What Habitat Work Did You Do Today?

[Turkey Creek]

I retired the dibble bar after buying the wolverine tree spade

If you try one, you will never look back

bill

What makes it better than the dibble bar for you?

 

[Telemark]

Anyone tried a Brush Pro spade? A lot of pros on Reddit are singing its praises.

 

[Tangler]

Tangler hasa good dibbler right there. I have the same one. Sometimes using it too long it makes your arms rubber though. Bully's stones in the ground alot easier though.

I love this tool ! absolutely fantastic! Planted 200 trees in 4-5 hours, which is good for me. I get no royalties but just love it.
here is a link.

https://www.amleo.com/leonard-planting-bar-11-x-3-5-pointed-blade-steel/p/PL3811

 

[Tangler]

Planted 16 green giant arborvitae today. screening a road. On sale at home depot. Root bound but cheap so worth a gamble. How do you guys handle root bound plants? I cut slices horizontally into the roots and cut off the bottom aspect (bottom root mass cut perpendicular to plant to sheer off the very bottom in a thin circle of root tangles.
Thoughts?

 

[Telemark]

Planted 16 green giant arborvitae today. screening a road. On sale at home depot. Root bound but cheap so worth a gamble. How do you guys handle root bound plants? I cut slices horizontally into the roots and cut off the bottom aspect (bottom root mass cut perpendicular to plant to sheer off the very bottom in a thin circle of root tangles.
Thoughts?

I use a chopstick or the spine of my knife blade and pick at the root ball to release the peat moss I grow stuff in and loosen the roots. Usually works great, but sometimes I have to cut. I don't generally give them enough time in a pot to get badly rootbound.

If I have to cut some roots, I usually cut some top growth off. I cut a bit more top growth than whatever roots I cut because trees seem to do better when unbalanced toward the roots rather than toward top growth.

If you have to cut roots on Thuja, cut the lower branches rather than the top of the plant. Thuja can send low branches from the trunk out under the lowest growing branches and retain its natural growth habit. I only have experience with wild Thuja and Smaragd (Emerald?), not with Green Giant, but I would guess they are similar.

 

[Tangler]

I use a chopstick or the spine of my knife blade and pick at the root ball to release the peat moss I grow stuff in and loosen the roots. Usually works great, but sometimes I have to cut. I don't generally give them enough time in a pot to get badly rootbound.

If I have to cut some roots, I usually cut some top growth off. I cut a bit more top growth than whatever roots I cut because trees seem to do better when unbalanced toward the roots rather than toward top growth.

If you have to cut roots on Thuja, cut the lower branches rather than the top of the plant. Thuja can send low branches from the trunk out under the lowest growing branches and retain its natural growth habit. I only have experience with wild Thuja and Smaragd (Emerald?), not with Green Giant, but I would guess they are similar.

Hopefully I didn’t mess it up too much. Suppose time will tell.

 

[Westwind]

Put in a few miscanthus rhizomes.

Then outta nowhere a really nice 80 gallon Demco sprayer got posted on FB marketplace while I was waiting to get my hair cut. Was very happy to replace my old 55 gallon Fimco!!!

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Tilled and limed about 0.5 acre total in two plots inside one larger field. Seeded a third plot also in the field. Tilled an liked a separate 0.25 acre plot. Will spray and seed clover, chicory and oats in 3 weeks. First time using a tiller, definitely impressed. Brother’s kiddos drone took some cool overhead pics of the finished sites.
Also picked up 5 trees from Whitetail Crabs to plant Monday.

 

[TreeDaddy]

What makes it better than the dibble bar for you?

It seems much lighter in weight to me

The sharper edge makes it easier to dig in heavier soils

its in the photo of my avatar


bill

 

[bigboreblr]

I use the dibbler bar at camp. I find a regular dgip up, ammend, and put mulch down does alot better at home in my heavy clay. I got 25 or so seedlings I prefer the dig method. It is way slower though. A little lime ,fert, and peat moss in the hole. Usually use a graden cultivator, those 3 or 5 tine claws on the handle to loosen up the bootm and side of the hole.

Got 10 pine and 20 red dogwoods coming from the local soil place in 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Turkey Creek]

It seems much lighter in weight to me

The sharper edge makes it easier to dig in heavier soils

its in the photo of my avatar


bill

Sure. Thats why I like the dibble bar for shrubs though. Even in my heavier soils I am not digging out any dirt that I need to figure out a way to break back up any soil clumps. Step it into the ground. Use the blade to guide the roots into the hole, and then wedge it shut. Shrubs in my opinion are far more forgiving of how their roots end up under ground. Most trees are going to have issues if you J-hook the roots or force them into a confined space.

 

[PatinPA]

Our county had them this year, I ordered 20 but they won’t have them for pickup until the 24th. Did spend the evening digging up a dozen plus little hemlocks next to my driveway to transplant a little further back into the woods tomorrow

Where were you located? Northeast PA?

 

[fishin coyote]

Pat, I’m in Northwest about 8 - 10 miles from Ohio

 

[Telemark]

Pat, I’m in Northwest about 8 - 10 miles from Ohio

Oh man, that must be a nice place. Ashtabula is supposed to be the best spot in Ohio for wildlife.

 

[crappieman2380]

Oh man, that must be a nice place. Ashtabula is supposed to be the best spot in Ohio for wildlife.

Lots of wildlife in NWPA, but we went from 80 degrees on Saturday to spitting snow today...lol