TIPS ON PLANTING NURSERY TREES WHERE EXPOSED TO WILDLIFE OR LIVESTOCK

      Many people are planting nursery trees on their ranches to replace oaks lost to Oak Wilt or simply to beautify the land.  This requires protecting the young trees from both wild and domestic animals and then providing enough water to the tree until it becomes self sufficient.

 The time to plant:

     You can plant trees from Love Creek Nursery any time of the year because all of the trees we sell have complete root systems (none of the roots have been removed by digging).  The trick is that you must be able to supply the amount of water that the plant needs daily.  There is an easiest time of the year to transplant, however.  In the late fall as the tree goes dormant the water requirements of the tree are very small. The time that defoliation occurs depends on the fall weather, but December is the usual time.   During dormancy the root system grows, but the top of the tree is fast asleep. Trees planted at this time of the year require very little water for the next several months, yet the root system will be growing and establishing itself.  In the spring as the leaves begin to grow, the roots must supply water and nutrients to them. Trees that were planted at the onset of dormancy will have a partially established root system when spring arrives and they will be able to grow and supply the emerging leaves. Those planted late in the winter have many fewer roots established and may become stressed, as the tree requires moisture that the roots are unable to supply.  Spring in Texas can have some very hot weather and this can be devastating to newly planted trees with little or no established roots.

 Protection from grazing animals:

     The need to protect young trees from browsing animals cannot be over emphasized.  There are two kinds of trees in the Hill Country:  (1) ones large enough that the deer cannot reach the foliage and (2) ones the deer do not eat.  Desirable hardwood trees are all relished by deer and therefore are not able to reproduce themselves because the seedlings are eaten within a few weeks of germination by either domestic or wild animals. As the old trees die off from natural causes young seedlings are not replacing them.  For this reason our most desirable trees are gradually being eliminated from the Hill Country.

      Young trees can be caged for a couple of years until they grow tall enough for the leaves to be out of reach of the animals.  The cages can then be removed, or rotated to other trees being planted.  Once the cages are removed, the trunks of the trees must be protected from the bucks that scrape their antlers against the smooth bark of the trunk.  The damage to the bark on the trunk from buck scrapes can easily kill the tree.

      Cages can be constructed out of many kinds of materials.  After much trial and error we have settled on 14 gauge 2”X4” welded wire 5 feet tall.  Eleven feet of wire builds a 3-½ foot cage, which is big enough in most instances.  Do not use wire that has openings large enough for the deer to get their heads in (such as concrete reinforcing wire) or they will make your tree look like a barber’s pole.  It is necessary to secure the cage in place by using stakes to keep it from being blown over.  White tailed deer will not tamper with the cage and three small stakes will suffice to secure them.  Domestic animals, however, rub against the wire and T-posts, rather than the stakes, will be required to secure the cage.

      Once the cage is removed the trunk must still be protected.  For this purpose we use a “chimney” (also of 2X4 wire) about twice the diameter of the tree trunk.  It should fit loosely in order for the tree to grow inside it without binding.  The chimney only needs to cover the trunk from the lowest limbs down to the ground, which is usually about a foot shorter than the original 5-foot tall cage.  Another benefit of the chimney is that it discourages porcupines from climbing the tree.  As soon as the bark of a tree becomes rough the bucks are no longer a threat and the chimney can be removed.

 Various techniques for providing supplemental water to young trees:

     The main trick to successful watering of the young trees is to provide deep irrigation rather than frequent shallow watering.   Pouring water by hand at the base of the tree may do more harm than good.  Water applied very slowly so that it penetrates deep into the root system is what is needed. As the near surface moisture dries out the tree’s root system searches for the deeper moisture and grows as it searches.  Thus, not so frequent deep watering provides the water and also requires the root system to grow.  Frequent shallow watering coaxes the roots to the near surface where they are susceptible to heat and drought.

      If water lines are available nearby a drip irrigation system is very satisfactory and not very expensive.  In other instances where water has to be hauled to the trees, a reservoir around the tree is useful to hold the water while it is saturating the ground around the tree.  Another inexpensive and satisfactory method is to put a 5-gallon plastic bucket with a couple of small holes drilled in the bottom inside the cage at the base of the tree.  The bucket can be filled with the water which slowly dribbles into the ground saturating it thoroughly.  Fast food places use a lot of these buckets (pickles, etc.) and are good sources for them.

 Fertilization:

     Nitrogen is the element that makes a tree grow.  Hill Country soils are low in nitrogen so in order to have good growth in your trees additional nitrogen must be provided.  There are lots of different kinds of fertilizers and the chemistry of the soil is very complex.  To keep matters simple, we have developed a method of fertilization that we recommend.  It employs a special formulation for trees of an expensive but commonly used fertilizer called Osmocote.  This fertilizer is pelletized and releases the nutrients slowly over the entire growing season.  It should be applied in the early spring and one application is sufficient for the entire year.  Every year we buy several tons of Osmocote and re-package it into smaller quantities for our customer’s convenience. If it is used according to our instructions, your trees will grow and we will have happy customers.

 A word to the wise:

     With good fertilization most trees we sell will grow 3 feet or more a year, depending on variety.  In order to get through the period of establishment as quickly as possible and get the tree growing on its own, we advise fertilizing each spring for the first three or four years.  We provide instructions for fertilization as well as the recommended fertilizer.

     In addition, for the first two years all grass and weeds should be eliminated from around the tree.  Grass is a fierce competitor and will rob a young tree of water and nutrients and prevent it from growing.  As the tree matures, the roots system gets deeper than grass roots can grow and competition is no longer a problem.  A ground cover cloth or a mulch are both effective in preventing the growth of competitive plants inside the cage.  A herbicide such as Roundup sprayed periodically during the year is also effective.  Take care not to get herbicides on the tender trunk of a new tree.  Feeding the tree in the early years and protecting it from competition from other plants until its roots become established are keys to successful planting in the wild.

 Office phone-830 589-2588    Email:  maplesandapples@lovecreeknursery.com

Nursery hours 9:00 to 5 Mon-Fri