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Planting for long-term health- like the red oak on Payne

2010-04-06T16:32:00.010-05:00

Red oak trees of this size, as seen in the picture on the left, are not the most common shade providers within St. Paul, Minnesota- at least not as the centerpiece of an urban landscape. The reason for this is that workers and machinery very often damage them during home construction, or there may be stem-girdling roots from initial planting, etc. However, trees of this size in “older” communities like St. Paul are more common in parks, open green spaces or within mini urban woods.

However, how did this tree grow to 38” DBH and tens and tens of feet tall in East St. Paul, while being located in a front yard with a house 15 feet away and a road 10 feet in the opposite direction?

My interest in the history of this specific red oak tree began when we had it removed from our front lawn this February :(. This giant of a tree was taken down for reasons of decay and danger (I’ll leave it at that) and took with it a majestic presence in our neighborhood. We distributed the wood to several people for firewood purposes, saved some for ourselves, had the tree company chip the twigs for us to use as mulch and left the stump so that our ‘chicken of the woods’ mushroom could still be harvested (anxiously awaiting to see if this tactic will work for getting more mushrooms in the future. Picture at left shows the beautiful mushroom from the crop of '09). Anyway, with the stump remaining I was able to look at the growth rings and counted ~125 years of growth. A red oak tree that was 125 years old we just had removed!?!? A tree that has been growing and gracing our avenue for 125 years is now pieced in firewood piles and naturally decomposing in our mulch beds. But one would think, a tree that old, has to have some stories and I wanted to discover some of those secrets.

Our neighbors so graciously shared with me their Abstract of Title that actually specifies the quadrant of land our house resides in. According to this abstract, John Wilson purchased 80 acres, the W ½ NE ¼ Sec 20 T29 R22 in 1850. If you’ve ever read an Abstract of Title you know the legal land verbiage that is used and can possibly understand how I had a hard time understanding what went on here. But I do know this: the 1/8^th then became a 1/16^th by 1869 and was further subdivided in 1886 by a Egbert G. Handy, which just so happens to be nearly the exact time of our red oak seed germination!

But back to the land- I wasn’t able to decipher if the current residential lots were established in 1886 so each current lot just sat empty until someone built on it, or if this particular lot was an extension of our neighbor’s house. Knowing that would help to clarify the origin of this particular tree. Either way, our house was built in 1955, which obviously means that the people who built this

house, did not plant this tree. When this house was built, the craftsmen intentionally identified this tree as worthy of its landscape value and let it continue to exist. Of course, by the time this house was built the tree was already at least 70 years old, which means it already did have a sizeable diameter so could have been easily appreciated and valued.

At the other end of the block is another 39” DBH white oak that is still standing and hasn’t been increment bored but we will assume it is from the same era ~1880’s. In the middle of these two trees is a house that was built in 1892: our neighbor’s house.

Okay, so some answers are solved and some of the stage has been set but really this tree’s early history will remain a mystery.

Now a question is this: did Egbert G. Handy have these trees planted from nursery stock, transplant naturally grown trees or are these seed germinated trees that sprouted and survived? Did Egbert have these trees planted because he knew that someday they’d be in plots of homesteads? That question does seem a little funny…I mean really, how many trees were planted that were nursery grown in the 1880’s? Well, we do know that at least elm species were planted from nursery grown stock in the early 20^th century based on the historical research done by Chad Giblin for his book, “Pruning young elms.” But what about red and white oaks that were planted at least 20 years earlier?

Because this is only a blog post and not a research paper, I’m going to just admit that I can only speculate, make assumptions, and continue with my pastoral idealism to come to this conclusion: these trees began their lives when planted by a chubby little squirrel in the 1880’s. They grew up among several other siblings but for some reason, they were identified as notable trees that were valuable enough to leave and build houses and roads around.

It’s worth noting in this assumption of mine, that because these trees were more than likely planted by squirrels- without the root pruning, container encircling, stem buried root ball- the tree was able to e

stablish itself with a “normal” root system that then allowed its life to be extended and last until the ripe old age of 125 years. I do want to point out that if this tree was not so close to our house but in the forest, we can speculate that it would have continued to survive for probably another at least another 100 years.

Doing mini research for this article has been a lot of fun in that I’ve been able to imagine what this area looked like prior to its subdivision in 1886. But I can’t forget the main message and why I began this search- we removed a ~125 year old red oak!

I would like nothing more than to replace what I took down- a 125 year old tree. In order to do that I need to put into action the steps that are necessary to establish a tree that can live through its maturity without having the early demise that most urban planted trees have.

There are several reasons urban trees don’t live to their natural age. But again, because this is not an arboriculture paper, I’m just going to focus on planting and planting for long term health, which includes a healthy root system. There are certain things you can do to get your tree growing with a “normal” and “proper” root system that does not include girdling, twisting or distorted roots. Alternatively, you can do it the easy way, do not plant a containerized or balled and burlapped tree uprooted from the nursery. Instead mimic nature or squirrels: plant a bareroot whip or seed- plants that don’t have 90% of their root system removed during the transplanting process from a nursery. You can make the process of transplant shock non-existent by planting a seed and almost non-existent by planting bareroot.

Is planting a seed or bareroot whip for long-term health advisable? In St. Paul, rabbits are a huge problem and would nip the emerging leaves and stem every year. Is there a way that damage can be prevented? One way trees can get off to a healthy start by being planted bareroot or seeded is by protecting them with treeshelters (tree tubes). Tree tubes offer the benefit of acting as a mini-greenhouse while protecting the buds and stem from rabbits until the trees are large enough to be beyond the rabbit browse line, even if we do get a lot of snow!

Using tree tubes is the best way I’m going to get established a tree- bareroot or seeded- that has a functional root system that will carry the tree into maturity for a long life. This planting strategy and planting materials is the most guaranteed effort for accomplishing my goal of replacing the 125 year old red oak I so shamefully had removed.

I'll find these tree shelters at plantra.com

Treeshelters & Winter Die Back: That Was Then, This Is Now

2010-01-19T10:13:00.005-06:00

This 1997 research study appears prominently in web searches for treeshelters. The conclusions reached by Doug Lantagne and Raymond Miller at that time and on that study site were that solid wall treeshelters did not increase height growth and were not successful in helping to regenerate red oak. Naturally, we are often asked about this study and others like it.

Our answer often surprises the questioner: They were right. And then we elaborate: They were right then, but they wouldn't be right today due to the dramatic changes and improvements in treeshelter (tree tube) design.

The Lantagne/Miller paper was the result of six years of testing, meaning that the seedlings were planted and treeshelters were applied either in 1990 or 1991. Keep in mind that the first treeshelters were imported to the USA from the UK only in 1988, and were commercially available only in 1989. These were early days.

The researchers - and everyone using treeshelters back then - were using a product that,
1) Clearly had fantastic potential to solve several problems limiting the success of hardwood regeneration, especially deer browse, weed control (by shielding seedlings from herbicide spray, not to mention clearly marking seedling location amidst the brush), and moisture/drought stress
2) In retrospect were perfectly suited to the moderate, maritime climate of the United Kingdom, but were ill suited in several important respects for the climatic extremes of North America. The moderate climate of the UK was very forgiving on treeshelter design characteristics that our more extreme climate later exposed as design flaws.

The two most important design changes during that period of time have been: Recognizing the importance of tube diameter in promoting thicker stems and balanced root/shoot ratio, and the revolutionary introduction of ventilation. Both topics are covered in more detail here and here.

In the early days of treeshelter use in the USA reports of initial growth acceleration followed by a period of slow growth that allowed un-tubed trees to catch up were common. Why was this? Ironically, it was not until treeshelters were adapted on a large scale for use in commercial vineyards (and were re-dubbed "grow tubes") that we had to controlled & uniform growing conditions necessary to learn the answer: Diameter. In small diameter tubes (and those early treeshelters came in nested groups where the diameter of the inside tubes was too small) the leaves shade each other and the stem to a much larger degree. This in turn triggers a "shade avoidance" growth response in the tree - it shoots upward for light, but invests little growth energy in thickening its stem or developing roots. Upon emergence from the tube and exposure to full sun and wind, the tree then slows or even halts height growth while it reallocates growth energy into stem thickness and root growth... thus allowing un-tubed trees to catch up (provided they hadn't been eaten by deer!).

Plantra Tree Tubes have a much larger diameter - 3.9 inches - than the average diameter of those early treeshelters. The result: Much more balanced growth while inside the tube, so there's no need for the "rebalancing" period upon emerging from the tubes. Growth builds on growth, and there's no chance for un-tubed trees to catch up.

The Michigan State researchers mention winter die back as the main reason un-tubed trees caught up to or surpassed those in solid wall treeshelters, and they were right. This was a real problem throughout the 1990's with solid wall treeshelters. After a summer of rapid growth hardwood seedlings in those early solid wall treeshelters would simply keep right on growing deep into the autumn; they did not get the moisture (drying) and temperature signals they need to initiate dormancy. They were the forestry equivalent of hothouse orchids. Consequently when the first killing frosts of autumn came these trees often suffered significant die back from the tip down. It was better than getting eaten by deer, and eventually the trees would re-sprout and emerge from the tubes early enough in the growing season to properly harden off for winter, but it was far from ideal.

The introduction of the vented treeshelter has solved this. Ventilation has several benefits - increased stem thickness, increased rate of CO2 exchange for optimal growth - but the most immediate and dramatic was the virtual elimination of winter die back of hardwood seedlings in treeshelters. Ventilation equalizes temperatures in & out of the tubes. And while the seedling still enjoys the moisture-stress reducing benefits of wind protection, vented tubes don't create the hothouse climate that leaves seedlings exposed to frost damage.

Since we introduced our Plantra Vented Tree Tubes we have not received a single phone call or email regarding winter die back. It is simply a thing of the past.

Researchers like Lantagne and Miller perform an extremely important role, testing new ideas and casting a spotlight on their shortcomings. This was a very important piece of research, one report among many that caused and encourage those of us who have been involved with treeshelters since the beginning to question long-held assumptions about treeshelter design and performance and try new ideas like ventilation that were once considered to be heresy among treeshelter makers.

The result: A Plantra Tree Tube design that is ideally suited to both hot and cold temperature extremes of North America... with more advancements on the way.

Lantagne and Miller were right about tree tubes at that time, but that was then and this is now!

Trucks are Tree Tubes Too!

2009-12-17T00:07:00.018-06:00

"Perhaps one in a billion seeds becomes a mature tree." Dr. Edward F. Gilman

So what does that have to do with an ugly boxelder tree growing through the rotted out floor of a Dodge pickup truck? Glad you asked.

The first sentence in Dr. Edward Gilman's brilliant article Roots of change for the better has the "billion to one-shot" claim for a seed. He goes on to list many of the hurdles a tree seed faces trying to get established. We seel product to overcome those problems at www.plantra.com. With this post I want to talk about where that billionth seed must grow to become a tree.

Seeds are tasty and need protection from herbivores. Seedlings are delicate and also need shelter from drying winds and intense sunlight. Some of the problems a seedling faces include rodents, rabbits, deer, wind, and drought. A tree seedling needs enough sunlight for photosynthesis but it cannot compete out in the open for water and sun with grasses and weeds.

Where can a poor defenseless seed find a place in nature to germinate that provides all that protection to overcome the billion to one odds? This magical or miracle location must be free of seed eating animals, protected from rabbits and deer, partially shaded against the drying sun, and not have competing weeds. Now we know why trees play the odds and produce so many seeds.

My two favorite examples are rock crevices and the brushy tops of fallen trees. Hard to imagine those two environments have anything in common, but both have the potential under ideal weather conditions to protect and nurture a seed.

A seed in a rock crevice is partially shaded and has all the moisture in the crevice for itself. What about rodents? Well, voles and mice will not leave the cover of weeds. Why? Because rodents fear death from above brought by raptors. While there might be some weeds in the rock crevice, a thin line of grass does not provide attractive cover for rodents. So hard as it is to believe, a crack in a rock can be a great place for a tree to start life. Took the picture below last spring in Colorado outside of Estes Park. And yes that tree is growing straight out of a rock - as were many others in the area.

Why is a fallen tree top a great place for a seedling? Remember we are talking billion to one shot odds, so it is OK to line up the coincidences.

Many seeds need contact with mineral soil or bare dirt to germinate. What better way to scrape away some leaf duff on the forest floor than branches crashing to the ground? Big animals such as deer cannot penetrate the dense mass of compressed branches protecting our new seedling.

Voles are likely to seek the raptor free shelter of a fallen tree, so how do our fortunate seed and seedling survive? Good shelter is hard to find and our lucky brush pile is also home to a family of snakes, or skunks if you prefer. We don't have to kill all the rodents to grow a tree. We just have to give them a good reason to go elsewhere. Snakes are a great reason for mice to go elsewhere and snakes don't eat trees.

What about weeds? A forest floor has inches of natural mulch to block weeds. Our tree seed is in a small spot where the mulch was scraped away. It will take a while for the small forbs to get through the duff (mulch) and catch up to the larger tree seedling.

Underneath the truck bed it is weed free, protected from drying sun and wind. The seed germinates and the radicle grows directly into mineral soil. The truck bed provides cover for a carnivore that keeps the rodents away. There is a small gap in the rotting floor boards. The light seeking apical meristem pours all the available energy into growing through that gap and into the sunlight. It still has to get past the deer. Our fortunate seedling is protected by the structure of the pickup bed.

While keeping four hooves on the ground the deer mouth can only reach so far in and our box elder is just out of reach. Now if box elder was something the deer really wanted or the deer was starving the it could jump right up in the pickup bed. Fortunately box elder is mostly unwanted by man and deer - so it thrives.

Below is a copy of our Stages Of Seedling Establishment available on our website at the link. It is amazing to me how a crack in a rock, an abandoned Dodge pickup truck, a brush pile and a tree tube all provide the nurturing micro-environment a seed needs to overcome the nearly insurmountable odds to become an established tree.

Can a deer repellent protect acorns from rodents? Plantra wants to know.

2009-12-06T21:55:00.010-06:00

What might a chew hole in a big blue trashcan teach us about protecting acorns from squirrels?

The trashcan supplied by BFI lives behind our home and sits under the spreading limbs of a massive - by Minnesota standards anyway - bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) that predates statehood. In a good acorn year, I have counted 14 Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in that tree happily snipping branches to make it easy to gather the acorns. We have a huge population of gray squirrels.

These squirrels behave as though the trashcan is just a big nut or a big acorn. The squirrels immediately begin gnawing on the edges until they get at the garbage. (Anyone for a flavorful city squirrel stew?) As always happens, by last spring the big blue trashcan was Swiss cheese. The trash haulers replaced it and the process began anew.

Last May when the new can arrived I decided to see if Deer Guard Repellent could break the cycle. The gnawing had already begun and was confined to corners and edges. I painted the holes that were started and then all around edge of the deck lid. The manufacturer says one application lasts 4 months. Well... we held the squirrels off for 6 months with Deer Guard. If you want to try it I recommend the quart size in a spray bottle.

The advantage of Deer Guard over all the other repellents is that it lasts when the others wash off in the rain.

This experience got me thinking when last week we received an email about protecting direct seeded acorns from rodents. That is a tough one. Our standard recommendation, based on years of experience, is to tell the grower to do a better job on weed control. That's right - weed control repels rodents. Clean cultivation - bare soil - keeps small rodents away because they are afraid of death from above. Hawks and owls easily pick off exposed rodents, so they stay in the safety of tall grass.

Weed control doesn't help if the planting site is remote, not maintained or there is snow cover. We need another answer. While I cannot guarantee it, I think a product such as Deer Guard might protect acorns and nuts for direct seeding. Since all seeds are living - breathing organisms you do not want to paint or dip the acorns in Deer Guard. A fine mist applied sparingly should do the trick.

We need to have a few people try this under various conditions. If you have some acorns, nuts or chestnuts to test treated and untreated, I would be happy to supply a free quart of Deer Repellent. Write this week to joelais plantra.com and tell me how you propose to do the test. If I like what I read and we have not done what you want to do, a free quart of Deer Guard will be sent immediately.

Historic Kewanee Maclura Saved (without a Tree Tube)

2009-12-01T19:28:00.010-06:00

Ten days ago I received the following emergency email Guy Sternberg sent to his closest 1,000 friends. Guy was responding to this message from Jim Ream.

Guy-
. . . I have some bad news. The city of Kewanee will take down the big hedge tree on Tuesday. Safety hazard they say.
Jim

Guy wrote:

How many of you copied here can jump on this, contact Kewanee, and help persuade them to step back and think it over a little more? Before Tuesday!!! I'm sure Jim Ream can give us the phone numbers, etc. -- contact him at ream1946@yahoo.com . A photo of the tree with a detail inset of the plaque is attached.
Jim, please send the name, e-mail, and phone number of the person(s) we should contact. If you hit "reply to all" everyone here will have it. The historic Potter Farm Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera) was one of Professor Turner's original trees from the 1840s and should be given due process before being destroyed. We need to get on this NOW if we are to have any hope of changing the outcome by Tuesday.
Thanks everyone --
Guy S.

Guy Sternberg
Starhill Forest Arboretum
12000 Boy Scout Trail
Petersburg, IL 62675 (USA)
1-217-632-3685
Guy@StarhillForest.com

www.StarhillForest.com

We had two days to save the tree.

Here is Guy with the Kewanee Maclura. The problem having Guy in a picture with a tree is he makes the tree look small. (He is a "mid" 6 footer)

My wife Mitz & I spent part of a wonderful day last summer at Guy's arboretum known as Starhill Forest. Guy was instrumental in the pioneering the use of tree tubes to establish oak trees around Lincoln's Tomb. In my experience the only sure way to grow a monumental tree is to start with a very young plant and grow it where you want it. Small seedling trees easily develop root systems with well spaced radial structures that can nourish and support a tree into old age.

When we left the arboretum we were shown more historic and champion trees in a few hours than I usually see in a year.

Short story shorter. Guy and his band prevailed and saved the tree - at least for the moment. Now comes the hard part. It was trimmed to reduce the strain, but needs some permanent support. That takes money. On Monday Guy wrote the following:

Subject: Gentlemen, start your checkbooks!

We now have an official bank account established for the Kewanee Osage-orange! Mayor Bruce Tossell joined forces with the Chamber of Commerce and the local bank to set this up. The account is restricted to expenditures for the historic tree, and all withdrawals must be cosigned by at least two of the three people representing the Chamber, the City, and the Bank.

Please inform all of your friends/listeners/readers who would like to help with this project that checks should be made payable to KEWANEE OSAGE-ORANGE FUND and sent as soon as possible to:

Peoples National Bank of Kewanee, attn: Terri Russell

207 North Tremont Street

Kewanee, Illinois 61443

Plantra is sending $100. Please feel free to contribute.

The images above were taken by Jason Knowles.

Mitzi and the Zombie Trees

2009-11-19T22:13:00.014-06:00

Last summer my wife and I were on vacation in St. Louis.

We stopped at the gateway arch to take pictures inside and out. While walking around the park under the arch, I noticed a clump of ash that could provide some welcome shade. What I found was a whole stand of zombie trees. The living dead.

The ash above is in a death grip. A death grip of circling roots girdling the tree.

Girdling roots are a common problem transplanted trees such as B&B or balled and burlap trees. Planting large trees like this means you are likely to get a damaged root system and a short life span. Planting small seedlings avoids this problem and grows a tree in place with a natural root structure and the potential for a long life.

The young oak below was planted as a seedling at Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield, IL. Notice the radial root supporting the oak. The folks managing Lincoln's Tomb want oaks and they want oaks that will live well over 100 years.

This oak tree was protected with a tree tube or tree shelter when planted. That is the secret - use a Plantra Tree Tube and plant small seedlings to produce a normal root system that will support your tree for 100 years or more.

If you want more information on trees and root systems in landscapes go to Ed Gilman's web page hosted by the University of Florida.

Seedlings in Buckets or Zombie Trees in Trucks

2009-11-11T22:20:00.009-06:00

Did your zombie trees arrive one at a time in a diesel powered truck or...

...did someone hand carry 100 growing oaks up a hill to the planting site?

Moving a large tree is not the same as planting a seedling. As big as the ball of dirt looks on a moved tree, 95% of the root system was left in the ground at the nursery when the tree spade severed the root system. Sadly, the shattered ends of the severed root system will produce a thousand new roots with no room to grow and the tree will die before well its time.

Excuses will be made for a lack of or too much water. Some will blame the tree spade company, but the truth is the tree went into the ground a zombie - the living dead.

Plant a seedling. It will grow into a great tree. No more zombie trees!

Gosh, and I didn't even mention the carbon footprint of a zombie tree. This is starting to get scary.

University of Minnesota Grapevines Stolen

2009-11-09T09:24:00.004-06:00

I can't help but comment on the disheartening story first published in last Friday's Minneapolis Star-Tribune. On October 20 someone stole several plants of a very promising new grape variety. The first question is, of course, who? Followed closely by, why? Every variety introduced by the University of Minnesota represents the culmination of years of work, hundreds of crosses, and untold hours spent in evaluation.

To understand the importance of what they do, you have to go back in time. According to Minnesota Harvest, "In 1860, Horace Greeley told his audience, "Never move to Minnesota...you can't grow apples there!" This was the same Horace Greeley who was responsible for the grand command of the century, "Go West, Young Man!" For Minnesota, a pioneer land only two years into statehood, such a reputation was sure to be detrimental to efforts aimed at attracting westward-moving Easterners to settle here.

"His apple statement was true at the time. But even as Greeley spoke, a fruit-loving Minnesotan was planting and evaluating apple trees started with seeds collected from northern sources, even some from Siberia."

Somehow the fact that in order to grow apple trees in Minnesota you needed to collect seed from Siberia never made it into Minnesota's tourism brochures (Minnesota: It's like Siberia, but closer!). While Greely was disparaging Minnesota's apple growing capacity, Peter Gideon was busy breeding cold hardy applies. The name Peter apparently is an important prerequisite for skilled plant breeders in Minnesota: Peter Moe is the operations director at the University of Minnesota Arboretum, and Peter Hemstad has been responsible for the launch of many important new varieties.

The UofM launched the amazing Honey Crisp apple, which has generated $8 million in royalties for the state. Whether or not the stolen variety would have become the Honey Crisp of the (fast growing) Midwest vineyard industry we might never know - but hopefully the plant material will be recovered and we'll find out. We do know that the UofM has already introduced several important grapevine varieties including Frontenac and Marquette which are used by folks like our friends at Cannon River Winery to produce home-grown Minnesota wines that would have impressed even Mr. Horace Greeley!

We wish the University of Minnesota the best of luck in recovering the stolen plant material (and that it is in a condition that will allow for its regeneration), and in finding effective ways to prevent similar losses in the future.

(Click image to enlarge) Frontenac grapevines planted in spring, 2009 at Cannon Valley Vineyards with Plantra Grow Tubes. Planted in May, photo taken June 24.

Tree Planting as an Event

2009-11-06T17:50:00.005-06:00

Bonnie Lawrence knows how to throw a tree planting party. The city hauled out the portable band shell. Personally, I've never planted trees accompanied by a live band, but Bonnie has.

If I can be allowed to coin a phrase, Bonnie Lawrence is a Community Tree Planting Organizer or CTPO. Below Bonnie is receiving one of the many awards she has received for making St. Paul, Minnesota a better place to live.

She was the driving force behind the 1991 and 1992 tree planting at Central High School in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Merriam Park Post wrote:

Central had 66 trees in their original plan. many of those trees died over the years and Lawrence thought "it would be a nice idea to get some trees planted." She believes that it's important for people to take back the responsibility for their neighborhoods, including the planting and maintenance of trees.

One of the most incredible aspects of the Central High School tree planting is how much publicity it received and how many politicians wanted to be associated with it.

Mayor Jim Scheibel spoke.

This is then Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson

The late Senator Paul Wellstone lived nearby and also spoke and participated.

Arbor Day provided a permanent plaque to commemorate the planting.

Wish I had a better picture to capture how the trees have matured and created a campus atmosphere. That picture will have to wait for the green leaves of spring.

As someone who has lived my entire life near CHS, Thanks Bonnie

The Great Central High School Tree Planting

2009-11-05T23:13:00.008-06:00

Back in July I put together a post on the Great Central High School Urban Reforestation. Since then I have scanned 70 pictures from the original planting and learned a great deal from the woman responsible for it.

There are so many interesting things about this project I plan to break it into bits.

To me the most amazing thing about this planting is that a grove of bur oaks or any tree for that matter could start out as a tiny seedling. Those trees were seedlings in a bucket in 1991. The reason we can enjoy them today is that Bonnie Lawrence had the forsight and courage to put them in tree tubes.

This is what it looked like at the start.

I wonder how fast they would have grown in a good year?

2009-10-28T15:15:00.007-05:00

Joe and I just made a visit to Ottertail Cty, MN that closed the book on another great year of collaboration with Babe Winkelman, host of Good Fishing and Outdoor Secrets and - just as importantly in Babe's mind - steward of a property he is working (man, is he working!) to enhance for wildlife and pass down to his children & grandchildren.

Working with Babe, his wife Kris and his staff has been one of the real highlights of Plantra's history.

Plantra Tree Tubes were recently featured on an episode of Outdoor Secrets. To view the video, Click Here.

We have actually undertaken 4 projects at Babe's ranch. Keep in mind that Ottertail Cty, MN - despite its 1100+ lakes (yes, that's more than 1000 lakes in a single county!) is generally dry & windy; it's right on the edge of where the hardwood forest meets the prairie, which means it's right on the line to the west of which annual evaporative potential exceeds rainfall - especially in recent years.

1) Planting 1500 new crabapple seedlings in 4 soft mast "overhead food plots." In May 2008 seedlings (bare root 1-0 planting stock, 6 to 12 inches tall at planting time) were machine planted by the local conservation district. Six foot wide woven weed barrier fabric was installed by machine over the seedlings. We then installed 5 foot Plantra O-style Vented Tree Tubes on all of the seedlings.

So now the trees have 2 growing seasons under their belt. Recently the staff of the local NRCS office toured the ranch. They took this photo (click to enlarge).

The gentleman in the photo is more than 6ft tall... which puts these 17 month old crabapples at 8-10 feet in height. And as you can see, that level of growth is consistent throughout the food plot.

Survival? As of last count fewer than 30 trees out of those 1500 have been replaced, a survival rate of 98% under tough, windy conditions.

2) Rejuvenating a failed hedgerow of Nanking cherry, American plum and assorted other fruit-bearing shrubs and small trees. Over the course of 6 years Babe has planted more than a mile of hedgerow to provide food, cover and edge effect/travel corridors for wildlife. I should say he planted, replanted, and replanted again. After 5 years Babe had nothing to show for his efforts - at least at first glance. He pointed to the hedgerows and all you could see was 2ft tall grass. A closer look revealed hundreds - thousands - of surviving seedlings that had been kept mowed in bonsai fashion to about ankle or shin height. Babe was stuck. You couldn't see where the seedlings were so you couldn't mow or spray around them. And without protection they would never grow past the browse line.

In late May, 2008 we selected a 3/8 mile section of the hedgerow to start with. 4 foot Plantra O-style Vented Tree Tubes were applied. We have a saying at Plantra: "As long as you have a root system, you have a tree." These trees had root systems that were 3, 4 and 5 years old, a huge amount of growth potential just waiting to be unleashed... and man was it unleashed!

The first plants started emerging from the 4ft tubes on June 25 - just 5 weeks later! Here's what the hedgerow looked like as of July 3, 2009 (click photo to enlarge). After a cool July but a somewhat warmer August, the trees are even bigger now.

It's obvious how the Plantra Tree Tubes protected the trees from deer browse, and how they shielded the plants from the drying effects of the wind to keep them actively growing when un-tubed trees would have stop growing and closed their stoma to conserve limited moisture.

Less obvious, but no less important, is how Plantra Tree Tubes enabled Babe to spray RoundUp in the tree rows to eliminate weed competition for light, water and nutrients. Tree Tubes make it easy to see the trees amidst the tall grass, and they protect the trees from herbicide spray. It's hard to say which factor - deer browse protection, moisture stress reduction, or reduced weed competition - contributed most to the amazing growth. In the end it doesn't matter which matters most, all that matters is that a planting project a dedicated landowner considered to be an expensive, frustrating failure is now a resounding success.

2) Rejuvenating a failed hedgerow planting, part 2. Based on the success of the 3/8 mile hedgerow section in 2008 we decided to rescue the remaining - much longer - portion of hedgerow in 2009, which two important changes.

First, we used 5 foot Plantra Tree Tubes instead of 4 foot tubes. In 2008 deer repeatedly browse trees as the emerged from the 4ft tubes. By applying Deer Guard Repellent to the emerging trees Babe was able to get the trees past the browse line. This a great solution for landowners who are limited by their initial planting budget to using shorter tree tubes than they would prefer (hey, a 3 or 4ft tubes a whole lot better than no tube!). Spraying emerging trees with Deer Guard will provide that last bit of protection to grow them past the browse line.

As effective as the 4ft tube/Deer Guard combination was in 2008, Babe wanted to avoid the added trips to the field to spray repellent in 2009, and chose to use 5ft tubes instead.

Second, we pruned all of the deer-browsed "bonsai" trees to a single stem before applying tree tubes. This adds time and labor at the beginning but it has two huge benefits: 1) All of the growth potential stored in those huge roots would be channeled into a single stem, resulting in faster height growth (getting the terminal shoot above the browse line more quickly), and 2) Produces trees with better form - fewer lateral branches and narrow branch crotch angles.

The results? In a word: Wow!
Joe took this photo (click to enlarge) on October 23. That's me standing next to a tree that was tubed on May 20, 2009 when it was no more than knee high. It is now very nearly 10 feet tall!

85% or more of the trees we tubed just this past May have emerged from 5ft tree tubes. What's the reason for the great results? Is it the fertile soil? Babe's soil could be charitably described as "gravelly loam." A less charitable description given by someone who has spent several days driving stakes into it is " rocks." So trust me, it's not the soil.

Is it the high rainfall? Ottertail County has been in a drought for several seasons. Was it the warm, sunny summer? I just came across this amazing fact on the East Ottertail SWCD web page:

Did You Know?

Perham had only one day 90 degrees or greater this summer.

Every night this summer had temps below 70 degrees.

I think that safely rules out unusually good growing conditions as the reason for the great growth. Again, it was a combination of browse protection, moisture stress reduction and the ability to do great weed control that unleashed the pent up growth potential in those root systems.

4) Planting white oak seedlings in forest openings to enhance hard mast production. Like many farms in the region, the hillier portions of the property were not cleared for farming, and the oaks (bur and red) that benefited from period prairie fires were allowed to grow. Over time, and in the absence (and active suppression of) fire, more shade tolerant species like basswood began to gain ascendancy in the woods. Basswood is a terrific tree, but it does not produce much mast for wildlife, and you generally don't want it to comprise a high percentage of your forest composition. So Babe worked with a local logger to harvest basswood trees from the woods. This has two benefits. First, the crowns of the basswood trees were competing with the crowns of the oaks for sunlight and growing space. Removal of the basswoods will give the existing oaks more room to grow, and they will dramatically increase acorn production in the coming years. Second, it created openings for planting new oaks - and Babe choose to plant white oak to provide a different (and sweeter) type of mast than his indigenous bur and red oaks provide - to get started.

Approximately 150 white oaks were planted, each in a 5 foot Plantra O-style Vented Tree Tube. While the results are not as exciting as the crabapples or the hedgerows (no stories of 10 feet of growth in one year), the results were terrific. On our recent visit to the ranch we replaced the few oak seedlings that didn't survive with direct seeded acorns which will germinate next spring. We'll easily see the first of the oaks emerge from their 5ft tree tubes next summer, and growth will be enhanced by further clearing of brush and overstory trees that are shading our seedlings.

All in all, another fantastic year at Babe Winkelman's ranch. And the best part is knowing that these are the kind of results our customers are seeing across the country.

Beware The Leaf Clot

2009-09-26T18:44:00.007-05:00

The top picture is a bur oak leaf clot looking down a tube. You cannot see the shoot and that is bad.

The second is a side view of an Autumn Blaze Maple leaf clot.

Leaf clots are bad. They prevent gas exchange and can trap the shoot. Always prune to a single stem.

Temped to jam the foliage in the tube?

Don't own a pruner?

Don't have time to prune?

Here's more detail.

Have to admit I love the next picture - and not just because the growth and form benefits of Plantra Vented Tree Tubes are so obvious. The other reason is that there are so many lessons from these two trees.

At the bottom you can see the "leaf clot" I want to talk about. The a shoot escaped the clot and screamed to the top of the emerged and formed a new area of dense foliage.

Standard Plantra recommendations are to cut back to a single stem before installing the tube. There are three reasons for this recommendation.

Structure: First is that we want to produce a straight single stem. If you want the tree to live a long productive life, you have to get a sound structure and that means a single straight trunk.

Root System Energy: The most important thing you purchase in a seedling is the carbohydrate stored in the root system. It matters how this energy is used. If there are three shoots the energy is divided between the three and you get three short stems producing leaves that compete for light and CO2. We want one shoot to command that energy. The key to the Plantra Growth Engine is to rapidly fill the tube to the top with an array of spaced out leaves that do not overlap. We want leaves fully expanded and intercepting light through the wall with the stoma on the underside wide open and absorbing CO2 from the humid-CO2 rich air the vents move past the stoma on backside of the leaf.

Leaf Clots: A tangle of leaves can trap the shoots. In the confined space of a tube bunched leaves can form an impenetrable blockage.

Please PRUNE Preventively

This Bud Is For You - If You Want A Straight Tree

2009-09-22T00:03:00.012-05:00

On 23 June 2009 this Autumn Blaze Maple was tubed with a 4 foot tall Plantra Vented O-Style Tree Tube.

As you can see in 11 weeks there was a tremendous difference in growth.

The untubed maples are shrubby and about 17-20 inches tall and the tubed maple is 5-1/2 FEET tall with a gun barrel straight stem.

Given the fact that all 1,000 maples in this picture are under two feet and the Plantra maple is well over 5 feet, I think it is safe to say the Plantra Tree Tube made a difference. I would go so far as to claim statistical significance. If the difference is great enough - all you need is one!

Quite a difference - an important difference, but not what I want to call to your attention.

My purpose is to explain some of the hidden mysteries of plant growth in a well designed tube.

The next image is a close-up of the leaves and buds that formed just at the point the maple was emerging from the Plantra Tree Tube into full sun. There is something odd about that picture - it looks upside down. Can you see it?

Notice the dark bark has developed above the younger looking green bark.

Normally you would expect the newer parts to look newer and the older parts to look older. Not in this case.

The lower - older - stem parts were protected from intense sun, strong winds and scouring sand, so the plant kept the protected area photosynthetically active. There is chlorophyll in the stem inside the tube. This effectively increases the leaf surface area and the growth potential of the plant. Not sure if I have every read that observation before.

But that is not what is truly interesting here. Let us look at the next set of leaves below the dark stemmed area.

The first thing you will notice is the angle of the leaf stalk or petiole. It is angled upward because it developed in the restricted space of a tree tube. Next again notice the photosynthetically active green stem.

But wait... there is more.

The most significant difference between the two images is that in the upper picture small branches have emerged between the stem and the leaf stalk. Scroll back up and take a look.

In the lower picture all we have are two leaves. This two leaves only pattern continues exactly the same down the stem for all of the new growth in the tube.

Why is this significant?

It means the grower has a labor-free method to control the height of the first branches
It means the plant has not wasted energy producing useless branches
It means the grower has far fewer branches to prune
It means the stem it straighter
It means the stem is stronger - no narrow crotches or included bark
It means the stem has a more appealing form for a veneer or landscape buyer
It means more growth due to excellent air flow within the tube to replenish CO2 consumed in growth
It means no excess of fungus harboring moisture trapped by over crowded leaves and branches

There will of course be a dormant bud at the leaf site, but it will not form a branch under normal conditions.

Branches do not form readily in the tube because of the absence of blue light and a surplus of red light. Not all tubes take this important plant response to account when designing products. At Plantra we try to think of everything.

Borlaug and Plantra

2009-09-13T12:51:00.010-05:00

In November of 2008 Steve Tillmann, Chris Siems and I had an offsite meeting to set the future direction of Plantra. One of the tasks Steve set for us was writing a vision and a mission statement. I was as enthusiastic as a five-year-old wait for a shot. I think it is fair to say Chris thought it was a waste of time. Steve pulled vision and mission statements from deep within us. Much to my amazement and relief, I strongly believe in both. This morning I realized where our vision really came from and I am deeply honored to realize we are just continuing a path blazed by Norman Borlaug.

A blog entry at Instapundit noted that Norman Borlaug had passed away and had two links. One article referred to him as The Man Who Saved More Human Lives Than Any Other. The other link went to a 1997 article by Gregg Easterbrook titled Forgotten Benefactor of Humanity. That article contained the seeds of the Plantra vision.

By producing more food from less land, Borlaug argues, high-yield farming will preserve Africa's wild habitats, which are now being depleted by slash-and-burn subsistence agriculture.

Our vision
Revolutionize woody plant establishment to make agriculture lands more productive and wild lands more wild.

Borlaug's vision is not limited to subsistence agriculture in the third world. The Borlaug Effect (it deserves a name) can be seen for those who look in every practice of modern sustainable horticulture and agriculture. The beauty of the vision is the way it links Plantra's horticultural and habitat work. When Plantra Grow Tubes get a vineyard into full production a full year sooner we create a surplus of land. That saves 300 year old Coast Live Oaks in California. When Plantra Tree Tubes take a year or two off the time to produce an ornamental shade tree for sale at a lawn and garden center in Illinois, it frees up land for corn and soybeans. That in turn reduces the demand to convert CRP acres back to cropland. That means more wildlife with more wild land.

If you think I'm exaggerating, look at this example. Let's say you currently need a 100 acre field to produce shade trees for sale at Green Acres Lawn & Garden Center. It takes five years to grow the trees to marketable size. The Plantra Tree Tube produces the same tree in four years. That means you only need 80 acres to meet the demand for shade trees. What do you do with the extra land? With 20% fewer acres, less diesel fuel, less fertilizer, less herbicide, less labor and generally less of everything that goes into producing the tree for sale we have saved money and contributed to the environment. We have freed up 20 acres of land and substantially reduced the other economic and ecological impacts to produce a tree.

That was Norman Borlaug's vision and Plantra unknowingly followed in his footsteps. Maybe this is not as surprising as you think. Norman Borlaug's undergraduate degree is in forestry and from the University of Minnesota. Chris Siems and Steve Tillmann both have forestry degrees from the University of Minnesota. Coincidence? I think not.

Seedling Safety

2009-08-23T21:44:00.002-05:00

Pardon the dark image. Lee Wahlund of the Central Dakota Sportsman's Club plants trees and shrubs for wildlife forage and habitat. Even with tubes and mats the grass is so high it is easy to drive over a tree. Lee is a planner and he marks safe driving lanes to protect his trees.

The idea is simple. I didn't think to ask at the time but I think it is similar to teh channel marking system for avoiding hazards navigating a river. The safe lane to drive is between two different colored stakes. The stake on the left is yellow and orange. (Click to enlarge) The right stake is solid orange.

Now you can tell people where to drive when visiting your plantings. No need to worry... maybe... maybe not.

Best Un-Natural Forest Regeneration Ever

2009-08-16T22:38:00.019-05:00

In July the Northern Nut Growers had their 100th meeting and scheduled it at Purdue University. Purdue has a national reputation for work on black walnut. My wife Mitzi & I live in Minnesota. There are many innovative hardwood tree planters between Indiana and Minnesota. On our way back, we drove through Iowa to meet John Olds of One-Stop Forestry. We wanted to see for ourselves the directing seeding magic we had heard so much about. John was at his office in Postville, IA behind the Northeast Iowa RC&D. By the way, Mitz took most of these pictures.

John Olds and Gary Beyer of the Iowa DNR were unsatisfied with the results from traditional low-density seedling planting and decided to see if they could take an old method of reforestation called direct seeding and modernize it to make it work for hardwoods in the Driftless Area where Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota come together.

John and Gary reasoned that trees know how to grow from seed. Seed is cheap. And the highest quality timber is produced when the trees are crowded and forced to grow clean straight boles in competition for sunlight. By direct seeding a large volume of nuts, seeds and acorns, they hoped to germinate and grow over 10,000 stems per acre. Competition, the site and natural selection would sort out which trees grew where. With help from three years of weed control and Plantra Tree Tubes the landowner would have an incredible stand of hardwoods.

We followed John in his pickup out to Daryl Landsgard's farm. Every forester has his favorite client. You know the type. The grower willing to try new ideas and the one who can be counted on to do his part. No planting succeeds without an involved landowner. Daryl is an enthusiastic deer hunter and wants improve habitat. He doesn’t mind if he produces some high quality hardwood timber along the way. Even though there were seedlings every two feet in this planting, I think Daryl knew the status of every single one.

A typical planting with seedlings has about 700 stems per acre. As I wrote above, John’s goal is to over produce an incredible 10,000 or more stems per acre. It was originally thought this many plants would overwhelm the deer. It would be more than they could eat.

That is only partially true. Although deer do appear to randomly browse as they walk around, in fact deer have strong species preferences for browsing. That means with so many stems nip, the deer get selective and nip what they prefer. In John’s plantings, if there is enough oak, the walnut grows free. Walnut is a fast grower and even excretes the phytotoxic chemical Juglone to control competition. So, even though there is plenty to eat, the deer browse the defenseless oaks. John has found that he needs to use tree tubes to protect the oaks and give them an advantage over the walnut.

At Plantra we are always looking for new and improved methods to establish trees. We have the luxury of working with the best of the best. Not surprisingly, John Olds is truly one of the best. After leaving Daryl’s farm we followed John back to his house. The Olds Estate (It doesn’t have a name yet, but is more than impressive enough to deserve one) sits on the crest of a hill with a commanding view of an immense valley. John wanted to show us what Daryl’s planting would look like in a few years.

The regeneration is so dense you have work up a little courage to enter. John’s biggest problem is deciding what to thin. With so many high quality stems to choose from the choice can be a difficult one.

Darn, too much black walnut!

Direct seeding is not a new concept and has many variations. Arlyn Perkey, author of Crop Tree Management has written about a direct seeding acorns in Tree Farmer Magazine and has a photo journal on direct seeding chestnut. By the way, John Olds says he reads his copy of Crop Tree Management every year. While written for the forestry professional, Arlyn’s clear prose and minimal use of jargon make it very easy to read for anyone. Every woodlot owner should have a copy.

For direct seeding in Iowa and the Driftless Area call:

John Olds

One-Stop Forestry

101 E. Green Street

Postville, IA 52162

563-864-3586

Trail Cam: Smile, You're On Candid Camera!

2009-08-12T13:55:00.004-05:00

This little fawn seemed so intent on becoming a star, I decided she had to get a place on the blog.

Trail Cam: Caught In The Act Of Browsing!

2009-08-10T16:15:00.003-05:00

(Click on image to enlarge)
Caught you in the act! Our Cuddeback Trail Cams snapped a shot at a deer eating a seedling as it emerges from a 3ft Plantra O-style Tree Tube.

We had installed an array of tubes, from 2ft up to 5ft in height, to show the importance of taller in tubes in preventing deer browse. Keep in mind: in a 1/2 mile long section of hedgerow, these are the only three tubes that are shorter than 5ft... and it didn't take the deer long to find them and start nibbling the emerging trees.

Years ago when we first introduced treeshelters to the USA from Europe 4ft tubes were considered to be the standard for deer browse protection (they didn't offer complete protection, but browsing above the tube tended to be minimal and the tree was established enough to recover and keep growing). Nowadays there are many sites, including this one in west central Minnesota, where deer keep trees mowed off at the top of the tube if you use anything shorter than a 5ft tree tube.

Landowners doing a new planting often face a budgetary choice: Should I protect fewer trees with 5ft tubes, or more trees with shorter tubes. To resolve this quandry, ask yourself the question: What is the minimum number of trees I need to establish per acre or per X feet of windbreak in order to be successful? Then I would protect that number with 5ft Plantra Tree Tubes. If you determine that baseline success number and budget limitations prevent you from using 5ft tree tubes, the I would protect as many seedlings as I can with shorter tubes. Then, when they grow out of the top, you can treat them with Deer Guard deer repellent to protect them until the grow through the browse line.

We'd like to thank this doe for unwittingly helping us illustrate the importance of 5ft tree tubes!

Poodle Trees

2009-08-07T16:10:00.008-05:00

When we first started working with tree tubes to protect hardwood seedlings from deer browse we did not have an answer for conifers. In July we visited John Olds of One-Stop Forestry to look at his innovative use of Plantra Tree Tubes in high density direct seeding of hardwoods, but this post is about poodle trees.

A poodle tree is a conifer the deer have browsed into a coke bottle or dumbbell shape. The tree looks like it had the middle shaved like a poodle.

John planted a Fir tree in his yard. I can't remember if it was a Balsalm or a Fraser Fir. The tree is in his yard and he has a dog, but the deer still get to it. In the lower image John is facing the Fir tree by his home. Notice the large dog and the dense direct-seeded forest behind him. That forest brings the deer close to his house. It is perfect cover.

So what can be done to protect conifers from deer browse? There are two choices. 1) Build a deer exclosure with a tall fence or 2) spray with a durable and effective repellent. Deer Guard Repellent it based on latex paint chemistry so it will not wash off in a rain storm. Apply Deer Guard in Fall after the first frost but only when above freezing. The manufacurer recommends applying while temperatures are between 40-90F. Here is a link to purchase Deer Guard: http://www.plantra.com/buynow/bndeerrepellent.php

For forestry in Northeast Iowa contact John Olds at One Stop Forestry, 101 E Greene Street, Postville, IA 52162; (563) 864-3586.

PEKIN TREES PLEASE!

2009-08-07T00:12:00.012-05:00

In July my wife, Mitzi and I took a road trip to the 100^th annual meeting of Northern Nut Growers at Purdue University. Along the way, we decided to stop at some mature urban plantings to see how seedlings perform long term in the urban environment. We were looking for evidence of trees planted in treeshelters that should be long gone. I was worried I would not be able to find the trees and how would I tell the tree tubed from an ordinary tree. It was easier than I ever imagined. When I saw this tree and I knew it was too small, but it had an early 1990s Tubex Brand Treeshelter. The treeshelter was obviously reused on a new tree. This confirmed the success of the project in the eyes of the residents. I knew then we were on the right street.

The fellow walking into his home confirmed the tree in the foreground was grown in a tree tube. That did it. Time to take pictures. While Mitz moved the car around I snapped away.

Pekin had lost a large number of trees and decided to reforest the city with a lower cost technology that allowed some native trees if the owner wanted them. Small young ornament plants were offered too. These were the small samplings normally grown to large size in a nursery before extraction and planting in the landscape. In Pekin the landscape trees were grown in the landscape and never disturbed by a tree spade.

At www.plantra.com you will find a professionally done video. Just click the video link scroll down for “Tree Please!” The small seedlings were planted on the boulevards around Pekin, IL. and then protected with Tubex Treeshelters. As you can see in the pictures, affluent locations were featured.

I was so excited to see the trees. The trees look great. There are no signs of girdling roots - so common when transplanting large balled and burlap trees. The trees have the same buttressing and taper seen in healthy wild trees. The dense root systems of many large potted or balled trees choke the tree as it grows. Natural trees have wide-open root systems that allow the roots to grow large and old without crowding.

This owner on the left is also doing his tree a great favor by protecting the base from mower damage. Urban trees like the unprotected tree below are bumped and scraped continuously at the ground line. This damage kills the thin layer of living tissue just under the bark. These wounds allow deadly pathogen to enter and weaken the tree. If the damage encircles the tree, the effect is to block transport of water to the leaves and the return of food to the roots. Mulches are effective but require replacement. Personally, I prefer shade tolerant perennials. Hosta plants are a perfect choice is many locations.

The number of gorgeous homes and well cared for trees amazed me. These trees are healthy and add thousands of dollars in value to the homes they serve. Below are some more examples of beautiful homes and gorgeous trees.

"Plastic Sleeves" on "Common Oak"

2009-08-03T16:32:00.003-05:00

Question: What do they call Chinese food in China? Answer: Food.
What do they call English oak in England? Common oak.

Last night I was reading a book called "The Natural History of the Oak Tree" to my kids. Yes, I'm trying to brainwash them. The book was published in 1993 by DK Books and chronicles the life stages of two oak species common in Great Britain: Common oak (Quercus robur) and sessile oak(Quercus petraea).

I was struck by this passage about the early seedling development of these two species: "By the end of the second year, a new terminal shoot has developed from the apical (top) bud of the previous year's growth, and the sapling has its first side branches. At this stage it is still in danger of being browsed, especially by deer... In plantations and managed woodland, the saplings' prospects are improved by plastic sleeves that protect them from these browsers."

So by 1993 treeshelters/tree tubes were already in common enough usage in the UK to merit mention in a children's book about oaks. Very cool!

Of course tree tubes have come a long way since they were first introduced to the USA. By coincidence (OK, not really since I'm interested in all things oak related) I planted some Q robur acorns in 1 gallon pots this spring. All three have nearly emerged from 30" Plantra Tree Tubes - and unlike the book, all have had multiple growth flushes in the first season (click on image to enlarge).

Of course, just like in the book, their prospects have been greatly improved by the use of plastic sleeves!

Trail Cam: Almost daily sightings

2009-07-20T15:06:00.006-05:00

When we set up a pair of Cuddeback trail cams in late May to capture the same set of tree tubes from 2 different angles we picked a spot at random - a stretch of about 30 feet from within a windbreak/hedgerow planting more than a mile long. Our goals were twofold:
1) Use the motion of passing critters to create a series of time lapse photos to show the growth of the trees & shrubs (more on this in future posts)
2) To get a few good shots of deer passing through - and NOT browsing these American plum and Nanking cherry seedlings which they had kept mowed down to ankle height for 5 years.
It just goes to show that with today's whitetail deer populations, you can pick a spot at random and still get deer photographs nearly every day!

Click on the images to enlarge them.

June 12, 6:43 am
June 12, 9:25 pm
June 14, 5:56 am
June 15, 10:43 pm
June 16, 8:19 pm
I'd love to be able to claim that we are such good deer trackers that we surveyed 1 mile of hedgerow and picked the exact spot deer pass through most frequently. Fact is, we took a guess. I'm not even going to say we got lucky; I have a hunch we'd capture this many deer on film anywhere we put the cameras.

No wonder these seedlings - the ones that survived after multiple replantings - were still only 12-18 inches tall after 5 years!

Urban Forests from Tree Tubes

2009-07-15T17:03:00.000-05:00

(Spoiler: Don't anyone ever tell me again that growing great trees in the urban environment won't work with tree tubes! It works and it works great)

Back in the early 90s we were experimenting with planting seedling trees in all sorts of locations using a tree tube to nurture and protect tender seedlings. I will be covering more examples in the weeks to come.

Some applications we just "knew" were doomed. One was a planting of native trees at Central High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a long history. Famous grads include Charles Schutz of Peanuts fame and David Winfield the Hall of Fame ball player.

Some thought the planting would be a "feel good" exercise, but obviously the tree tubes would get run over by the kids. Here is what our experiment looks like today. Up against the build is an oak grove. The trees are absolutely fantastic. The trunks are thick and straight and tapered. These trees have not had any special care.

Grass grows up to the base of the tree. There is no mulch. No bark. No chips. No mats. I wish there were, but there is not.

Why plant bur oak in the city? My home in Saint Paul is not too far from here. There is a wild bur oak in my back yard I date to around 1850. In 1981 we removed a 114 year old limb that was ten feet up. These old (young by bur oak standards) trees are all over St. Paul.

Before the streets were laid out I think St. Paul was more or less a bur oak savannah. I love these old bur oaks. They survived and may have been aided by the brush fires that hit the area after all the trees were cut to support Fort Snelling. The white tail deer range was south of here when these trees were seedlings, so unlike modern oaks deer browse was not a problem.

The St. Paul bur oaks survived development. Five lived on our block when we moved here in 1981. Four remain. The largest and nicest was cut down because it had been defoliated once and the owners mistakenly thought it was dead. Bur oak is tough and a healthy tree can survive several defoliations.

Lets take a closer look at the CHS bur oak. Wow. Those trees look terrific. Beautiful trunks. Straight trunks. Yes, bur oak has a few epicormic branches, but that is normal.

If you look at the base of the tree on the left, you will see the remains of an old style Tubex treeshelter.

These tubes were left in place for at least seven years and maybe more. I'll try to find out how long. By the way, while we want you to leave the tubes on for protection as long as ten years, you should remove the tube before the trunk swells to fill and crack the tube.

I repeat, don't ever tell me tree tubes won't work in the urban forest. Tree tubes work and provide an incredible value.

The usual knock is vandalism. Look at the pictures above. If seedlings in tree tubes survive and thrive at my local high school, where won't they work? Vandalism is a fact of life, so would you rather lose a $200 B&B or a $20 seedling and tube? Your choice.

The other objection is visual impact. Plant a quality seedling in a Plantra four foot vented tree tube surrounded by mulch and you will have eye level foliage in 2-3 months. If you can delay gratification to the end of the summer, we can establish trees at 1/10th the cost of B&B.

So don't tell me it won't work and don't tell me it doesn't make sense.

America is under-planted and with emerging pathogens such as emerald ash borer getting more under-planted everyday. Plantra tree tubes will get the job done fast and at the lowest cost.

Let's start planting seedlings in our cities.

Chris Siems on Minnesota Bound with Ron Schara

2009-07-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday was Chris Siems first of three one minute talks on Plantra Tree Tubes. This episode focused on the most economical method for replacing trees lost to Emerald Ash Borer. Hit the link and scroll down to the June 12, 2009 episode. Watch the whole show or let it load and jump ahead to the 9:30 minuute mark and enjoy.

Babe Winkelman likes Plantra Tree Tubes

2009-07-15T12:50:00.000-05:00

Babe is developing a wildlife paradise in NW Minnesota. Unfortunately, the wildlife do not always cooperate. In addition to television, Babe also write a newspaper column. Here is a quote from a recent column:

After planting trees in protective Plantra tubes, I was absolutely amazed by the growth rate of the new seedlings. In one growing season they surpassed the height and girth of trees that I had planted years before without tubes.

To read the whole article go here. Scroll down on the homepage of plantra.com for a video link of babe describing his experience with Plantra Tree Tubes.

(Babe Winkelman is a nationally known outdoorsman who has taught people to fish and hunt for nearly 30 years. Watch his award-winning "Good Fishing" and "Outdoor Secrets" television shows on Versus Network, Fox Sports, Wild TV and many local networks. Visit www.winkelman.com for air times where you live.)

Dead bluebirds in shelters.

2009-06-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

The other day the following email crossed my screen.

Folks,

Today(Th., 06/25/'09), I found another dead bluebird in one of our cone shelters at Raystown. It must have died a horrible death.

The Raystown folk are looking at getting mesh covers for the cone shelters. This is dead bluebird#02 and other bluebirds have been rescued out of the cone shelters. I encourage everyone to keep their shelters wide and I discourage the use of cone shelters without mesh covers. For some reason, bluebirds like to go down into the cone shelters. They don't realize the peril.

--Rick Entrekin
Huntingdon, PA.

Plantra responded with the following offer.

Plantra will supply free nets to anyone who requests them for any brand of tube. This is an important topic.

Yes, this is an important topic and I want fill in some history, offer some alternative solutions and ask for any ideas others might have for ways to keep bluebirds out of tree tubes without interfering with tree growth.

At the risk of giving away the ending, we are now recommending installing Plantra tree tubes with stakes on the inside so the birds just walk out.

In 1989, we had the first reports of bluebirds in tubes. (I co-founded Treessentials. We sold Tubex brand.) Other species also end up in tree tubes, but bluebirds do so more than others and since bluebirds suffered significant population loss, losing a single bird is a tragedy to avoid.

The first place we went looking for help was the foreign manufacturer. Initially, they denied experiencing any problems in the UK and treated us as though we were over-reacting. They were no help at first. Later, we learned they knew of the problem. Even The Royal Society for Protection of Birds knew.

Much to my surprise there was the equivalent of a gentleman’s agreement to ignore bird death in tubes. They suppressed the problem by reasoning the tree tubes were creating needed habitat for birds to use for centuries to come. The sacrifice of a few birds was a price worth paying.

I believe they were afraid that if the public knew, there would be an outcry against tubes and tree tubes were the only effective method of ensuring the establishment of young trees in the English forest. Believe it or not, in the UK over half of all broadleaved oaks and other hardwoods are planted with four or five foot tree tubes. The reason is that they do not tolerate planting failure. They expect every tree they plant to live and provide the protection required to get the job done. Why would anyone do any less? Tubex tubes sold in America were the first to supply a free net with every tube 4 feet and over. That policy continues to this day.

From a strictly biological perspective, I cannot argue with the logic of ‘sacrificing’ a few birds for the long-term benefit of the entire bird population, but we will never be satisfied with that solution.

Once it became obvious this was a serious problem and we were not going to get help from overseas, we had to find our own solution. With great trepidation, I called Sadie Dorber who was then president of the North American Blue Bird Society (NABS). Sadie listened carefully as I described how we introduced treeshelters to the US to protect oak seedlings from deer and generally ensure a future for oaks in America. She well understood the problems of plants and animals that evolved survival skills in habitat that no longer exists. She listened and to my surprise was very understanding. Sadie agreed there was a serious problem and offered her help. Bluebirds were dying needlessly in tree tubes.

Sadie told me they had a similar problem with the ventstacks on tobacco drying sheds. The solution was a simple wire mesh over the opening. Sadie put us in touch with Jack Finch. Jack had started the non-profit corporation Homes for Bluebirds, Inc. to distribute bluebird boxes. Jack was known nationally and Dan Rather had recently profiled his efforts. Jack Finch was the “go to” guy for bluebird problems. He once built a pit under bluebird nesting boxes and filled it with snakes to develop methods to keep snakes out of the nest boxes he was producing.

We sent Jack some tree tubes. Chris Siems, one of my two partners at Plantra and the first employee of Treessentials remembers how Jack set up his test.

“He put a wood slat across the top of the tube to reduce the opening size and prevent accidental entry (falling in) by birds, then attached the tubes to stakes so the bottom of the tube was 2-3’ off the ground, and attached a collection bag to the bottom on the tubes. He monitored the tubes/bags hourly, and captured bluebirds in the bags – meaning that the birds had to be trying to get into the tubes rather than falling in.”

Based on Jack’s tests, we decided to exclude the birds. Flexible mesh tubes slipped over the top were the easiest solution. We began supplying a free flexible mesh with every tube four feet and taller. We have not had much trouble with shorter tubes. I am somewhat surprised by the incident mentioned in the email at the beginning since it was in a shorter conical tube. It is rare to hear of a bluebird in a shorter tube.

There are additional theories for why bluebirds enter tree tubes.

Jack Finch’s explanation is that bluebirds are cavity nesters and tubes are attractive cavities.
Some folks say bluebirds eat bugs and enter the tube in pursuit of dinner.
I think some bluebirds actually fall into the tubes

Elements of all three might be true. Let us explore each reason

1. Bluebirds are cavity nesters and tree tube openings trigger an instinct to explore cavities even though the cavity faces the sky.

This seems odd in the sense that we expect a nesting cavity opening to be perpendicular to the ground, not open to the sky and rain the way a tree tube does. The instinct to explore cavities probably does not have an orientation requirement since tree cavities facing the sky can be quite spacious and provide adequate cover.

To my surprise, the NABS FAQ page has an entry near the bottom about open top nesting boxes. This style is discouraged because the nestlings get wet and die of hypothermia. The important point here is that the bluebirds nested in a box with a top open to the elements. That fact strongly supports Mr. Finch’s explanation the birds are looking for a nesting site when entering vent pipes and tree tubes. Even if unwise, cavities open to the sky are acceptable to the bird.

It could be that the ideal nest height triggers the instinct to explore a cavity. NABS says bluebirds will tolerate a nest as low as three feet, but prefer 4 or 5 feet. The bluebirdsforever website says: “The bottom of the nest box should be at least 3 feet above ground. Ideally, it should be mounted 4 to 5 feet above ground.” The reason given is that anything lower is more susceptible to predators. This strongly parallels our experience with tree tubes. Dead bluebirds are found in 4 and 5-foot tall tree tubes and rarely 3 foot. In over twenty years, I do not recall a single instance of a bluebird in a tube shorter than 3 feet.

Jack Finch’s explanation of birds looking for nesting sites probably covers the vast majority of cases. There are two other possibilities often put forth that may explain some cases.
2. Bluebirds eat bugs and enter the tube in pursuit of dinner.

According to http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Blue_Birds.html insects make up 80% of the bluebird diet during spring and summer. A University of Michigan site states: Eastern bluebirds eat a variety of foods depending on the season. In summer months, eastern bluebirds consume mostly beetles (order Coleoptera), crickets, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and other insects. These are exactly the sort of insects found crawling on a leaf in a tree tube.

Given the obvious fact that bluebirds have no fear of entering a tree tube, it seems plausible a bluebird would drop into a tube to grab a beetle.

3. Bluebirds fall into the tubes

It is hard to imagine a bird falling into a tube. Still, we have all seen wildlife videos of botched landings by birds. (Click the link to the left and watch the video if you think birds always land perfectly) The tree tube in a field is a suitable perching structure and thereby creates bluebird habitat. The tree tubes become convenient perches from which to pursue flying insects or swoop down to the ground and grab a grasshopper. The hunting bird takes off and lands hundreds of times in a day. Not all landings are perfect and some tree tube designs make landing riskier.

The bluebird has three toes forward and one toe back somewhat like a thumb. Think of the rear toe as analogous to the tailhook on a jet landing on an aircraft carrier. If the tailhook misses the arresting wire, the plane hurtles forward and must take off or fall into the sea. Perching birds evolved to land on round twiggy branches covered with soft bark. The classic Tubex tube has a hard surface with a flair curved like a funnel into the tube.

When landing on a flared hard plastic rim the three forward toes have nothing to grab and can slide forward. To land successfully the rear-facing toe must catch the edge of the hard rim flare. If the single rear toe slips, the downward momentum of the bird will pitch it head first into the tube. Once in the tube it cannot open its wings to fly out and it cannot walk up the smooth inside.

This happened very quickly, but I remember standing in a field and saw a bluebird land on the tube rim and pitch forward into the tube. At least that is what I thought I saw. In retrospect, I might have been witnessing a nest search, a bug pursuit or a botched landing. Whatever I saw we have to keep the birds out of the tubes.

Solutions
Soft un-flared rim
Plantra tubes are made with soft low density polyethylene (LDPE). Since it is soft, it does not abrade tree bark. The Plantra tree tube does not need a bird sucking flare in the rim. You can bend or roll up an LDPE tube without damage. The softer more flexible rim might allow the claws a better and safer grip. The nested style tubes are made with a similar but hard plastic called polypropylene (PP). PP tubes resist bending and turn white if forced to bend. I think eliminating the hard curved rim helps, but it is not the complete answer. Some customers report fewer bird problems with Plantra tubes, but birds still enter our tubes. Eliminating the flare is not a complete solution.

Pinch the top mostly closed

Inch and a half entrance holes are recommended by NABS for eastern bluebird nesting boxes. That means the opening at the top should be smaller than 1.5 inches to exclude bluebirds.

This should only be attempted with a ventilated tree tube. Without ventilation, the unchecked photosynthesis in a tree tube depletes CO2 below the level photosynthesis needs to keep growing. Also without ventilation, moisture levels in the tube reach levels that cause fungal problems in some plants.

There are some other potential benefits of this approach. Birds do what birds do. We have seen cases where a tube becomes an extremely popular perch and the plant and tube become encrusted in feces. Any fertilization effect is lost if the plant becomes coated. The small opening should limit the amount of feces deposited in a tube.

Additionally, this configuration may produce a straighter stem. The apical meristem or terminal bud seeks blue light. For this reason, we make the sidewalls red to suppress branching in the tube and channel growth toward the blue light that naturally propagates down the tube from the strongly blue middle of the sky. The reduced opening at the top will create a smaller and more focused source of blue light for the terminal bud to aim for. I am speculating here, but that might create a straighter stem.

Put the stake on the inside of the tube.

Sadly, we find many growers do not use the mesh. Recently we have been working on another approach to prevent bluebird death. There is a video on youtube of birds in the UK nesting in a tree tube and walking up and out at will because the tree has emerged. Birds know how to walk up a tree stem. We always knew the problem went away once the tree emerged. This led to an obvious idea. Put the stake on the inside and the birds can walk out. So far, this seems to be working.

Traditionally, we have recommended putting the stake on the outside to maximize the available volume for leaf expansion. We feel if the stake is not overly large, putting the stake on the inside is a great idea.

There are several other benefits. If the stake is on the inside:
1. A buck will not rub the stake with his antlers.
2. The bird can walk up and out on the stake
3. The tube is more wind stable and has a reduced profile in the wind.
4. Rodents cannot use the stake to climb up to the tie hole and gain entrance.

If you have any other ideas, please send them to me at joelais@plantra.com and we will share them.

Again, If you need net we would be happy to supply it free of charge, but consider putting the stake on the inside.

Results: Plantra Weed Mats

2009-06-24T13:46:00.000-05:00

I have been testing various hybrid oaks for cold hardiness in Minnesota. Yesterday I was out in the field planting some new trees to replace a few that succombed to the -30F temps we had last winter (that's just in SE Minnesota; another test site in NE MN reached -50F!). Most of the hybrids did very well despite coming from more southern seed sources... the ventilation of Plantra Tree Tubes really helps trees harden off for winter as compared to the old solid wall tubes (in which even native, local seed source trees had difficulty going dormant in time for that first hard frost - which can come as early as mid-September here in MN).

In order to replace the dead trees I had to first remove the Plantra Tree Tubes and Weed Mats. These tubes and mats were installed the first week of October 2008. The mats were applied over living, green grass, thistles, goldenrod, etc.

The photo above shows what I saw when I peeled the weed mats away from the planting spot (click photo to enlarge): Nothing!.. except bare soil, dead weeds, and one lonely sprig of grass that tried to take advantage of the small L-slit in the center of the mat and the advantageous growing environment in the tube.

Very cool.

It's the Carbon Stupid!

2009-06-21T09:48:00.000-05:00

Question: “Interesting, you make and sell tree tubes. So what does a Tree Tube do?”

That is a stressful question at a party. Spouses of those of us in the tree tube industry get a look of alarm when we are asked the simple and innocent question, “What does a tree tube do?” The reason is that a tree tube seemingly does many things and there is no obvious end to the monologue. Where do we begin? Here is a partial list:

A Tree tube:

1. Is used on tree seedlings, acorns, nuts, tissue culture plantlets, grafted grape vines, and etc.

2. Protects the plant from deer, rabbits and other animals

3. Shields from herbicide spray

4. Blocks the wind

5. Conserves moisture

6. Trains the plant to a single

7. Modifies the quality, quantity and wavelength composition of the light hitting the seedling

8. Has photomorphogenic effects

9. Is not a season extender

10. Affects CO2 uptake

11. Protects against mechanical damage

12. Makes it possible to find a plant in the forest to take care of it

13. Works best with small plants

14. Prevents side branching

15. Saves training labor

16. Is made of translucent polyolefin

17. Is tubular

18. Must be the equivalent of 3.5 inch OD in cross-section

19. Prevent seasonal buck rub

20. Discourages rodents

21. Ad infinitum…

I could go on indefinitely.

For over twenty years, my colleagues and I have searched for understanding of what it is a treeshelter or tree tube does to makes trees grow so magnificently. The answer is complex and involves a great deal of plant physiology. What is the simplest way to express what a tree tube does? Around 1pm on Friday afternoon (19 June 2009), it dawned on me. It is possible in three or four words to express the purpose and function of a tree tube. A tree tube does Carbon Acquisition and Retention (CARe) CARe is all a tree tube does. Plantra Tree Tubes CARe!

Everything about a tube flows from these concepts. So here is the answer I have been looking for – with some attempts at developing a useful acronym.

Answer: A tree tube is a Carbon Acquisition and Retention Device (CARD for short) Acronyms help us hold and retrieve knowledge. CARD is not a helpful acronym for what a tree tube does. A better acronym would spell a metaphor. Hmm… CARE or CARe meets that test. So my answer could be “A tree tube is for Carbon Acquisition and Retention (CARe).” Just thought of a third acronym - metaphor. The answer could also be, “The purpose of a tree tube is Acquisition and Retention of Carbon (ARC)” I know Noah’s ark has a “K” and not a “C”, but it is highly suggestive of the notion of saving a species. The Plantra Tree ARC has a ring to it!

The short story is that a Plantra Tree Tube does two things. First, it helps the plant acquire more carbon than it would without the tube and then the tube helps the plant retain the carbon by preventing browsing animals from removing carbon in the form of leaves, buds and twigs.

CARBON ACQUISITION

Since water is most often used as the electron donor in oxygenic photosynthesis, the equation for this process is:

CO₂ + 2 H₂O + photons → (CH₂O)_n + H₂O + O₂

carbon dioxide + water + light energy → carbohydrate + oxygen + water

Every fan of science fiction has heard the expression that Earth based life forms – plants and animals – are carbon based. Life on Earth is fueled and made possible by Chlorophyll in leaves. Chlorophyll takes energy from sunlight to chemically convert water and carbon dioxide into sugar (carbohydrate), water and oxygen. Sugar is the fuel of life for both plants and animals. Animals consume plants to get sugar. Oxygen is consumed to “burn” the sugar fuel. When animals release the energy in the plant sugar, water and carbon dioxide are the byproducts. Therefore, animals produce the CO₂& H₂O that plants consume to produce sugar and O₂ that animals consume in a never-ending cycle. It is all about moving the carbon from plant to animal and back to the plant.

So exactly how does a grow tube help the leaf take in more CO2 than an unaided plant? The carbon used in photosynthesis must enter the leaf through open stoma or stomata. The stoma is a pore in the leaf that opens and closes with the action of two guard cells. The problem is that water vapor escapes out the stoma when open (so does O₂, but that is not a problem). To conserve water the stoma only open when conditions are right for photosynthesis and it is not too dry or windy. If it is too dry or too windy, the loss of water is too great for the plant to remain turgid (not wilted) and the stoma close the guard cells. Closed stoma means no CO₂ and no CO₂ means no photosynthesis. The microenvironment in a tube is humid and still – no wind. There is little evaporative demand in the tube, so there is little loss of water when the stomas are open. Therefore, the stoma stays open continuously. (Bergez Dupraz 1997) There is no interruption in the supply of carbon (CO2) unless the plant depletes the CO2 in the tube. That will happen in an unvented tube on a sunny day that is otherwise ideal for photosynthesis. Without venting the CO2 level in the tube drop below a level that sustains photosynthesis and the plant goes into photorespiration and starts giving off CO2. Venting replenishes the CO₂ supply available to the leaf.

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that life on earth is about move carbon into plants, then animals and back. Plantra Tree Tubes move carbon.

CARBON RETENTION

This is the easy part. Plantra Tree Tubes prevent browsing up to the height of the tree. The tube is a visual and physical barrier. The animals can’t see the plant. The animals can’t get to the plant.

A bluebird's story on life...

2009-06-16T13:39:00.000-05:00

To view a comical story with pictures about a bluebird's experience in selecting a mate and choosing a nesting box click here: http://www.plantra.com/photogallery/birdsperkeytreefarm.php. This narrative offers a truly different perspective, from our feathered friends, and will bring a smile to your face!

The pictures and narrative were actually put together by the tree farmer- Arlyn Perkey, who is working to grow and re-establish resistant American chestnuts in the US. One of the photos shows how the chestnut seeds are grown in milk cartons before being out planted and protected by tree tubes on his acreage.

Great Reading: American Chestnut

2009-06-12T16:16:00.000-05:00

This isn't just great reading, it is must reading for any lover of trees and epic quests: American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree, by Susan Freinkel. It's available here
http://shop.acf.org/booksandguides.aspx, along with another amazing book published by the American Chestnut Foundation, Might Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology.

At Plantra we often say that our customers are our heroes. Beside the fact that Susan Freinkel's book is beautifully written, and beside the fact that it chronicles the greatest ecological catatrophe on this continent since the ice age, and beside the fact that it chronicles the heroic efforts of so many dedicated scientists and laymen to right this ecological wrong despite incalculable odds... beside all that the book has special meaning for us at Plantra because we have had the great good fortune to have met many of the heroes mentioned in the book, and to be playing at least a small role in helping them protect their young chestnut trees... hopefully making their work just a little bit easier.

We are proud to play a small role in the fight to restore the majestic American chestnut to its rightful place in the forests of its native range.

Trail Cam: Searching Elsewhere For Dinner

2009-06-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

This spring we set up 2 trail cams to show how Plantra Tree Tubes protect seedlings from deer and to provide a time lapse chronicle of the growth of this western Minnesota hedgerow planting. These trees were planted 4 & 5 years ago, but deer had kept them browsed to knee height until we tubed them this spring. In the first week we got this shot (click the photo to enlarge). She's hard to see but a doe is walking into the field behind the tubes... going elsewhere in search of food now that the seedlings are protected!

Stay tuned for more trail cam updates throughout the summer.

Seedling Compass

2009-06-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

Tim Eck is a very active volunteer with the The American Chestnut Foundation - an organization every tree person should join. On a LISTSERV or mailing list for TACF, Tim asked the following question:

In another list site, the concept of solar polarity arose. Some horticulturists believe that you should mark the (compass) orientation of a tree before transplanting so the orientation can be retained upon transplantation.
While I find it difficult to believe that a one year seedling would be set back due to "disorientation", I might believe it for a more typical nursery size. People also pointed out that when they have a plot of distichous plants or bulbs, they noticeably orient with the compass points.
Any comments or experiences?
Tim

My answer to Tim follows:

Where I have run into the recommendation to retain the polar orientation when transplanting, it was to prevent frost cracking in thin barked species such as maple. As I recall, the theory is that the bark has somehow developed strength and/or elasticity to accommodate the expansion and contraction that occurs on the sides that are exposed to the sun. Whenever I have seen a frost crack dissected, the crack has always started at a wound site and propagated from there. Dr. Larry Severeid has some pictures illustrating this in black walnut.

Also I have only seen this recommendation for sapling sized trees and never for 1-0 or 2-0 seedlings. Bareroot seedlings are always planted randomly and I see no meaningful benefit from maintaining the orientation except one. A very important reason. The act of maintaining the orientation will require the grower to handle the plant very carefully. Handling plants carefully matters hugely. I remember visiting a planting where the grower claimed extraordinary growth by playing music on large speakers in the plantation. What I was a plantation with an exemplary degree of husbandry. The weed control was perfect. The fertilization was a secret (and very expensive) mixture frequently and carefully applied. Plants respond to care. Those who play music for their plants also notice when they need water. They see the bugs before it is too late.

Bottom line: Don’t worry about the orientation of a seedling, but the growers who do will have better trees – for the reasons above.. ;-)

Great Reading: Farming For Wildlife

2009-06-03T10:40:00.000-05:00

I recently came across a great article on planting hard mast (oaks, hickories, chestnuts, etc.) trees for wildlife, written by our friend Dudley Phelps for Mossy Oak's "Farming For Wildlife" magazine. Here's the link: farmingforwildlife.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=64. Dudley has some great thoughts on taking topography & wind direction into account when deciding where to plant mast trees.

I love reading things that make me smack my (every increasing) forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?" Among several such points that Dudley makes in his piece is this gem: A few rows of mast trees can have benefits for influencing travel patterns of deer on your property long before the trees every begin producing acorns. That's because the tree row creates an edge, and deer always prefer to travel along edges. It reminded me of a remarkable thing a landowner once pointed out to me: He had a field where 2 different plots - one was a millet food plot and one was a prairie grass area - joined each other. The difference in height between the 2 types of vegetation was just a few inches (you had to look twice to even notice the difference when the plants were dormant). But sure enough the deer knew the difference and used that edge as a travel corridor from one stand of timber to another.

So when you're planting hard mast trees, soft mast trees, and shrubs keep in mind that your planting can pay dividends long before the planting begins bearing fruit & nuts... if you think in terms of creating structure, edges and travel corridors.

Results: The Tale Of Two Acorns

2009-06-02T08:48:00.000-05:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... And that's why you need Plantra Tree Tubes!

Longtime friend Arlyn Perkey (US Forest Service, retired) sent this great set of photos from his property in West Virginia. Here's the story: In spring 2007 he planted 2 red oak acorns in a Plantra Tree Tube. Both nuts germinated and grew. In the spring of 2009 he lifted the tree tube, and replaced it over just one of the seedlings, leaving the other unprotected.

Arlyn took this photograph on May 7, 2009:

As you can see, the seedling outside the tube has leafed out and looks good. The seedling in the tube has not quite started to leaf out, due to reduced light conditions (BTW the reduce light helps reduce stress & increase growth later in summer). For the seedling outside the tube, this was the best of times.

Now here's the photo Arlyn took on May 22, 2009 about 2 weeks later:

(click on the photos to enlarge them)
Thanks to the red bandanna that Arlyn added for background you can see that the situation has completely reversed: The seedling inside the tube has leafed out and is growing well. The seedling outside the tube was completely stripped of leaves by deer and is trying to leaf out again... no doubt only to be browsed by deer yet again. Outside the safety of the tree tube, it is the worst of times for this young oak!

(It's also a great photo of the dappled sunlight coming in through the vent apertures in the walls of the Plantra Tree Tubes!)

Thanks to Arlyn for a great set of photographs. After 20 years of trying I know how hard it is to get the right depth of field to take photos like this. To see more photos of Plantra Tree Tubes "in action," visit our photo gallery http://www.plantra.com/photogallery/index.php