Habitat 2021Resolutions/Plans

[Gravel Road]

After a few years the trees will be roughly the same size I’d imagine. I’d go with the cheapest. Matting and protection is probably more important. I planted hundreds of 12” HP and HW several years ago. Trees are 30-40’ now. They were 25’ after about 3-4 years.

Which would you say gets browsed heavier?

 

[Mortenson]

I'm going to graft a few fruit trees again, and plant in their forever home a few from my nursery. Otherwise think I'm taking the year off. I think it's time for an observation year. And I want to hunt more aggressively for a change. Food plots, mowing, etc will still be prevalent. Looking ahead, I'm thinking about a road screen and a creek crossing project, but not this year.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

The nice part is you'll have an endless supply of cuttings for the future from those trees.

Ok I'm about to show my ignorance.....what part do I cut for the cuttings? the suckers at the bottom or limbs?--thanks and sorry for hijacking the thread and my endless questions

 

[TenPoint]

Which would you say gets browsed heavier?

I planted about 400 one year in two blocks. They were good until about August when the deer started to hit them. I had some in short 3’ cages but they had outgrown them by then. Some were 5’ tall. At that time I put up a 5’ fence around the blocks. Problem solved. I don’t think they’re too picky. If it’s young and green they’ll take a bite or ten.

 

[hillrunner]

Ok I'm about to show my ignorance.....what part do I cut for the cuttings? the suckers at the bottom or limbs?--thanks and sorry for hijacking the thread and my endless questions

Just cut off branches and either stick them in moist ground or you can leave them in a bucket of water for a about a week till roots are present , then poke them in the ground.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Invasive buckthorn treatments
try to find an affordable 4 row corn planter to cut down and modify to notill planter for planting 60" row corn.
edge feathering around plots
put up stands in areas i've been meaning to for years.
Perfect my roller crimper planting mixes
find another farm to hunt
plant more crab apples

 

[TreeDaddy]

Ok I'm about to show my ignorance.....what part do I cut for the cuttings? the suckers at the bottom or limbs?--thanks and sorry for hijacking the thread and my endless questions

check the big rock tree section of the forum.......should address most of your questions

bill

 

[hillrunner]

Invasive buckthorn treatments
try to find an affordable 4 row corn planter to cut down and modify to notill planter for planting 60" row corn.
edge feathering around plots
put up stands in areas i've been meaning to for years.
Perfect my roller crimper planting mixes
find another farm to hunt
plant more crab apples

What's your plan with the 60" row spacing?

 

[PatinPA]

Thanks for the info! You might have just made up my mind for me..you said you used cuttings..think there’s any benefit to getting larger trees for a more immediate effect? The place im looking at sells them 4-8’, 36” and 15”...with correspondingly decreasing prices. I was originally going to get 5 of the bigger ones but if they grow fast enough might be able to get more of the mid sized ones. Thanks again

Edit: He used to have hybrid willows. I don't see them on his website anymore though.

Check out this guy. He's located in Chester County. I got some hybrid poplar cuttings off him before.

Hybrid Poplar Trees | Help America and the Environment

I am 83 years old and have been raising, selling and giving away fast growing Poplar Trees that can grow up to ten feet a year. My life long dream has been to see billions of these trees planted in America. The abundance of trees is especially relevant in this Age of Global Warming.

www.hybridpoplars.com

 

[PatinPA]

Bill, grafting is easier to do than it seems. I started with they ideology that I would take pear scions from my backyard trees and graft them to wild apple trees near my treestands on other peoples property. I failed miserably due to what I attribute to compatibility issues, so I tested my grafting ability by taking scions on wild apples in my backyard and grafting them to the same tree. I put a ribbon on each one so I knew where they were to see if it was because of my grafting (self taught), I did about 50 grafts and had 40'ish that took so I narrowed it down to compatibility issues.

My goals this year are:

Before spring thaw
1. cut down trees that don't feed my wildlife to make room for all the acorns a member here shipped to me so I am ready to plant them in the spring.
2. cut and form all my fencing to protect said acorn planting as well as weed matting (because if I wait till spring I will procrastinate and half-ass it)
3. beg, (blow) borrow, plead and steal if necessary to get some BlueHill Pear and Persimmon trees (its been stressful last spring and this fall just getting an order to go through)

Spring

1. take new soil samples for a new food plot area
2. break ground and plant the new plot
3. build a bridge across my creek
4. build my first permanent box blind behind the house

Where do you guys get your rootstock for grafting?

 

[PatinPA]

Ok I'm about to show my ignorance.....what part do I cut for the cuttings? the suckers at the bottom or limbs?--thanks and sorry for hijacking the thread and my endless questions

You want at least two buds in your cutting. You can get a lot of cuttings from one branch or one bigger cutting. I've never tried the willows but the poplars went from a 3" cutting to 1-3' tall in a summer. Get some rooting compound. I'm not sure it's needed but I've had probably 95% success using it and it's not that expensive. I built a small raised bed with sand in it. I start them in there. then transplant to pots or in the ground.

 

[PatinPA]

My season isn't even over yet and I'm already eyeing up next years projects.

Putting in two new kill plots.
Building a permanent blind and maybe a raised platform for a blind.
Tearing out the old spring house that's falling down and putting in a small pond.
I have 3 apples, a pear, and 25 plums to plants so far.
Transplant a bunch of raspberries and blackberries from my house to the land.
Clear some trails through the greenbriar to hopefully steer the deer my way.

 

[Baker]

Add cows, sheep, and goats to my farm for intensive rotational grazing in the hurricane damaged woods. Develop water system to support the stock throughout the farm. Build corals for managing their arrival and departure at barn. Buy ATV and rig for running the electric fencing thru lanes or paddocks I have created throughout farm. Hire farm manager to run this leap into regenerative agriculture.

I am converting my entire farm to organic regenerative ag starting now. I intend to add as many life forms to the property stacking as many different enterprises as I can as fast as I can develop the infrastructure. Nothing like a big harry project to get the year started!

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

What's your plan with the 60" row spacing?

Having adequate sunlight to Inter seed other species between the rows.

Maybe do a climbing crop or full season brassica in the spring.

Or any of the other late summer traditional food plot plantings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Telemark]

Add cows, sheep, and goats to my farm for intensive rotational grazing in the hurricane damaged woods. Develop water system to support the stock throughout the farm. Build corals for managing their arrival and departure at barn. Buy ATV and rig for running the electric fencing thru lanes or paddocks I have created throughout farm. Hire farm manager to run this leap into regenerative agriculture.

I am converting my entire farm to organic regenerative ag starting now. I intend to add as many life forms to the property stacking as many different enterprises as I can as fast as I can develop the infrastructure. Nothing like a big harry project to get the year started!

Awesome!

I've been trying to plan a mushroom farm to supply restaurants and customers year-round. Covid slammed the brakes on that plan. Now I'm looking at doing lettuce and mixed greens for individual customers.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

What's your plan with the 60" row spacing?

yes somewhere between 4-5 feet in a single row and then prune to keep the trees 10-15 ft tall and bushy...these are on the south and east sides of a plot that will need some sun and there will be a row of fruit trees behind them (closer to the field)...i really dont want anyone to see into this field as my house is right behind it in line with the road

 

[Troubles Trees]

Where do you guys get your rootstock for grafting?

I am not a pro at grafting by any means, more like a self taught hack lol I simply use what I have. Wild Apples seedlings are all over my property, and some are very late droppers so I play around with the grafting.
Others here have a lot of experience buying or acquiring scions, I would suggest trying to use the search bar and input "grafting" and you will likely get some direction from there bud.

 

[H20fwler]

Where do you guys get your rootstock for grafting?

I gotten about all of mine from Cummins Nursery

Cummins Nursery

Fruit Trees, Scions, and Rootstocks for Apples, Pears, Cherries, Plums, Peaches, and Nectarines

www.cumminsnursery.com

 

[habitataddict]

1. Screen Property lines mostly for access and to reduce risk of poaching: chainsaw work, planting annual screens, planting SG/MG, Norway Spruce/White Pine/Shrub plantings
2. Create 3-4 bedding areas 1-2 acres each, enhance current bedding areas
3. Connect bedding areas and create lines of movement with travel corridors (already identified stand locations)
4. take 5 acres out of ag production and turn it into habitat/food-plot
5. Develop soil health and start no till planting (determine which NT planter to buy)
6. Restore 2 pastures
7. Add waterholes, scrape locations

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Get lime down on the food plot
Desperately need to clear some paths in the timber
Clean up trail roads so they stop scratching my truck
Add two raised platforms one near field one on the north end. At a minimum locate the spot to put them
Clean tree that fell in the road going south
Attempt to grow buckwheat in main plot and rye and clover in smaller side plots
GET A LAND TOUR DONE, so you guys can give me more things to do