J-birds place
- Thread starter j-bird
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
I see your point... The thing is that the deer tend to not eat all my corn and or soybeans either... I still like the idea of going more long term and native with less work and intrusion with a native food plot.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
I took a small leap today in an order to MDC for some shrubs. The list of things to add in the future is already double this list, but I had to start somewhere. We will see how this goes... I know I got 2 things that are not native to my area, but I think have a reasonable chance. We will work on expanding over the next few years and see how it all turns out. I also am not specifically targeting deer with this project...I figure the cover aspect alone will help...and any deer food it creates will be icing on the cake so to speak.
pinetag
Well-Known Member
You got quite a nice list going and at good prices too! What is the shipping like from MDC?
j-bird
Well-Known Member
So here is how the bill shook out:
I had an actual sale of $90 (10 different species of 10 plants each @ $9 a species)
Sales tax was $5.49
Handling was $8
Shipping was $10
I got $133.49 wrapped up in 100 plants.
MDC has 3 different "bundle counts" - 10 at $0.90 each, 25 at $0.44 each and 100 at $0.36 each. I wanted more of a variety and I know it cost me to do so, but I need to see what is going to work better for me before I go nuts. They also had a much greater variety than what my state offers.
As a reference point...my DNR only offers shrubs in a bundle count of 100 and at a $32.50 total ($0.33 each).
j-bird
Well-Known Member
The site I used (USDA NRCS factsheet) said it was not distributed to IN. Maybe it grows, maybe it doesn't... I got $10 wrapped up in it....I'll gamble with $10! Most of MO has the same zones as IN so I figured the "risk" would be minimal.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Great listJ-bird. It will be kept for my review for my next season of adding shrubs. I'd definitely add Service Berry to the next top of the want list of the ones you have listed. Service berry sends up lots of shoots besides the trunk and the deer love it here and we really enjoy seeing the first blooming tree of the spring, coming soon! Crab apples are a possible plus to your list for the same reasons except that they bloom after Service Berry. How much did you figure for fencing for the 100 plants?
Also a good idea to go variety as you did. Some of your plants can be used to provide you cuttings to grow more.
Also a good idea to go variety as you did. Some of your plants can be used to provide you cuttings to grow more.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
I already have 3 chestnut crabs and 3 dolgo crabs planted. So I didn't add those to the list (they are mixed in with my other people apples - which was a whole different mistake). The wahoo and elderberry are marked because I have them already just not in the areas I plan on creating these shrub plots. I have to figure out my "fencing". Either I will use hardware cloth and make individual cages of a few feet tall or I am considering fencing the entire area off and see what happens. With only 100 plants....we will see. I figure I'll change my "plan" a few times yet.... This is n;t a fully developed plan just yet. But I knew if I didn't get the plants ordered I would find some excuse to put the project off. Sometimes I need a good kick in the pants!
g squared 23
Well-Known Member
Just wondering, where did you get your chestnut and dolgos and how are they doing
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
Chestnuts are Chestnut hill trees purchased thru my local Farm Retail store (Rural king) - they do OK...I bought them as 3 gallon trees and I have one tree that has produced nuts now for a second time. After about 3 years in the ground. I have some others that have not been in the ground as long.
My crab apples (dolgo and chestnut) came from Turkey Creek Nursery as bare root trees. I planted them last year (I think...I would have to scroll back and look to be 100% certain) and they have done well thus far. I even trimmed some off to try to promote their skyward growth over the weekend. I will certainly give Turkey Creek more business in my search for additional fruit trees. I was very impressed with the trees they sent me. Fell free to scroll back in this thread and take a look.
I water all my trees thru the summer for at least their first year in the ground. My soil here is very coarse and drains well with very little clay, so until the trees get roots established summer can be tough on them. I also tend to only add a few trees every year and expand as my time and budget allow. I will be buying more chestnuts for sure and will more than likely be looking for another variety of crab as well...just for diversity.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
So yesterday I planted 100 trees and shrubs. I took my south bottom food plot and essentially reduced it in half. I paced of a 10 x 10 grid on roughly 10 foot spacing and marked each spot with a blue flag. Then came the work. I planted with a shovel and did a lot of bending and man is my back not liking that today! Arrowwood, spicebush, nannyberry, ninebark, persimmon, black haw, beauty berry, buttonbush, rough leaf dogwood and aromatic sumac.... I also did something pretty smart on my end...I used a marker and put a code on the flag as to what was planted there...because I know I am going to forget! I also had a few acorns and put them out as well...chinkapin and SWO. We will see how things progress over time. I don't expect everything to make it, but if 1/2 do I'll be pretty happy. My intent is to simply provide a seed source and to allow mother nature do the rest. I will hopefully select another area with a different selection of shrubs and the like and do it again next year.
Plants came from MDC and I was pretty happy with them. Some where small, but some where in great shape.... Plants came in 2 shipments earlier in the week so I just kept them soaked in water...some where starting to wake up. I will certainly look back at MDC next year. They also are easy to work with if there are issues as originally there was some availability issues, but they stayed in touch via e-mail and I got what I originally ordered...
Plants came from MDC and I was pretty happy with them. Some where small, but some where in great shape.... Plants came in 2 shipments earlier in the week so I just kept them soaked in water...some where starting to wake up. I will certainly look back at MDC next year. They also are easy to work with if there are issues as originally there was some availability issues, but they stayed in touch via e-mail and I got what I originally ordered...
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
I must have interrupted their stroll from one pond to another...as there are 3 in this area that they like to use.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
So...with the long weekend I tried to make the most of the opportunity. With scattered rain in the forecast all 3 days....it was get while the getting was good!
Priority #1 was my annual food plots planting. I ran down to the local coop and got a bag of year old RR seed for $15. I was pretty pleased about that. I had 3 plots to plant and was struggling with a means of how I was going to split the seed up evenly. I used a funnel and some 2 liter pop bottles....and to my surprise 1 2 liter bottle filled my hand broadcaster up nicely. It was real easy to even split up the seed and was easy to work with, but took a little up front work.
From a planting perspective the ground was still a little wet with some areas still having standing water. But I had to get this done because the next 2 weekends where not a reality.
I had mowed the weeds off and tilled everything under. Broadcast the seed and then simply pack with the tractor tires.... This ensures good seed to soil contact and should limit what the birds take off with.
I was also dressed for comfort....I know in another thread someone asked about what sort of boot we all use for habitat work. Flips flops!
I was eventually chased back home by a rain cell....but we took the opportunity and went and visited the folks!
Priority #1 was my annual food plots planting. I ran down to the local coop and got a bag of year old RR seed for $15. I was pretty pleased about that. I had 3 plots to plant and was struggling with a means of how I was going to split the seed up evenly. I used a funnel and some 2 liter pop bottles....and to my surprise 1 2 liter bottle filled my hand broadcaster up nicely. It was real easy to even split up the seed and was easy to work with, but took a little up front work.
From a planting perspective the ground was still a little wet with some areas still having standing water. But I had to get this done because the next 2 weekends where not a reality.
I had mowed the weeds off and tilled everything under. Broadcast the seed and then simply pack with the tractor tires.... This ensures good seed to soil contact and should limit what the birds take off with.
I was also dressed for comfort....I know in another thread someone asked about what sort of boot we all use for habitat work. Flips flops!
I was eventually chased back home by a rain cell....but we took the opportunity and went and visited the folks!
j-bird
Well-Known Member
So other things that I got done/noticed over the weekend.... Some good, some not so good...
The not so good.... This WAS my best chestnut tree (got nuts last year). As you can tell it looks D-E-A-D....I cut it back and there was some green to it still, but it looks pretty bleak. The other 2 right next to it are fine. I have no idea what caused this.
Same thing for one of my 2 grafted female persimmons. One is fine....the other ....well, it's another salvage project. Once again I cut it back until I found signs of life....which was nearly all the way back to the grafted joint.
We will see what comes of this glimmer of hope....but again, it doesn't look good.
Crab apples look good.... These are my TC trees from just a year or two ago....all alive and thriving....the best ones are as tall as their 5 foot cages and some have apples starting.
My other apples are going to be spotty again this year. I have one or two that will produce out of the 5 total....
The not so good.... This WAS my best chestnut tree (got nuts last year). As you can tell it looks D-E-A-D....I cut it back and there was some green to it still, but it looks pretty bleak. The other 2 right next to it are fine. I have no idea what caused this.
Same thing for one of my 2 grafted female persimmons. One is fine....the other ....well, it's another salvage project. Once again I cut it back until I found signs of life....which was nearly all the way back to the grafted joint.
We will see what comes of this glimmer of hope....but again, it doesn't look good.
Crab apples look good.... These are my TC trees from just a year or two ago....all alive and thriving....the best ones are as tall as their 5 foot cages and some have apples starting.
My other apples are going to be spotty again this year. I have one or two that will produce out of the 5 total....
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Some other good news....found another turkey nest.
Got some more shrubs and trees planted as well....we will see what happens. The flags mark the shrubs and I seem to have roughly 80% success thus far. I mowed the rows to help give them some light. Had some left over acorns so I tossed them out as well....not sure they will do anything, but who knows.
Also got some cams out - set one up on this little plot up in the woods - there is a water hole just left of the image.
Got some more shrubs and trees planted as well....we will see what happens. The flags mark the shrubs and I seem to have roughly 80% success thus far. I mowed the rows to help give them some light. Had some left over acorns so I tossed them out as well....not sure they will do anything, but who knows.
Also got some cams out - set one up on this little plot up in the woods - there is a water hole just left of the image.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Nice looking planting job!! That's really thinking out of the box with a get it done attitude. I couldn't wear flip flops on the tractor though; would expect them to get caught on a pedal or something as I was coming off the tractor. It was probably a fluke thing but a friend of mine who probably had "jumped" off his tractor a million times had a flip flop get caught as he dismounted the tractor and he went down pretty hard. He recooped OK but it wasn't overnight.
