Dappled Willow?

[bueller]

I need to grow a quick screen under my powerline easement to block the neighbors' view of my soon to be foodplot. After doing some research I'm leaning towards ordering some Dappled Willow cuttings from Big Rock Trees and planting them in black plastic. I haven't measured it out yet but I estimate the length of the screen to be about 50 feet. My ground is droughty sand but I know brushpile has had good success growing willows in black plastic on dry slopes. The Dappled Willows look to fit into my long term plan as I shouldn't have to be continually topping them to keep the away from the overhead lines. I don't mind protecting them for a year or two but I don't want to be looking at a fence or cages 5 years from now.

Does anybody have experience with these? Browsing? Rubbing? Other thoughts? John.....

 

[bueller]

Forgot to add. These are said to be good for zones 4-7. We dip into the -20's every winter. -30 is not unheard of but not common either.

 

[Dave63]

I planted 50 of them last spring they got to be about 2 feet tall in wet lands.

 

[bueller]

I planted 50 of them last spring they got to be about 2 feet tall in wet lands.

plastic or no plastic? I'd be OK with 2 feet the first year if they exploded into a 6' screen in the second year.

 

[bueller]

Willows and sandy/droughty soil do not go together IME

I was told that about elderberry too but the ones I planted with cardboard, mulch, and some water for the first year or two are now well over my head and drought tolerant with no watering. The ones I didn't "nurse", well they were a waste of $$$ and time.

I figure with a 6-8' strip of black plastic I should be able to get the willows established. Droughty yes, but the water table isn't that far down either.

 

[bueller]

The burnt up stock, was that in black plastic or any other ground cover? The spot I will be planting is nice and flat and already free of any woody vegetation. Of all places I intend to put trees/shrubs this spot screams black plastic or lumite to me. I considered hybrid poplar that I could cut down every couple years but I'd rather stick with a shrub style, low maintenance planting. I'm also thinking of putting in lilacs for a slow growing but permanent screen. I want something the deer will not completely destroy.

 

[bueller]

The area under the lines on my property has been regularly cut by the previous owners leaving nothing but grass and weeds. No trees are growing. I've been told that the power company does not spray or cut as the previous owners maintained it and didn't allow any trees to grow underneath. I intend to do the same, except instead of grass and weeds I will be making it foodplot. I don't feel that the power company will clear a shrub screen that I plant as it wouldn't interfere with the lines at all and I would still have a road available for them to access the easement for maintenance. I am waiting on an email back from them giving me the thumbs up or down on my plan.

 

[bueller]

Stu, on the northeast corner of 21 and G, the house where they now sell ice cream, there is a nice tall and thick row of lilacs. They've been there forever and I highly doubt they get any lime or fertilizer. I don't know how they were established or how long it took, I've heard there are slow growers, but they are pretty darn tough now. They get baked in the sun all summer on that corner. During the bad drought a couple years ago they looked to be dying off and I figured they were done but nope, they bounced back just as strong.

Red cedar? please enlighten me...

 

[bueller]

My folks had a number of very nice lilacs as well. I planted more and they were going strong when it sold. I should have stated that if you want them to bloom well they need to be limed. They will grow without liming...they won't bloom much. Wood ash will accomplish the same thing. They will also grow more quickly with lime/wood ash.

Red cedar will provide a much more effective screen than willows or lilacs, especially during firearm season. They'll grow rather quickly once established and could be topped at a height to ensure they don't get into the power lines. Another option would be austrian pine which could also be topped. Whatever I planted, I'd want to know if the easement holder was going to come in and remove woody vegetation at some point.

If I go with some lilacs I should be able to get some lime on them as they would be planted on the edge of a foodplot ;). Did you have to protect the lilacs from the deer?

There is some cedar around the area but not a whole lot. Most of them seem to be stunted in growth, like 6' or under. I'm not real keen on planting any "trees" under the lines because even if I have an understanding with the electric company that I will be topping them regularly I can envision a crew coming in, seeing the "trees", and cutting them down without knowing any better. I think "shrubs" will be just fine. I have reached out to them and I'm waiting for their response.

 

[bueller]

Yup, the lilacs at their place needed some protection from browsing the first few years. Interestingly enough, I could plant on them on my old place with zero protection. I always figured it was due to the lack of other choices at their place.

How about instead of shrubs (or maybe in addition to the willows) you plant a strip of EW/tall WGF sorghum/sorghum sudan?

I really hadn't considered any of those. Might be a good way to get the desired screen in place this year, while giving the willows or whatever else I decide to plant some time to get established. Will these get browsed by the deer?

 

[Dave63]

No plastic.. I treated with herbicide.

 

[bueller]

Power company says I can plant all the shrubs/trees I want under the lines and as long as they aren't interfering or likely to interfere with the lines in the future they won't touch them. They did state that the crews MAY run them over when they are out there for maintenance, inspections, etc... This shouldn't be a problem as I will still be providing and maintaining a road to the easement on both sides of the screen I'm planting. Same goes for a foodplot underneath. Some years I might come up to find a set of tires tracks running the length. Shouldn't be much of an issue or concern as I'll likely have an ATV access road along one of the sides of the plot anyways.

Now what to plant for my screen.....

 

[bueller]

Has anybody ever used chinese junipers for a screen. In doing some quick reading it appears that they may fit the bill for me. Drought tolerant, mature height of <15', deer supposedly don't eat them, full all the way down to the ground. I would probably only need 10 or less for my purpose. I would still back them up with some quicker growing shrubs.

 

[wiscwhip]

I would think that deer will eat all kind of junipers during the winter, especially in WI. They browse the ornamental ones in my surrounding neighbors yards that border the bluff, but I have no idea what variety they are? We have 2 in front of our place that do not get browsed, but we are off the bluff just far enough and have dogs, so they naturally shy away from ours. I'm betting they taste better than jackpine. ;)

 

[bueller]

With the deer eating and/or rubbing everything around here I might as well just build a 7' high wooden fence :confused:

 

[bueller]

^^^I'd recommend giant miscanthus, but I have my doubts about it surviving in the sand

My current plan is to plant a couple thick rows of cuttings through black plastic with an area of EW on the north side. Haven't decided exactly which cuttings I'll use yet but I'll be protecting them with a fence of some sort for a year or two. Of course this plan could change as soon as this weekend when I get out there to get a better look and measurements of where I want to plant.

 

[wiscwhip]

bueller, take a look at mugo(mountain) pine. It is used for ornamental landscaping and bonsai trees, so there are many cultivars that are dwarf or at least shorter growing.

 

[bueller]

Just ordered all my supplies for this screen. I'm going to give the dappled willows a shot, with hybrid poplars on the outside for a quicker yet temporary solution. Hope to get them in the ground next weekend.

 

[wiscwhip]

I'd offer to give you a hand bueller, but I won't be back in town until the weekend of the 18th.

 

[bueller]

I'd offer to give you a hand bueller, but I won't be back in town until the weekend of the 18th.

Thanks, its not that big of an area so it won't be too bad. I'm sure the black plastic prep will take longer than anything else. I'll take plenty of pics during the planting day and then progress reports throughout the growing season.