Dogwood on clay

[rocksnstumps]

For ROD cuttings, come by my place next spring and spare me the trouble of cleaning them up again(call me Tom Sawyer). Popping up all along my pole building, around my propane tank, all along the ditches. Yep, clay by me and high water table. This place has a holding tank, mound systems only allowed higher up the road.

 

[wiscwhip]

When planting any of these shrubs it is also a good idea to source stock from your climate zone(or one zone warmer at most), whether that be plugs, bareroot, or cuttings. I think one issue with some of these plantings that fail is that the stock is from a warmer climate than where they are trying to be grown. Take button bush for instance...

Adaptation and Distribution
The natural range of this shrub is from Florida to
Mexico and north to Nova Scotia and Ontario.
Buttonbush is best adapted to shorelines and swamps
with saturated soil and full sunlight. It will tolerate
water depths up to three feet. Flowering is poor in
the shade or in dry soils.

Even though it is native from the southern tip of North America(FL) to well over half way to the Arctic Circle, I would not not recommend trying to grow Mississippi grown stock in Northern WI or MN, even though I have seen button bush absolutely thriving in swamps as far south as northern AL and as far north as Cable, WI.

rocksnstumps offer of letting you take cuttings would be about as close to locally sourced ROD as you could ask for Brad.

 

[dipper]

Cuttings take forever to grow. I've got some going in my yard and they just don't move. I've got ninebark in the same spot and that has really taken off

 

[BJE80]

.....

 

[BJE80]

I'm going to call Itasca today and start getting the ball rolling. I would really like to do plugs. This is a project I am really excited about.

One problem I really see is estimating quantities. I just don't have a feel for that especially since it won't be even spacing. It will be hump to hump. With Button Brush and Willow in between the humps.

 

[BJE80]

I'll tell you this...1500 evergreen plugs was more than enough for this guy to do this year :oops: If you're considering 2 times+ that amount...I'd be enlisting some assistance

Right now my plan was to take a full week off of work for planting next spring when it is time. That would be about 8 full days. But I also have the norways/black spruces to put in too during that time. How many will I really need? No idea yet. I'm probably going to leave the stumps in so that will take up space as well. When the shoots get too tall in a few years I would chop them off with a chain saw I think.


Stu, You could come help right? ;)



I hope I am not biting off more than I can chew.

 

[BJE80]

How many plugs can an average guy in average shape put in in a day and not be dead the next day?

 

[BJE80]

A lot of variables go into that....how many plugs go into "blocks" vs. being scattered in an area, how easy is are the planting areas to access with an atv, what tool are you using to plant the plugs with, how easy is it to poke holes in the ground (rocks, roots, etc.)...

I did around 300 4a plugs a day here last spring..that wasn't sun up to sun down though. It was just as long as my back could take it :oops: Larger plugs like Styro 10 and 20's from NCR take me much longer (i.e. many fewer per day).

My wife will be some help on the weekend. But for the most part if I ask anyone to help that probably means I need to let them hunt there too. I don't like owing favors like that. If I want to let someone hunt that is fine but I want it to be at my terms. Know what I mean?

 

[BJE80]

I'm just having trouble picturing 3500 of these things in 1.5 acres. Sounds really close together. How wide do these things get at maturity?

 

[West Branch]

This spring I planted 400+ in a day and they were spread around a couple acres in the woods so it was a lot of carrying flats of plugs around with me from where the atv was parked. I wasn't sore the next day, but I am young and in average shape on a good day.

 

[BJE80]

What about Button Bush for width? Willows are willows.

 

[BJE80]

Itasca won't have any dog wood until next fall. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[BJE80]

Did you call?

Yes. That is how I found out no dogwood till next fall

Check with NCR

Just left them a message.

 

[BJE80]

Norway and Black Spurce plugs are going for 0.27 a piece.

 

[dipper]

Is this a marsh u are planting in?

What's your goal with these dogwoods? The look? Deer cover?

 

[BJE80]

Is this a marsh u are planting in?

What's your goal with these dogwoods? The look? Deer cover?

Deer browse. Some cover is Ok but the goal is to feed deer.

It isn't a marsh but its my real wet clay soils.

 

[dipper]

Deer browse. Some cover is Ok but the goal is to feed deer.

It isn't a marsh but its my real wet clay soils.

Got an aerial? Pic from ground level? I'm trying to visualize the habitat type?
It sounds like u have browse already.

 

[BJE80]

The area will be cut this winter as part of my logging.


Here is what it looks like now.

This is not me but a guy that shot his first deer here on my land. And then he doubled up within 20 min. But its a good picture to show the landscape.

There is an existing plot right near this area.

 

[BJE80]

Two more

 

[dipper]

I wouldn't plant a thing, that's gonna get thick on its own. The natural regeneration will grow much faster than your dogwoods and choke them out.
You will have to cut back that regeneration multiple times a year