Thoughts on building a tree nursery

[KDdid]

Finally knocked together a framework for this tree bed- 2X6 8'X3', dug down about 6-8 inches.

Filled with straw from the chicken coop.

Chicken approved!



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[Oakseeds]

While labor intensive, there is one very good reason for growing your own trees. You can TRY to select/grow the best wildlife habitat tree possible. Specifically, with regard to oak trees, there are several desirable characteristics of an excellent habitat tree; 1.) you want an oak tree that fruits often - say 4 out of 5 years, 2) you want an oak tree that produces lots of acorns when it fruits, 3.) you want an oak tree that produces large acorns - for deer, 4.) you want a tree that has the latest drop time possible - e.g. Oct. / early Nov. if possible and 5.) you would like an oak tree that matures early with respect to nut production. When you order seedlings from any source other than growing them yourself from seeds off of trees with known characteristics, you may or may not get lucky with regard to the characteristics listed above. The ideal way to max. the probability of getting great trees is to monitor trees for a few years to determine if they have the desirable qualities; then, collect fruit from them and grow your own seedlings/container trees. If you direct seed into final location sites, it is very easy to plant 25 potential trees.

 

[Weasel]

No disagreement there Oakseeds, you are correct. However, the one big problem you didn't mention was time. It's possible to do what you say if you start young and have years and years to monitor trees for desirable qualities. A lot of us didn't inherit land and we got old while we were making and saving enough money to finally buy some land. I'm 42 and I don't have 20 plus years to wait for acorns & fruit. I need faster results so I'll use the time I don't spend planting acorns to work overtime to pay someone who figured this out with superior root stock and varieties to give me what I need within years instead of decades. But again, there's nothing wrong with planting seeds for the next generation. Everyone should be doing that. I'm just speaking realistically for us older guys who might only have 20 more years in the field.

 

[Weasel]

Finally knocked together a framework for this tree bed- 2X6 8'X3', dug down about 6-8 inches.

Filled with straw from the chicken coop.

Chicken approved!



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Raised beds look great KD, nice work!

 

[KDdid]

Raised beds look great KD, nice work!

Thanks, I've had lots of practice this spring. I built 2 deep mulch beds for garden veggies this winter that are 4'X56'. One of those projects that I've been meaning to do, and when my buddy tore off his back deck and gave me a truckload of lumber, I ran out of excuses.


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[KDdid]

So it's time to revisit this thread- acorns are starring to fall, the garden chores are winding down, and all the leaves piled up last fall are breaking down into moist, fungus infused leaf mold.

I brought home 3 bags and a tote full of black gold, and spread over the straw/chicken poop mix that has been composting all summer.

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[KDdid]

So the plan is to put acorns on top of all this, then cover with chicken wire to keep the tree rats out. The media should be fluffy enough to allow easy removal of seedlings, which I'll transplant next fall.


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[j-bird]

Looks great KDdid......your testing me though......I have thought about doing something like this as well, but I'm trying to resist the urge and just direct seed my acorns this year and take what I can get. How do you intend on limiting the root development to where they grow beyond the depth of your bed?

 

[KDdid]

That's a real problem with oaks- I guess I could move them into grow bags when small, and since I'm already doing a portion of my garden with bags, it won't be much hassle. The other option is to move them to their forever home while still small, and cage them right away, say about June.


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[KDdid]

I'm planning to do some direct seeding of acorns this fall also-I have about 50 gallon sized plastic jugs from a local cafeteria. My plan is to dig a small hole, fill with potting soil and an acorn, and put an upside down jug over them with a stake holding them in place. I'll drill a bunch of holes in the jug's bottom to
let rainwater infiltrate through.

 

[j-bird]

I'm planning to do some direct seeding of acorns this fall also-I have about 50 gallon sized plastic jugs from a local cafeteria. My plan is to dig a small hole, fill with potting soil and an acorn, and put an upside down jug over them with a stake holding them in place. I'll drill a bunch of holes in the jug's bottom to
let rainwater infiltrate through.

I did something similar except I just made a small wire cage - that way I didn't have any issue with sir circulation or moisture. I made mine about a foot tall or so and about as big around as a plastic bottle. I think those of mine I did this way stand the best chances long term. All that energy went into the roots and hopefully they survive the winter. I plan to put actual tubes on them come spring. The ones I grew in containers grew faster and bigger, but had root circling concerns and the stress of being transplanted. Biggest issue I saw in direct seeding was location.....Those in the woods did nothing, while those in the edge of my plots did real well. The sun exposure helped with growth and soil temps and germination. Growing oaks in containers is easy and fun, but after that it boils down to taking care of them and putting them in the proper places. After doing this on my own I'm not sure how folks grow 6 foot oak trees in 3 and 5 gallon containers and it be a healthy and productive tree long term. That tap root has to be virtually non-existent. I have never grown one to that extent or even bought one that size so I don't know.....all I know is that tap root is what anchors that tree in the ground and it can be pretty amazing what a little sapling can have under the soil. Good luck on your beds.....and let us know how things go.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I'm planning to do some direct seeding of acorns this fall also-I have about 50 gallon sized plastic jugs from a local cafeteria. My plan is to dig a small hole, fill with potting soil and an acorn, and put an upside down jug over them with a stake holding them in place. I'll drill a bunch of holes in the jug's bottom to
let rainwater infiltrate through.

Not following

?upside down jug?

Would you explain

thanks,

bill

 

[KDdid]

I'll do a plant-along and post some photos.

Here's the jug/jar with the holes drilled and the wire tie installed for the stake. This one held BBQ sauce in its past life.

Hole dug, back filled with potting soil, and red oak acorn in place.

Upside down jug staked over the acorn. I pushed the jug into the soil a couple of inches to discourage reaching under.

My plan is to install a cage over the seedlings as soon as they're big enough to handle the weather without covering. Just 20 yards down the field edge is an example of an oak that didn't get protection from browsing deer and rabbits, and I think I might select the best leader and cage this one before winter sets in.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Growing oaks in a bed is going to be a challenge. Those tap roots grow at a very quick speed. IF you allow them to get much size to them at all you are going to lose a high percentage when you try and dig them up a and transplant them. They under cut the root system on oaks in a commercial nursery to severe the tap root and cause a more "structured" root system.

 

[KDdid]

Growing oaks in a bed is going to be a challenge. Those tap roots grow at a very quick speed. IF you allow them to get much size to them at all you are going to lose a high percentage when you try and dig them up a and transplant them. They under cut the root system on oaks in a commercial nursery to severe the tap root and cause a more "structured" root system.

So what is your opinion on starting them here, then transplanting them to a permanent home when they're small, in their first spring? I'm also planning to do some in some grow bags, to promote air pruning, and transplanting them in the fall. I'm just not sure that I want to put seedlings in spots that are hard to get to only to have a dry hot July zap them.


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[Turkey Creek]

White oaks start growing the tap root in the fall. I would guess in most climates that tap root is 6-12" long before spring. Once they leaf out they are going to be tough to move until they are dormant, by that time depending on the variety that tap root could be 2-3' long without root pruning.

 

[Cap'n]

I did the same thing last fall. I Dug a trench and filled it with compost. I dug it about a foot deep and lined it with weed cloth to keep the roots from getting so deep that they broke off during transplanting into containers. (In hind sight I don't think that's really necessary)
I direct seeded bur oak and post oak into the trench and made a dome over it with expanded metal. It worked great. all those trees are alive and doing great in the containers they were moved to. I moved them as soon as the were 4-6 inches tall, it was no problem at all, I placed the seeds 4-6 inches apart and their roots were probably 8" long or so on most of them. I will plant them in their permanent place after the rut. The acorns and chestnuts I stratified in the fridge and planted in containers also did fine but I do prefer direct seeding and transplanting to a container because I cant fill my fridge with acorns and seeds.
Your beds look great. I also have bought and planted bareroot stock and it does very well but I like to mess with trees and the anticipation of seeds germinating in the spring and bingo you have a tree is pretty enjoyable.

 

[KDdid]

The media in this bed is probably 12-16" deep, so I'll have to stay on top of the size of the root systems as they sprout. Luckily I work second shift, so I have daylight hours to plant some trees before work every day. I'm curious to see how the direct seeding under the jugs works out, it could be a better investment of my efforts for oaks. I'm also going to be starting other seed in this bed, hopefully being able to keep them growing until fall. The roster of "other" plants? Hazelnut, wild plum, highbush cranberry, and whatever other things that might strike my fancy.

 

[Gravel Road]

I'm familiar with the watering needs of grow bags- I used them for several years growing a variety of vegetables in them. The best results I've had with growing bags has been to set them into a couple of inches of water with a float valve connected to a water source. Next time you feel like spending a hour in an online rabbit hole, Google "Self Watering Rain Gutter Gardening ".



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Thanks for that deep, deep rabbit hole Pretty cool systems out there.

 

[KDdid]

Alrighty, acorns are falling, and I am planting.

I'm getting about 2 dozen white oaks daily right now, along with SWO and reds from my yard. I'm getting pretty good at weeding out the potential floater from the white oaks, reds, not so much.


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