Norway Spruce Screen Decisions

[TreeDaddy]

Single lines of trees. They dont have to be perfectly straight or anything. Mine are kinda randomly placed. Just kinda leading in the general direction you want them to go. I have about 4 bedding pockets on my land with spruce, pine and firs connecting the pockets and leading them on and off my land where I want them to cross the road. They walk from one conifer to the next for security. Makes it very easy to find trails in my area.

In "Mapping Trophy Bucks", Brad Herndon calls this topographic feature a breakline: a line where 2 different types of woods meet( conifer/hardwood,etc) to create a funnel

bill

 

[bwoods11]

In "Mapping Trophy Bucks", Brad Herndon calls this topographic feature a breakline: a line where 2 different types of woods meet( conifer/hardwood,etc) to create a funnel

bill

I found this exact funnel in Iowa , and a bench by a draw. Cameras are screaming “get a stand here”

 

[BuckSutherland]

Took some pictures today of various trees I see around where I live in south central MN.

 

[Tree Spud]

Took some pictures today of various trees I see around where I live in south central MN.

I have driven through south western Minnesota several times and I think I saw like 1 tree for every 50 miles

 

[BuckSutherland]

 

[Bassattackr]

Loving those BHS more and more BuckS. I think I'm going to plant some for screening on my property this spring. When do you find it's best to plant root seedlings from Cold Stream Farm?

 

[BuckSutherland]

Loving those BHS more and more BuckS. I think I'm going to plant some for screening on my property this spring. When do you find it's best to plant root seedlings from Cold Stream Farm?

The best time to plant a tree is as soon as you can. Probably best to plant in a month with the letter "R". I stick as many trees in the ground as I can as soon as the frost is out, usually April for me in Northern MN.

 

[Tree Spud]

Loving those BHS more and more BuckS. I think I'm going to plant some for screening on my property this spring. When do you find it's best to plant root seedlings from Cold Stream Farm?

Keep in mind, black hills is a much slower grower that norway or blue spruce. They also prefer wetter soils.

 

[bwoods11]

I’ve got hundreds if Black Hills Spruce planted in sand in Minnesota. Very poor soils, and they did very well.

I can put a stand in a few of them now. They might do a little better near wet areas, but they survive on high ground. Very tough tree.

 

[Tree Spud]

I’ve got hundreds if Black Hills Spruce planted in sand in Minnesota. Very poor soils, and they did very well.

I can put a stand in a few of them now. They might do a little better near wet areas, but they survive on high ground. View attachment 39360 Very tough tree.

Love this line of screening spruce.

 

[Brian662]

I’ve got hundreds if Black Hills Spruce planted in sand in Minnesota. Very poor soils, and they did very well.

I can put a stand in a few of them now. They might do a little better near wet areas, but they survive on high ground. View attachment 39359View attachment 39360 Very tough tree.

How old are those trees?

 

[sandbur]

Keep in mind, black hills is a much slower grower that norway or blue spruce. They also prefer wetter soils.

I just reviewed this thread.

I respectfully disagree. I plant BHS on the lightest soils and use Norway spruce on heavier soils. White spruce seem to be intermediate and will tolerate slightly wet.

I have some 30 year old black spruce along the edge of a swamp and they are decent. White spruce are planting slightly more upland of them and shade the black spruce. I may be a bit south for black spruce, but it worked.

Browsing and rubbing pressure are variable. I have two locations about 80 miles apart. One is somewhat up Bucks way but on a gravel type soil.

In general, whatever you plant that is not common in that area gets eaten or rubbed. I see vast differences in these two locations.


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[sandbur]

For you guys in central Minnesota, Benton County SWCD has a reasonable price on weed mats and staples. They are in Foley.

Bows has it right. I like strings and clumps of conifers in hardwoods. After leaf fall, deer movement changes. They bed in clumps and follow strings. Even broken strings are nice, as the often pause under the last conifer and peers ahead.

Closed canopy conifers are great for deer survival during deep snow winters.


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[sandbur]

For you guys in central Minnesota, Benton County SWCD has a reasonable price on weed mats and staples. They are in Foley.

Bows has it right. I like strings and clumps of conifers in hardwoods. After leaf fall, deer movement changes. They bed in clumps and follow strings. Even broken strings are nice, as the often pause under the last conifer and peers ahead.

Closed canopy conifers are great for deer survival during deep snow winters.


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About 15 years ago, my daughter shot this buck as it paused under a balsam fir and was looking ahead. I was sitting with her at the time.


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[sandbur]

Thirty some years ago, my wife and I bought an old farm. One of the first things we did was to plant several rows of spruce along the edges of swamps in old pastures. That was one of the best things we could have done. Many pictures are in the Sandbox thread and I have not updated it for years. It seemed to get very little interest.

I still plant a few spruce and like patches of younger spruce and older spruce. They are used for bedding at different times.


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[sandbur]

I think Buck said it, but winter burn is a real problem. If in somewhat open areas, I like some weeds or some brush on the south and southwest sides of a spruce tree.

You will need to cut those willows back after 4-5 years. Winter burns is less of a problem after then.


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[BuckSutherland]

I think Buck said it, but winter burn is a real problem. If in somewhat open areas, I like some weeds or some brush on the south and southwest sides of a spruce tree.

You will need to cut those willows back after 4-5 years. Winter burns is less of a problem after then.


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Norway spruce ABP plug from Itasca Greenhouse. That's the biggest plug you can get from Itasca. Planted spring of 2018. This picture taken 2 years later in spring of 2020. This is exactly why I DETEST small plugs, bare roots or transplants. Winter burn is a real issue for this tiny crap. Its why I'm a major proponent of buying 1 gallon pots or bigger.

 

[NT179]

A little hint for your planting spades, sharpen them with a file. First thing we did after working a forest fire. Can make a huge difference.

 

[Brian662]

Norway spruce ABP plug from Itasca Greenhouse. That's the biggest plug you can get from Itasca. Planted spring of 2018. This picture taken 2 years later in spring of 2020. This is exactly why I DETEST small plugs, bare roots or transplants. Winter burn is a real issue for this tiny crap. Its why I'm a major proponent of buying 1 gallon pots or bigger.


View attachment 39372

I had some 2 gallon pots of Norways in August of 2020 that suffered some pretty rough needle burn in their first winter but they all bounced back pretty well.

When you say ABP, what does that stand for?

 

[BuckSutherland]

I had some 2 gallon pots of Norways in August of 2020 that suffered some pretty rough needle burn in their first winter but they all bounced back pretty well.

When you say ABP, what does that stand for?

Anderson band pots they call them. Mine all died.