be cause it is probably the best thermal cover in the area.I hopped on here to see if anyone has any experience panting pine trees fro bedding.
I have some areas on our properties that are clearcut frost seeded native grasses and areas we will be doing that this winter. Also, a few little pockets here and there that i believe conifers could add a little something extra. Right now, on all of our properties, there is almost no pine trees. Where there are, the trees are a good 100 ft and they are huge. But dead at the bottom.
Our screens are 4 rows of pines and spruce about 150 yards long. Trees are 15 -20 years old. I would say they started bedding in them when they were about 6ft tall.For you guys that are planting pockets for bedding, how many are you planting per pocket and what shape is the pattern?
For you guys that are planting pockets for bedding, how many are you planting per pocket and what shape is the pattern?
Big white pines get used as "umbrellas" here too, especially in areas of really thick mountain laurel and scrub brush. Your idea of surrounding a white pine with Norway spruce sounds good. Great winter bedding for staying out of the wind and snow.I noticed the deer really like to lay under the lone big white pines at my place. The pines keep the snow of them and the fallen needles make a soft bed off the frozen ground.I thought it would be cool to put a pocket of white pines surrounded by Norway's for bedding. Thermal cover from the sides and above.
^ ^ ^ ^ THIS !!!!! I've planted as few as 10 and deer take to the bedding blocks like rabbits - here at least. 10 or 12 spruce with weeds and grass in between in areas of open hardwoods will draw deer. Bucks will travel from pocket to pocket. Spud nailed it.Size and quantity can vary by area and the make-up of your property. The shape can be irregular for smaller planting blocks say 20-25 trees. I have planted smaller blocks in mature wooded areas and small dry raised areas. The advantage of small blocks is they create smaller bedding areas. This can encourage buck movement from block to block. Irregular planting pattern can reduce wind effect.
That's usually the case, Brian662. Eastern red cedar is common in many states. It's actually NOT a true cedar - it's in the juniper family. Why it got named "cedar" is anyone's guess. They can make great bedding cover, but are a bad idea if you want apple trees around, because they're the alternate host for the CAR fungus which infects apple and crab trees. FWIW.When you guys are talking cedars, are you talking about Red Cedars?
Thanks, that's what I figured. I have some volunteer ERC on my land and plenty of apple trees, but I haven't seen a negative impact yet although the closest proximity is probably 200 yards between the two.That's usually the case, Brian662. Eastern red cedar is common in many states. It's actually NOT a true cedar - it's in the juniper family. Why it got named "cedar" is anyone's guess. They can make great bedding cover, but are a bad idea if you want apple trees around, because they're the alternate host for the CAR fungus which infects apple and crab trees. FWIW.
White cedar, AKA arborvitae, is native to northern states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, etc. In Maine it grows around the edges of marshes and swamps naturally. Deer WILL browse white cedar.
ERC also seem to be a preferred species for bucks to rub on if they are the right size, from what I've seen.