The weather is finally beginning to warm up, and that can mean only one thing: Spring planting!
Our plants from the University of Idaho Seedling Program arrived on April 7th, and we immediately began preparing them for planting. This year we received 140 Super-Stock Ponderosa Pines (125 for new planting and 15 for replacing dead ones from previous years) and 50 Kinnick-Kinnicks.
The Ponderosa Pines are for our reforestation agreement with the Idaho Department of Lands as the property suffered heavy beetle kill several years ago, and the Kinnick-kinnicks are being used as a ground cover on a slope near the house.
The planting for the pines is rather involved. Here is what we do:
1. The fall before we prepare by flagging where each tree will go (measure for spacing, etc) and spraying herbicide.
2. In the Spring we begin by scalping the ground where each tree will go for about 30″x30″.
3. We then did a hole (this year we used an Earth AUger with a 6″ bit to drill about 90% of the holes, the rest are dug with a trencher shovel.
4. Then we add a bit of rich planting soil, some water absorbing polymer and mix it up
5. Then a fertilizer pack goes all the way in the bottom where it won’t touch the root, and a Myco pack (for rooting) against the root.
6. The tree goes in, we backfill the hole
7. Followed by putting down a 36″x36″ weed mat — that’s it!
8. After all the trees are in, we run 11/2″ poly and 1 GPH drippers to the trees and voila!
