The Brushpile

[Brushpile]

Button Bush is a water loving shrub found growing on river banks, the edge of ponds, and moist areas. Deer browse Button Bush, which is a large spreading shrub that provides habitat for deer and waterfowl. Button Bush can be propagated by cuttings and is sold rare root from the MDC.

 

[Brushpile]

Buttonbush also tolerates dry conditions and I was surprised to see Buttonbush growing on arid Southern Kansas prairie! This is the native range of Buttonbush:
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CEOC2

 

[dogdoc]

I have quit a few bb plants in my place. I propagated several to plant around my duck pond. I have read where they are foraged by deer but haven't witnessed it.

They are a hummingbird magnet.

 

[Brushpile]

I was surprised to see Buttonbush on parched dry land West of Coffeyville, KS., since Buttonbush likes moist soil.

Buttonbush as a browsed species, is more important in some regions than others, as diet varies to meet nutritional requirements, but browse is essential, even for farm raised deer.

 

[Jack Terpack]

CONSOL Oil and Gas company was a huge coal company in PA. They own thousands of acres of land. Near our PA property they are doing a wetlands remediation project. We were talking to one of the state experts on hand. He is in charge of making sure the requirements are fulfilled. He especially keeps track of the plantings of beneficial trees and shrubs. We asked him about the selection of plants and the reasoning behind the diversity. One of the questions asked was what plant he would recommend above all others as a browse planting for deer. He quickly said Buttonbush. He claimed it is the single best browse and cover plant available.

 

[Brushpile]

That's interesting Jack. Buttonbush is a big shrub, that can grow to 10', so it'll provide plenty of browse and cover. I was looking for something to plant around the pond, which rises and falls, flooding and then leaving plants high and dry. After seeing Buttonbush growing on the prairie, and knowing that Buttonbush will send roots into the water of the pond, I'm going with Buttonbush. I currently have a few Buttonbush where a dripping spring drains onto the flood plain.

 

[Brushpile]

Allegheny Chinkapin produces palatable hard mast fast. This pic shows a 2 year old AC that's loaded with Chinkapins.

 

[Brushpile]

Sweet Green Crabapple from Oikos. Crabapples and Pears to well where it's too hot and dry for apples.

In contrast, this is an apple.

This is drought Kieffer Pear, which deer will eat.

This is a drought Oriental Pear, which deer have to beat me too!

 

[dogdoc]

Is that a Korean Giant pear?

 

[Brushpile]

Is that a Korean Giant pear?

I think so. I planted a couple varieties of Oriental Pears and once out on the property I don't keep track of them, but the scions I sent you were from my yard tree, which is Korean Giant. The Korean Giant in the yard is planted in baseball sized rocks with dirt in between, and has survived 5-6 years of drought. I'll try to remember to get a pic of it, it's one tough tree.

This is my source foe Oriental Pears.

http://centuryfarmorchards.com/descripts/osadescriptspears.html

 

[outdoorstom]

Thanks for the button bush info....I'm going to try some in the duck pond field.

 

[j-bird]

Brush - you have so much info here I want your top 5 to 10 wildlife shrubs and small trees list! I had my second logging earlier this year and I will be ordering/purchasing trees from my state soon.....I need to know what I can plant to promote cover and food in my understory now that I have lots of light available now. My sites will vary from wet to dry and from upland to bottom land so I need the full bag of tricks!

Your thread here is awesome.....I will be honest in that I didn't follow it on the other forum.....but I was obviously missing out.

 

[Brushpile]

The only thing you'll produced by planting in the woods is sweat. After your logging, the forest floor will spring to life with saplings, so you don't need to plant anything, and if you do saplings will out compete it. If you have some bare ground to plant, I recommend American Wild Plum, and in your moist areas go with Silky Dogwood and Button Bush. Silky Dogwood is thicket forming and is bedding, cover, and browse. You can't go wrong with Plum, Silky Dogwood and Buttonbush.

The top plants depend on your location, but the plants I list in my thread are all top plants.
Google the name of the plant and USDA to learn about it. Here I Googled Silky Dogwood USDA.
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=COAM2
Then I clicked on "Characteristics" and it gives you everything you need to know to grow Silky Dogwood.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfile?symbol=COAM2

The plants I recommended would grow well in your CRP. The Booner in my avatar was recovered from a wild plum thicket.

 

[j-bird]

The only thing you'll produced by planting in the woods is sweat. After your logging, the forest floor will spring to life with saplings, so you don't need to plant anything, and if you do saplings will out compete it. If you have some bare ground to plant, I recommend American Wild Plum, and in your moist areas go with Silky Dogwood and Button Bush. Silky Dogwood is thicket forming and is bedding, cover, and browse. You can't go wrong with Plum, Silky Dogwood and Buttonbush.

The top plants depend on your location, but the plants I list in my thread are all top plants.
Google the name of the plant and USDA to learn about it. Here I Googled Silky Dogwood USDA.
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=COAM2
Then I clicked on "Characteristics" and it gives you everything you need to know to grow Silky Dogwood.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfile?symbol=COAM2

The plants I recommended would grow well in your CRP. The Booner in my avatar was recovered from a wild plum thicket.

I have a few areas where I have bare soil and I can keep it that way so that was why I asked. I can even possibly plant thru lumite and the like - my concern is that just letting nature do her thing is because I will get more of the same.....I'm looking for some diversity and you seem to have the most hands on experience with many of these options. I will give those 3 a look and maybe a few others as well.

 

[Brushpile]

I would go with thicket forming shrubs, which means that one plant spreads to form a thicket. Elderberry should be in your mix, as well as Roughleaf Dogwood. You need cover, but shrubs are also browse. Thicket forming shrubs create cover.
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CODR

When planting thicket forming shrubs, keep them separated so they don't compete with each other.

 

[Brushpile]

Kieffer Pear tree From Century Farm Orchard. Century Farm has no minimum order and will ship in the Fall, and Fall planting helps trees survive drought.

 

[Brushpile]

The most browsed tree on The Brushpile... Mulberry. Mulberry is used by deer, Turkey, squirrels, birds. coon... Where there is Mulbery there is wildlife.



This Mulberry was cut, to return browse to deer level.

 

[Brushpile]

Oriental Pear. Oriental Pear and Kieffer Pear are two late dropping pears. In good soil with a reasonable amount of rain, these Korean Giants would be the size of softballs! These have another month or so to grow.



Not full grown, but looking good, even though it's been a dry Summer!

Despite a bad Spring, this tree is loaded. Dogdoc, your scions were off this tree.

 

[Brushpile]

I have to show off my 25 pound cantaloupe! I bought a nice cantaloupe last Winter and saved the seeds. This melon came from South of the border, maybe Chile. I fear I've introduced an exotic killer melon; it weights about 25 pounds, and it's not the biggest.

 

[dogdoc]

That is one monster cantaloupe.

Hope my pears turn out as nice as yours.

Todd