Bluehill 2025

[Derek Reese 29]

I planted a couple of those in 2025 and I'm excited to see how they do eventually. I don't typically water any of my wildlife trees unless they are at risk of death.

mine has been in since 2022...pretty good growth but no fruit yet...thinking this year there should be some..had a harvest pear, sweet advent pear, and hunter deer pear that were all planted in the spring of 2024 that all fruited last year..the harvest pear had a ton of fruit

 

[TonySoprano]

I planted a couple of those in 2025 and I'm excited to see how they do eventually. I don't typically water any of my wildlife trees unless they are at risk of death.

I understand , seems like a lot of folks do it that way . I live on site and have the time , so at least for the first year I water my wildlife trees twice a week.

I have a few pear and apple trees in the front yard , so they get a little extra care. I might water them for 2-3 years since it's in walking distance to carry 2 watering cans.

 

[Mortenson]

No excuses, dig more holes.

Great line. Be a good slogan on a HT t-shirt.

My little guy helped plant grafted Liberties from our nursery this week.

 

[marlin]

I understand , seems like a lot of folks do it that way . I live on site and have the time , so at least for the first year I water my wildlife trees twice a week.

I live on site also. The growth rate of trees that can be taken care far exceeds the ones I don’t. I started using these knock off gator bags about six or seven years ago. They also help with growth rate as opposed to just using cold water and flooding the tree. I have a 60 gallon three point sprayer with a roller pump if you take the tip off the spray gun it pumps a lot of water very quick to fill the bags. On Amazon prime days you can buy these for about five dollars apiece.

 

[Telemark]

I think I'll buy some of those bags. Looks like a great option for me.

 

[TonySoprano]

I live on site also. The growth rate of trees that can be taken care far exceeds the ones I don’t. I started using these knock off gator bags about six or seven years ago. They also help with growth rate as opposed to just using cold water and flooding the tree. I have a 60 gallon three point sprayer with a roller pump if you take the tip off the spray gun it pumps a lot of water very quick to fill the bags. On Amazon prime days you can buy these for about five dollars apiece.
View attachment 91099

So , once you fill that green contraption , how long does it take for the water to seep out ?.
Everyone knows when you leave a green garden hose out in the summer and first turn the water on , the water comes out RED HOT. Now I'm not scientist , but I have a hypothesis...wouldn't that green contraption conduct the same amount of heat as a garden hose ? in turn ALL the water inside said contraption would also be red hot . I'll take my chances "flooding" my trees with cold water that I put in old milk jugs that don't cost me a dime. Also I have the option of letting the milk jugs sit in the back of my Mule to warm up for a half hour or hour. Regardless when rain comes down from the Heaven's , I'm pretty sure it "floods" all the trees in the world and they do fine without a red hot dripper strapped on.

 

[marlin]

5 to 8 hours to drain. Depends on your soil if bags are needed or not. I have Sandy Loam that drains way too fast and horrible drought the last two years. I had to do something. Just my observations the trees with bags trees have surpassed all others with growth by far. I don’t know if it’s the way the water is delivered to the tree in my soil or the temperature of the water, but I’m happy with the results.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I converted a bunch of 5 gallon buckets to act as those tree bags. I bought lids for them and put a rock in the bottom to hold them in place after they are empty. The trick is punching a small enough hole that they drain over the course of a day or so.

 

[Telemark]

I converted a bunch of 5 gallon buckets to act as those tree bags. I bought lids for them and put a rock in the bottom to hold them in place after they are empty. The trick is punching a small enough hole that they drain over the course of a day or so.

Hmmm. That might be a better option for me. I can't get buckets for $2 on Marketplace.

 

[marlin]

So , once you fill that green contraption , how long does it take for the water to seep out ?.
Everyone knows when you leave a green garden hose out in the summer and first turn the water on , the water comes out RED HOT. Now I'm not scientist , but I have a hypothesis...wouldn't that green contraption conduct the same amount of heat as a garden hose ? in turn ALL the water inside said contraption would also be red hot . I'll take my chances "flooding" my trees with cold water that I put in old milk jugs that don't cost me a dime. Also I have the option of letting the milk jugs sit in the back of my Mule to warm up for a half hour or hour. Regardless when rain comes down from the Heaven's , I'm pretty sure it "floods" all the trees in the world and they do fine without a red hot dripper strapped on.

I’m sorry I shared something that has worked very well for me. Trying to give another member an option for watering. My mistake won’t happen again……

 

[Telemark]

Found buckets for $1 from a manufacturer in Vandalia. Sweet!

 

[RGrizzzz]

So , once you fill that green contraption , how long does it take for the water to seep out ?.
Everyone knows when you leave a green garden hose out in the summer and first turn the water on , the water comes out RED HOT. Now I'm not scientist , but I have a hypothesis...wouldn't that green contraption conduct the same amount of heat as a garden hose ? in turn ALL the water inside said contraption would also be red hot . I'll take my chances "flooding" my trees with cold water that I put in old milk jugs that don't cost me a dime. Also I have the option of letting the milk jugs sit in the back of my Mule to warm up for a half hour or hour. Regardless when rain comes down from the Heaven's , I'm pretty sure it "floods" all the trees in the world and they do fine without a red hot dripper strapped on.

Nope. By the time you fill up the gator bags, the temperature of the water is normalized to whatever is coming out of the tap. If these things killed trees, no one would use them. The water comes out very slowly. I have some I used last spring/summer on two Blue Hill trees I have at home.

 

[TonySoprano]

I’m sorry I shared something that has worked very well for me. Trying to give another member an option for watering. My mistake won’t happen again……

Nice try , but You didn't reply to "another member" who was looking for a watering option. You replied to my comment insinuating I'm "just using cold water and flooding my trees"

 

[marlin]

I understand , seems like a lot of folks do it that way . I live on site and have the time , so at least for the first year I water my wildlife trees twice a week

I have a few pear and apple trees in the front yard , so they get a little extra care. I might water them for 2-3 years since it's in walking distance to carry 2 watering cans. I assumed you were caring by hand.

This is what I quoted. You mentioned you were carrying water cans in your front yard by hand.. I supplied what I thought was an easier/better option. Like I said before won’t happen again….

 

[jsasker007]

I live on site also. The growth rate of trees that can be taken care far exceeds the ones I don’t. I started using these knock off gator bags about six or seven years ago. They also help with growth rate as opposed to just using cold water and flooding the tree. I have a 60 gallon three point sprayer with a roller pump if you take the tip off the spray gun it pumps a lot of water very quick to fill the bags. On Amazon prime days you can buy these for about five dollars apiece.
View attachment 91099

I'm interested in trying some of these for trees I want to plant about 1/4 mile from my house. Did you try multiple different versions of these and found one brand/style is better?

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Id like to see the growth difference between trees watered and trees not watered. Not too big a deal in East central ohio where mine are planted. But now that I bought a house/camp next door, watering might be easier to do if worth while.

 

[marlin]

I'm interested in trying some of these for trees I want to plant about 1/4 mile from my house. Did you try multiple different versions of these and found one brand/style is better?

The first ones I bought were the original tree gators. They were on Facebook marketplace for five dollars apiece. I liked them a lot, but they’re really expensive - new. I bought a knockout brand (Tanzfrosch) on Amazon prime day for five dollars apiece. Both brands work equally well.

 

[jsasker007]

The first ones I bought were the original tree gators. They were on Facebook marketplace for five dollars apiece. I liked them a lot, but they’re really expensive - new. I bought a knockout brand (Tanzfrosch) on Amazon prime day for five dollars apiece. Both brands work equally well.

Now I'm just trying to figure out what size would be big enough for some small pear and apple trees. I would gladly pay a little money to save myself losing trees because it's too much of a pain in the ass to get water to them. Thanks

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I converted a bunch of 5 gallon buckets to act as those tree bags. I bought lids for them and put a rock in the bottom to hold them in place after they are empty. The trick is punching a small enough hole that they drain over the course of a day or so.

I've done this same thing many times, including the rock in the bottom. But I leave the tops open - no lids. Sit 'em on the ground. I posted about it a few years ago on here somewhere. It works fine.

 

[marlin]

I've done this same thing many times, including the rock in the bottom. But I leave the tops open - no lids. Sit 'em on the ground. I posted about it a few years ago on here somewhere. It works fine.

I’ve used buckets also and they do work fine. The only advantage the bags have is the amount of water they hold and they disperse it on both sides of the tree. I have really bad soil that holds no water. I put down 4 inches of Wood Chips under the bags to help hold moisture.