Remote tree watering

[JohnL48]

Any ideas on a watering system for these chestnut saplings ? My property is 2 hrs away and trees will be planted 125 yds from water source.

 

[cutman]

Can you collect rain near them?

 

[JohnL48]

They'll be in the middle of a field. I'm wondering if it would be better to plant in September ?

 

[cutman]

I definitely would not plant them in the summer if you can’t water them frequently.

125 yards is not that far to run a hose/irrigation. Certainly possible if you’ve got good water pressure.

 

[yoderjac]

They'll be in the middle of a field. I'm wondering if it would be better to plant in September ?

The best practice is to keep them at home where you can care for them until they go dormant. If you want those canvas bags to act as air pruning containers, they need to be elevated so air can get below the bag rather than setting them on a solid surface. I don't know what areas you are in or the climate in your area.

Having said that, trees grown in root pruning containers act differently than bare root trees. Bare root trees cannot be planted in the summer. It takes them several years to start growing because the rootball has been removed. The old saying is "year 1 - Sleep, year 2 - Creep, Year 3 - Leap."
Root pruned trees are different. IF properly planted, the rootball is undisturbed. They begin growing almost immediately. If your climate provides adequate rain during the summer, or if you provide supplemental water when needed, you can plant them in the summer. While this is not best practice, it can be done. You chances of success go up if you wait until the are dormant. Don't go by a hard date. Watch the trees and wait for them to go dormant.

 

[yoderjac]

I definitely would not plant them in the summer if you can’t water them frequently.

125 yards is not that far to run a hose/irrigation. Certainly possible if you’ve got good water pressure.

I would not recommend automatic watering for young chestnut seedlings. They are very sensitive to watering. They don't like wet feet. They like to be saturated and then dry out before being saturated again.

 

[yoderjac]

From looking at the picture, I'd guess those bags are nominally 3 gal. Those trees are far too small for the root ball to have filled those bags yet. When I was using 18s and the Rootmaker RB2 container system, I had pretty good success when planting when the root ball filled a 1 gal container (trees would be slightly bigger than those in the picture), but I had 100% success if I waited until they filled 3 gal RB2s before planting them.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I would keep them at home and manage as described above

Water as needed and plant them in the field when they are dormant

bill

 

[KSQ2]

From looking at the picture, I'd guess those bags are nominally 3 gal. Those trees are far too small for the root ball to have filled those bags yet. When I was using 18s and the Rootmaker RB2 container system, I had pretty good success when planting when the root ball filled a 1 gal container (trees would be slightly bigger than those in the picture), but I had 100% success if I waited until they filled 3 gal RB2s before planting them.

This answers one of my questions too, thanks...

 

[JohnL48]

So they will be planted in zone 8, southern catskills NY, consensus is plant when dormant, what about the option of keeping another winter and spring planting ?

 

[yoderjac]

So they will be planted in zone 8, southern catskills NY, consensus is plant when dormant, what about the option of keeping another winter and spring planting ?

When I was starting my chestnuts in the root pruning container system under lights in the winter, I would transplant from the 18s into 1 gal RB2s in mid-April about last threat of frost here in zone 7a. I would acclimate the 1 gal trees to natural sunlight on my deck. By early summer, most all trees would fill the 1 gals and be transplanted into 3 gals. By the end of the growing season, the best 50% of my trees would have filled the 3 gal RB2s and be ready for planting when dormant.

I would overwinter the lower 50% and keep them on my deck for a second growing system and then plant them when dormant. It is important to make sure the roots don't freeze hard over winter and the tops don't get warm enough to break dormancy. Depending on your climate, some folks burry the containers or cover them with straw. I had a room in my house that I closed off from heat and opened the window. In my area that kept the roots from freezing and the tops from breaking dormancy. They do need some water during winter but not like when they are actively growing. I know folks who have used an unheated attached garage to overwinter tyrees.

I don't see any value in overwintering them to plant them in the spring unless you have some time constraint in the fall you don't have in the spring. Overwintering takes some effort and they are generally better off in the field during winter. The only reason I can see to overwinter them is if you they need a second growing season with TLC for the roots to fill a 3 gal root pruning container.

 

[JohnL48]

When I was starting my chestnuts in the root pruning container system under lights in the winter, I would transplant from the 18s into 1 gal RB2s in mid-April about last threat of frost here in zone 7a. I would acclimate the 1 gal trees to natural sunlight on my deck. By early summer, most all trees would fill the 1 gals and be transplanted into 3 gals. By the end of the growing season, the best 50% of my trees would have filled the 3 gal RB2s and be ready for planting when dormant.

I would overwinter the lower 50% and keep them on my deck for a second growing system and then plant them when dormant. It is important to make sure the roots don't freeze hard over winter and the tops don't get warm enough to break dormancy. Depending on your climate, some folks burry the containers or cover them with straw. I had a room in my house that I closed off from heat and opened the window. In my area that kept the roots from freezing and the tops from breaking dormancy. They do need some water during winter but not like when they are actively growing. I know folks who have used an unheated attached garage to overwinter tyrees.

I don't see any value in overwintering them to plant them in the spring unless you have some time constraint in the fall you don't have in the spring. Overwintering takes some effort and they are generally better off in the field during winter. The only reason I can see to overwinter them is if you they need a second growing season with TLC for the roots to fill a 3 gal root pruning container.

I overwintered them once. Planted them in an old garden with netting around them and covered with a thick layer of mulch. Every tree did great

 

[MarkDarvin]

Don't water. It's a tremendous time suck and also takes away from your time to do more work advancing the cause. Mulch them heavily with wood chips and let them go. If they make it, they make it. If you've got critter concerns in your mulch, spring for cedar wood chips. If you must, make your mulch 8" deep, just keep it off the trunks.

If you really want to run up the score, put down an inch of composted manure, and then an inch of sawdust, and then a weed mat and a hefty load of mulch. If they don't make it with that setup, it wasn't meant to be.