Big Rock Trees Screen Installation

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

We bought our property in March of 2022. It has about 20-25 acres of hay fields that are visible from the road - with the road being higher than the property, so anyone on the road can view the any wildlife in the fields. Wanting to increase privacy, discourage road hunters, and provide the wildlife with a sense of security for early daytime movements to the fields; I knew one of the first things to get started on was some road screening.

The road is quite higher than the land, so that precluded some shorter screens (switchgrass). I don’t have a tractor yet, so that precluded an annual screen like sorghum - plus I don’t plan on putting a lot of food plots in the hay fields for a couple of years. An ideal screen would have been some sort of conifers, but they just take so long reach an appreciable height. Plus the area is relatively wet. Soil is classified as muskeylunge clay loam. And the areas I wanted to plant a screen were near/along drainages.

I figured my best option was a combination of hybrid poplars and willows. I’ve seen willows and poplars growing naturally in wetter areas, and I know they have some of the best growth rates of any tree species.

I came across Big Rock Trees and used their website to determine how many cuttings I would need for approximately 600’ of screening. I ordered 175 each of the Hybrid Poplar and Hybrid Willow 12” Cuttings. I calculated I would need about 125 for the 600’ run, but ordered 50 more each to place around the property in strategic locations.

I ordered two 330’ rolls of landscape fabric from Amazon - Big Rock Trees had a better fabric at a better price, but the shipping was a killer. I installed them on a windy day in early May, 2022.

I received my cuttings on May 18, 2022 and kept them in the fridge until I planted them May 21, 2022.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Areas in light green are where the screening was installed / planted.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

This is the view from the highest spot on the road.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

More views from the road.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I planted the cuttings using Big Rocks “Dense Screen” layout. 6’ between cuttings and 4’ between rows.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Big Rock was great to deal with. I called and spoke with the owner Tom (???) and he answered all the questions that I had.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I used an old horseshoe stake to make the pilot hole for the cutting. I wanted to make a better apparatus, but I got stuck in Florida for work all week.

I had to put a towel on my stake because my hands were getting raw after about 50 holes. I used a piece of tape about 10” up to get the right depth.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I initially used a small torch to make the hole for the cutting, which worked great. However it kept catching the dead thatch under the fabric on fire. Not wanting to cause a scene, I reverted to cutting a small “X” in the fabric.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

What would I change? What could I have done better?

I would rototill a 6’ swatch where I was going to install the fabric/cuttings the year before. Then maybe install the fabric the fall before. This would have helped the fabric go down significantly easier (grass was pushing it up in places). Then my torch idea would have worked fine too.

I would have soil tested and maybe fertilized the year before. Maybe that would have been the best plan, but they say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is today - so I wanted to get these trees in the ground ASAP.

I would make a better “hole maker” that I could press down with my foot, instead of my back.

 

[Bill]

That looks good. Not sure if you know this, so I will tell you anyway.

As the cuttings grow the lumite fabric that is protecting your cutting from weeds will also kill your tree. You will need to go back later this year or early next spring and cut the fabric so it does not girdle the tree.

After the second year cut a big X and even cut to the edge of the fabric so you never have to go back.

Plastic is more forgiving but is not as good of a weed barrier. Lumite will in fact girdle the tree as it grows if you don’t give it some room. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Thanks bill. I probably cut too big off a hole for a small cutting. I am more worried about weed pressure with the size of most of my holes.

 

[Rit]

Are you going to protect these cuttings? If not you might be disappointed. Deer are going to absolutely hammer them or at least they do in NW Ohio.

The big holes you reference in the fabric will bring intense weed pressure. A few things I learned while making 1100’ of screen is the fewer holes in the fabric the better. Every stake you put through the fabric will generate weed openings. Seeds from Johnson grass are aggressive.

I completed the first 300’ staking down the fabric. The rest I used logs, bricks, stone whatever I could find. The latter has grown better with less weed pressure.

I’ll try to get out and get some photos of my screen. I choose streamco willows also known as purpleosier willow. Deer browse it very little and when they do it sends up a bunch of shoots. These willows grow in almost any situation and are very quick to leaf out letting you know of any failures within weeks. I planted 125’ of hybrid willow with weed barrier and no protection just to cut a plot in half. After 3 growing seasons some of them are still only a foot tall because of the browse pressure.

Hopefully being further out in the open you will see less deer pressure but once they find it even if it’s an unsecured area they will come at night.

My apologies if I sound like a Debbie Downer tis not my intention but I wasted so much time, effort, and money trying to screen my big field.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Are you going to protect these cuttings? If not you might be disappointed. Deer are going to absolutely hammer them or at least they do in NW Ohio.

The big holes you reference in the fabric will bring intense weed pressure. A few things I learned while making 1100’ of screen is the fewer holes in the fabric the better. Every stake you put through the fabric will generate weed openings. Seeds from Johnson grass are aggressive.

I completed the first 300’ staking down the fabric. The rest I used logs, bricks, stone whatever I could find. The latter has grown better with less weed pressure.

I’ll try to get out and get some photos of my screen. I choose streamco willows also known as purpleosier willow. Deer browse it very little and when they do it sends up a bunch of shoots. These willows grow in almost any situation and are very quick to leaf out letting you know of any failures within weeks. I planted 125’ of hybrid willow with weed barrier and no protection just to cut a plot in half. After 3 growing seasons some of them are still only a foot tall because of the browse pressure.

Hopefully being further out in the open you will see less deer pressure but once they find it even if it’s an unsecured area they will come at night.

My apologies if I sound like a Debbie Downer tis not my intention but I wasted so much time, effort, and money trying to screen my big field.

What is the deer density (deer per square mile) in your area? I was going to do a lot of hybrid willow screening without protection this year. It’s a low density area but it probably wouldnt take much to keep ‘em mowed down.

 

[Rit]

What is the deer density (deer per square mile) in your area? I was going to do a lot of hybrid willow screening without protection this year. It’s a low density area but it probably wouldnt take much to keep ‘em mowed down.

Low density. I don’t have an actual dpsm for you it’s tricky because it’s mostly Ag around me and the deer tend to congregate towards the bigger woods. I’ll grab some photos today and show you hybrid willows that are 3 growing seasons in and only a foot tall. I guess my question is why plant a screen that deer readily browse? It doesn’t take a long time for 3 or 4 deer to do some serious damage to small shrubs.

 

[Rit]

These are 3 growing seasons in. Planted Spring of 2019 so this will be the 4th. My guess is they will eventually outpace the deer. I should have caged a few of them this year just to see the difference.

 

[Tree Spud]

Willows = deer candy. In the north they are great winter browse.

 

[Rit]

Streamco willows… I have quite a few volunteer cottonwoods that are in enhancing my screen. Streamco hold there leaves into late November. These were planted Spring of 2019 also.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I’m putting up a double walled electric fence next weekend. I just ran out of time on Saturday’s.

What do you guys think of these tree tubes? Would these offer protection against rabbits and rodents?

 

[buckdeer1]

I wouldn't use them as limbs grow through and you can't get off