Plugs showed up!

[MoLandOwner]

Thanks!

 

[bwoods11]

Get some water on them maybe 2-3 times per week.

 

[scott44]

The ones I've got from the U of Idaho in the past have been in plastic bags and have been pretty moist in there, I have waited a week or so on some tp plant and had no problem if they looked like they were drying out I added water to just keep the plug damp.

 

[SD51555]

Pic?

 

[tooln]

I've always gone bare root, how do plugs compare price wise? Yep pic's would be nice.

 

[SD51555]

Here's my thread started last spring: http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/habitat-happening-live-blog.388/

All that and more included...

 

[Jim Timber]

Plugs are typically smaller, and younger trees. Cheaper by quite a bit as well. Bare root are bigger, have more roots, and take significantly more effort to plant, and also have a higher probability of having problems related to the planting process (bigger hole, harder to get roots oriented correctly, roots installed at an angle, etc).

With a decent planting tool, I can have a plug installed in under 20 seconds taking my sweet time. It's in a hole with no air pockets, no j-roots, and minimal compressed soil (only the volume displaced by the tool) - plus never having to get on my knees.

I did 100 bare root Douglas Firs. I'll never do another bare root conifer. You gain 2 years growth up front (time burned off at the nursery), but I don't think the tree is as healthy 2 years later vs what it would be if it'd been planted as a plug.

 

[West Branch]

The soil plug may be a bit misshapen, I had about 50 trees last year that were came wrapped like those ones and overall I hardly noticed a difference when planting. If they sit a while it may be worse, I was planting 2 days after they were wrapped.

 

[Jim Timber]

Wiggle the tool in the hole if they're too mushed to go in like they come out of the plastic, heel them in like normal - you'll be fine.

Keep them moist, but don't over do it. I had my plugs in a big open plastic bag for about a week prior to planting. Very high success rate 4 years later despite completely ignoring them once planted.

 

[MoLandOwner]

Stu, next time you see me, I want you to kick me square in the sack for not buying plugs 20 years ago. I just planted the first 125 plugs in 45 minutes. Why was I ever planting bare root all those years!!!:mad:

 

[Bluecollaroutdoors]

They are so easy. I had amazing success rate from last May 1 to now besides the deer decided a month ago that some were edible. I am very suprised by that.

 

[SD51555]

Stu, next time you see me, I want you to kick me square in the sack for not buying plugs 20 years ago. I just planted the first 125 plugs in 45 minutes. Why was I ever planting bare root all those years!!!:mad:

Have Sandbur film it.

 

[Jim Timber]

It took me 100 bare root trees to decide there had to be a better option. Actually, I think I was convinced bare roots sucked well before 50 were in the ground. :eek:

 

[tooln]

I'm a slow learner 1300 bare root, plugs from now on.

 

[bueller]

The only concern I have with plugs in my sand is that I may get a lower survival rate the first season or two vs bareroots because the bareroots are planted much much deeper than the plugs. I have the same concern with cuttings in my droughty sand.

 

[wiscwhip]

The only concern I have with plugs in my sand is that I may get a lower survival rate the first season or two vs bareroots because the bareroots are planted much much deeper than the plugs. I have the same concern with cuttings in my droughty sand.

There's a reason the timber companies replant the pines in that area down in the bottom of 2' deep ruts.;) Maybe try dipping the cutting in watersorb before putting it into the hole? I would think on that sand you would be fine, but maybe that won't work due to heaving in heavy rains or frost?

 

[MoLandOwner]

Amazing how much quicker they go in isn't it?

Yes it is!

Lets see if they hold up as well as most Bare roots I have planted.