Drought/Early Spring Altering Your Plans?

[SD51555]

There's a three point problem affecting our tree planting plans this spring. Spring looks like it's hitting earlier than I planned. Its looking to be a dry year. And it's not looking good I can get time off until May first to get the scope of work done I had planned. So we're considering scaling back the number of trees/shrubs we're going to plant and looking to squeeze in a quick super weekend to get the most critical done before the dry weather and early green up set in.

That's a stretch to predict the weather, but that's what's rolling around in my head. I wanted to get some pruning done on some of the tubed trees and get some other stuff cut down to stop the nutrient pilfering around my apple trees.

 

[Jim Timber]

Our ground is still frozen about 5" down. The water that can't drain gets pushed up through the cracks in the asphalt when you drive on it - and the soil below is sand.

I'm going to wait until my surplus center order of fittings shows up, and then head back up to attempt to make some progress on the apple trees. I'm not changing my May 1st plug retrieval date until I can be sure we're getting some rain and I can get the tool in the ground more than barely deep enough to cover the plug.

 

[Jim Timber]

With how cold it's staying at night, it's going to take a long time to come out. Overnight lows are still at or below freezing for the 7 day forecast.

I need to cut a lot of trees before I'm ready to plant those dolgos where I want them. I'll use the time to get the ground work going on the new spot. Then I've got to be home the week of taxes because my wife is having minor foot surgery. I had thought I'd stick them in the garden clearing for the time being, but couldn't get a shovel in there either.

 

[wklman]

Frost must have came out a little by me. My neighbor has already plowed all his fields getting ready for spring and will be working my food plot the next couple of weeks. I cut back a little this year and will be only putting in my Saskatoons and just be replacing dead trees.

 

[scott44]

I plant every year never thinking a problem is coming. The year you don't plant your trees can sometimes be the best year ever, and you didn't plant!

This is what I do, I have never given it a thought about the season being dry or wet just plant. Most of my conifers are on their own but I will haul water to the oak/chestnuts.

 

[bueller]

I'm already losing last year's plugs to winter burn and lack of soil moisture. I'll still plant 1500+ plugs this year...but I'm not super optimistic about them surviving.

That stinks. Which ones are you losing?

 

[Jim Timber]

Dark bare fields are generating radiant heat from the sun, where my shaded forest ground doesn't. It'll be longer for the frost to come out in the shade and under thick grass. The only question is with our cold nights, just how long is that going to take?

Water's just sitting over the frost at my place right now. I have puddles a foot above the water table adjacent to my swamp, but you can't get a shovel blade all the way in the ground. Muddy slop over rock solid ice.

 

[SD51555]

What's bugging me most is not getting out there as soon as the ground is workable due to work schedule. A lot of what we're planting is lower, so we may get away with it even in a dry year. I feel like I'm being rushed into the project this year, and I usually am very methodical and well planned when it comes to things as important as this.

 

[bueller]

After a great growing season the year of planting I'm sure the last concern you guys had was losing those trees over the winter.

 

[bueller]

I hope we get some rain this week. I'm planting cuttings this weekend for a food plot/property line screen.

 

[shawnv]

The country as a whole: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

 

[SD51555]

Definitely going to need to mind the moisture in the plot plans for this year the way we're headed. I'm going to re-think my high risk broadcast species this year like cowpeas and beans if it's dry come planting time.

 

[dipper]

We had just enough snow to limit winter burn. I know it really hurts because the tree made it though the most vulnerable time during summer. Those black hills spruce are supposed to be very drought resistant.
My sedge meadows were still solid a few days ago. I bet they loosened up the last day of so.
I'm going into high gear starting this week. I've got miscanthus giagantus to dig up and transplant. Along with the usually conifers and fruit trees.

 

[sandbur]

One thing I have found interesting is that none of my Black Hills spruce are dead (yet anyway). A couple have a bit of winter burn, but I think they'll make it...if we get rain soon anyway. Austrian pines also look good compared to the balsams, white and Norway spruce. I think I'll end up losing all 150 of the white cedars also

Are they too exposed or did you over do the weed control?

 

[wiscwhip]

As stated above, Black Hills spruce are very drought tolerant, likely the most drought tolerant of the commonly planted spruce species, so it isn't a surprise that those are still doing well.