Norway Spruce Screen Decisions

[BuckSutherland]

wondering if those bags of mulch I can get at the big box stores would suffice for one tree..I am going to try and cage, weed mat and mulch each of my pines/spruce (total of 17 trees) or would the bagged river rock do just as well? I have limestone screening around my fruit trees that has worked beautifully so far to discourage rodents from digging towards the new roots but getting alot of bulk material up to where my screen is going will be problematic (might be able to get a 4X4 truck up there but not a full load on dump truck).

Bag mulch works just fine..... some of my happiest trees are living under 1 bag per tree. I've spent $3 on way worse things in life....



Scotch pine..... I expect 2 feet of growth out of him next year. Took me a year between installing the mat and getting mulch to him last summer. 90% of my time last year was spent hauling water.

 

[PatinPA]

I dont have any experience with rock. I use "mulch" mainly cause its readily available laying all over my woods and I know it does a good job of holding the mat down, killing weeds/grass and preserving moisture underneath the mat. If you had timely rains all season I think rock would work ok. Mulch isnt near as heavy as rock. Try a dozen or so trees and see how it works and let us know. I'm guessing you will find more success then the trees that dont have a weed mat.

Sometimes I use a pail, sometimes I use a tote to collect "mulch". In areas of my woods that dont have many down trees I just go to the store and by 2 yard bags. They work good too.

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That's a great idea. I have no shortage of dead hemlock branches.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Bag mulch works just fine..... some of my happiest trees are living under 1 bag per tree. I've spent $3 on way worse things in life....



Scotch pine..... I expect 2 feet of growth out of him next year. Took me a year between installing the mat and getting mulch to him last summer. 90% of my time last year was spent hauling water.

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looks good to me...I can spring for 50$ or so worth of mulch to give my trees some help and cover up the mats...

 

[Telemark]

Interesting. I had assumed a main benefit of mulch was moisture retention, how do rocks compare in that regard?

Generally that means moisture retention in the soil under the mulch, not in the mulch itself. The mulch/gravel/weed mat help prevent evaporation that would occur on exposed soil while suppressing weeds that would compete for water and nutrients.

 

[Ranger007]

I dont have any experience with rock. I use "mulch" mainly cause its readily available laying all over my woods and I know it does a good job of holding the mat down, killing weeds/grass and preserving moisture underneath the mat. If you had timely rains all season I think rock would work ok. Mulch isnt near as heavy as rock. Try a dozen or so trees and see how it works and let us know. I'm guessing you will find more success then the trees that dont have a weed mat.

Sometimes I use a pail, sometimes I use a tote to collect "mulch". In areas of my woods that dont have many down trees I just go to the store and by 2 yard bags. They work good too.

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Thanks for the picture! Looks like only 4 stakes and some mulch on top of the mat the keep it down?

 

[BuckSutherland]

Thanks for the picture! Looks like only 4 stakes and some mulch on top of the mat the keep it down?

Yes just stakes in the 4 corners (6" landscape staples). T cut into the middle of the mat with utility knife. Mulch holds the center of the mat down (dont let mulch or mat rub on trunk of the tree). I fold the corners once so it goes through double on the mat. Also think its important to get a good silky zubat to clear EVERYTHING out of the way before you put the mat down (grass, brush, weeds, alfalfa). I hand clear the entire 4x4 area for every one of my trees on my hands and knees. Also important to wear a good pair of knee pads. Keeps the mud off your pants, and saves your knees from kneeling on sharp stuff. Trees are planted just a touch deeper then the surrounding ground to funnel water towards the center of the tree when it rains. Also get a couple good pairs of mechanics gloves.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Would it pay to add fabric and mulch to 5-10 year old apple trees?

 

[BuckSutherland]

Would it pay to add fabric and mulch to 5-10 year old apple trees?

I have mulched 5 year old spruce trees and it made a huge difference. Not sure about a 5 year old apple tree, but I sure think it would help. My old man owns an apple orchard. One year I helped him lay drywall scraps around the base of the trees and then piled horse shit mixed with sawdust bedding ontop of the drywall. Kinda the same principle as the weed mat I guess. Maybe the apple tree benefitted from the gypsum in the drywall. You will have to consult a fruit loop on this one.

I planted a couple tiny common wild apple tree plugs from University of Idaho last spring. I gave them a weed mat and some peat moss around them and slipped them into a tube. I thought they grew fantastic last year, but I have really no idea what I am doing with any apple trees. I defer to the experts....

 

[bwoods11]

The Univ of Idaho wild apples grow like a weed. Survival is outstanding. I tube them and then after the pop out of tube, cut it back and cage it .

I ordered 15 more this year.$3 each ??

 

[Bowsnbucks]

The crushed limestone screenings I use are only for our apple & crab trees. That method was recommended by a couple guys on here and an orchard owner near our camp. The jagged stone chips I use on our fruit trees repel mice and voles from tunneling because the sharp pointy chips are painful to the rodents, and they collapse in on any digging attempts they make. It works great for fruit trees.

I don't use stone of any kind on evergreens. I spray gly or clethodim to kill grass & weeds. Wood mulch at our place just draws mice and voles - but it would be nice to keep the soil moist.

 

[sandbur]

The Univ of Idaho wild apples grow like a weed. Survival is outstanding. I tube them and then after the pop out of tube, cut it back and cage it .

I ordered 15 more this year.$3 each ??

This question is for you and buck. Have you had any winter die back of apples in those tubes? How tall of tubes are you using?


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[BuckSutherland]

This question is for you and buck. Have you had any winter die back of apples in those tubes? How tall of tubes are you using?


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I just planted my Idaho plugs in the picture above last spring. Mine are in a 5 foot tubes. That picture was taken Labor day weekend 2021. I haven't seen the trees since then. Sucker grew nearly 4 feet from the end of April until beginning of Sept. I havent walked my land since then. I still have a couple trail cameras out in the woods since then that I have not seen. I miss my woods dearly.....

 

[Derek Reese 29]

"Final" plan for the screen for the spring....Going to try to cover 45-50 yards with the trees and leave about 12 yard openings at each end of the screen. Trying to do "levels of coverage", with the SG and berries first, then the crabs and hawthorns (yellow and red) next, followed by the various kinds of pines/spruce and hybrid poplars (black triangles are BHS, grey stars are white pine, green triangles are Norway spruce and blue squares are hybrid poplars). If anyone has suggestions for spacing I will definitely listen! I want it to be pretty dense but not have to cut anything down later on to make room. Also I am thinking of putting tubes around the poplars (and maybe the hawthorns and crabapples) and caging everything else. Thanks again for all the help! (also sorry for kind of hijacking the thread).

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Weird question concerning the pines/mulch...my original plan was to get 1 bag of mulch per pine/spruce tree, but my neighbor recently told me I can get the shredded mulch from the township at no cost, so I would definitely lean that way. Is there any drawback to using this "rougher" kind of mulch in this instance?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Weird question concerning the pines/mulch...my original plan was to get 1 bag of mulch per pine/spruce tree, but my neighbor recently told me I can get the shredded mulch from the township at no cost, so I would definitely lean that way. Is there any drawback to using this "rougher" kind of mulch in this instance?

I think it was discussed above - main drawback is any possible weeds or other that could sprout and compete with your tree. I think I'll probably go the "free township mulch" route if it looks OK.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Weird question concerning the pines/mulch...my original plan was to get 1 bag of mulch per pine/spruce tree, but my neighbor recently told me I can get the shredded mulch from the township at no cost, so I would definitely lean that way. Is there any drawback to using this "rougher" kind of mulch in this instance?

I would gladly use that type of mulch.

 

[Diesel5610]

Power company just went down the road by our property taking down trees along the power lines. They left piles of mulch every 30 yards or so. My plan is to shovel them into the Kubota and mulch all of my Norway and White Spruce seedlings As soon as the snow is off. Should work perfect.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Has anyone found welded wire fence on sale lately? Lowes, Tractor Supply, and Home Depot are all listing it for $109 for me. I need several rolls, so I have been holding out, but I am afraid prices will just go up, and I will be wishing I would have bought it at $109.

 

[PatinPA]

Has anyone found welded wire fence on sale lately? Lowes, Tractor Supply, and Home Depot are all listing it for $109 for me. I need several rolls, so I have been holding out, but I am afraid prices will just go up, and I will be wishing I would have bought it at $109.

$90 at my local Lowes for 100 ft. roll X 4 ft. I bought a 150 ft. roll of 5 ft concrete mesh last year for about $120. This year is $239. I better jump on the $90

 

[BuckSutherland]

I clicked on the Chaska Home Depot and it shows me $93.63 for 4x100 rolls. I would look that store up and then show it to the person working the register at tractor supply. They arent gonna look at which location you have typed in. They will price match. Its not gonna get any cheaper.... This time of year last 4 years has pretty much been the cheapest. Lets go Brandon... Its gonna get worse.