Direct Seeding

[mattpatt]

For the seeds that I just dropped in the ground while walking through the woods I have not been able to find a single surviving tree. I'm not sure if squirrels got them or if something browsed them.... Or, I may just not be seeing them.... The same exact seed stock in tubes are a foot tall.

Varmints most likely. I've done the same thing, planted many a acorn by just stabbing a hole in the ground and dropping a acorn in and stepping on it. I've only ever found one tree that I know came up and is still living from doing this. I have never found another. I flag a lot of mine too so I know where I planted them and still nothing. Everyone that goes in a tube or is protected in some way almost always sprouts and comes up. Now weather it makes it through that first year during our hot dry summers is another story.

 

[Doctorbrady]

I once discard up a field and direct seeded buckets full of white oaks, then cultipacked them down. Checked on them the next week, and the field was covered in deer tracks and rotted up areas. Not a single tree survived out of several hundred planted.
Now I use the PVC method as well. Almost always get a good result as long as I don't run the tuning over later . A little gly and Oust XP in the spring will keep weeds at bay.

 

[Mitch]

you don't want the gly to contact the tree correct? just the weeds around the tree?

 

[mattpatt]

you don't want the gly to contact the tree correct? just the weeds around the tree?

Yes, just the weeds. Since the seedlings are young I wouldn't even let it touch the bark of the tree. Depending on how tall I use a 5 gallon bucket to cover the seedling then spray around it. You can also use a 4" piece of PVC.

 

[shedder]

http://phytosphere.com/oakplanting/acorns.htm

"Plant acorns on their sides at a depth of about 2 inches. Deeper planting can decrease seedling emergence rates (especially in heavy soils), and shallower planting can increase the chances that the acorns may dry out or be eaten by mice or ground squirrels."

No supporting evidence, however.

 

[rustybucket]

Yes, just the weeds. Since the seedlings are young I wouldn't even let it touch the bark of the tree. Depending on how tall I use a 5 gallon bucket to cover the seedling then spray around it. You can also use a 4" piece of PVC.

Good idea on the pvc, I have used a piece of cardboard or plastic real estate type sign as a blocker before. I also have taped a funnel onto the end of my sprayer nozzle to help any over spray from happening.

 

[Deernut74]

My method for direct planting is similar. I order 5' reject tubes from tree pro 100 at a time.I then cut them down to 4' tubes for my Chestnut planting. I'm left with 100 1' vented tubes to use with direct seeding. I like to drive my 60 mower down the golden rod making a meandering path,then I'll spray weed killer.10 days later I start my direct seeding of acorns and,hazelnut,crabapple, pear,chokeberry,highbush cranberry, etc.after that,I'll take poplar cuttings,elderberry cutting,and various other viburnum cuttings and stick in the trail.Works great.weeds usually don't start being a problem till about the end of summer if the soil isn't disturbed. Once everything has leafed out in the spring and is actively growing you can take a bucket with the bottom cut out,put around tree or shrub and spray weed killer once weeds become a problem. After that I let mother nature take over.Keep my best ones protected,the others I allow to be browsed and become bushy.

 

[Smokinbenelli]

This is why I love this site. It's almost like cheating. Having so many let others know how they were successful. I'm not saying that every successful planting for one guy will work for everyone else, but you can definitely look at several different methods and use what best fits your soil, location and animal population.
Unfortunately though this is why I am up in the middle of the night still reading on this forum.