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Growing Dura Heat and Heritage River Birch Trees
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By Bill Hirst
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River Birch Trees are fairly easy to plant because they arefairly rugged and durable. Yet to plant or transplant them youdo need to follow some basic guidelines. Two of the bestcultivars or River Birch trees are Dura Heat and Heritage RiverBirches. We have been growing River Birch Trees for a number ofyears and offer these suggestions for planting.
All people handling Dura Heat and Heritage River Birchesseedlings and small trees need to help with the life support ofyour plants. Seedlings are like fish out of water and need carewhich is often overlooked between the time the seedlings arelifted and transplanted. Improper care means higher mortality.Do not try and reinvent the wheel. You must protect seedlingfrom moisture and temperature extremes, as well as physicaldamage. Seedlings are living and should be handled carefully.For a higher survival rate, treat trees carefully and plant themimmediately. I like to have a backup plan for planting if theweather turns bad. I will sometimes switch from lining out theseedlings to potting them up if I realize that the soilconditions will not be right for an extended lenght of time. Ifplanting must be delayed a few days, keep the plants in a cold,protected place with air circulation between the trees. Keep theDura Heat and Heritage River Birches trees out of the rain andwind. To check if the trees need water, feel the media at theroots.. If it isn't damp, water the trees and allow the excesswater to drain. In cool, damp weather, the biggest threat tothese trees is from mold. Try to keep out of soil seedlingsmoist by either restricting water loss with a water vaporbarrier or by wetting the roots at regular intervals. Whilehandling or planting try to reduce temperature and air movementaround the seedlings. Windy days can dry out seedlings soconsider waiting for calmer weather. Once your soil conditionsare correct OUR FREE USE PLANTERS will make planting a snap soits will be worth waiting for good planting conditions.
HOW TO PLANT
Ideal planting days are cool and cloudy with little or no wind.If possible, avoid planting on warm, windy days. The soil shouldbe moist not wet. Care in planting is more important than speed.Make sure the roots are never allowed to become dry. Bare rootseedlings should be carried in a waterproof bag or bucket withplenty of moist material packed around the roots to keep themdamp. Ideally, bare root boxes should be kept refrigerated orpacked in ice or snow. Don't freeze the trees. Competition fromweeds, grass, brush or other trees is very detrimental tosurvival and growth of seedlings. Choose areas free from thiscompetition or clear at least a three-foot square bare spotbefore planting. Seedlings should not be planted under the crownof existing trees, or closer than 6 feet to existing brush.Avoid areas near walnut trees. Brush aside loose organicmaterial such as leaves, grass, etc., from the planting spot toexpose mineral soil. If organic matter gets into the plantinghole, it can decompose and leave air spaces. Roots will dry outwhen they grow into these spaces. Open up the hole, making surethe hole is deep enough for the roots to be fully extended. Ifroots are curled or bunched up, the tree will not be able totake up water correctly, will often weaken and die, or may blowdown later due to poor root structure. Take a tree out of yourplanting bag or bucket only after a hole is ready. When exposed,the fine roots can dry out in as little as 30 seconds. Seedlingshoots and roots lose water to air, roots require moreprotecting.Unlike leaves ,they do not have stomata (closeableopenings on the surface of the leaves) or any waxy coatings tohelp reduce water loss. If the Dura Heat and Heritage RiverBirches roots apear dry they are probably dead. Now I know youare thinking,"I will place them in a buckect of water and storethem there until planting". This will not work. Submerge plantsfor no longer that a couple of minutes. Placing them in watercuts them off from oxygen. Remember to remove the containerbefore planting a containerized tree. A helpful hint to allthose new gardeners just starting is to remember to always plantgreen side up. Hold the seedling in place in the hole, makingsure the roots are straight, fully extended and that the tree isneither too shallow or too deep in the hole. Fill hole, allowingsoil to fall in around the roots. Tamp with hands or with yourheel. Don't crush the roots by jumping up and down around theseedling like there is a snake curled up around the seedling. Itis delicate. Fill with more soil, if necessary, and tamp.Tamping is important. If soil is not firmly packed around theroots, there will be air pockets that can dry out the roots, andthe seedlings may be weakly anchored. It is far easier to plantthe tree strait up then have the tree leaning and have to adjustthe tree later. (Addition of fertilizer and plant vitamins atthe time of planting is not generally necessary.) Take your timein planting. Proper spacing will help you grow a more valuablecrop. I have tried to get more production from a limited area byover planting and then thinning, but I always have had troublein harvesting .... digging is slower and poor quality usuallyresults for a portion of the crop. Avoid these tree plantingerrors:
Tangled roots Planting too shallow Planting too deep Air pocketsTurned up roots (this is called J rooting) Planting trees thatare not tolerant of wet soils in poorly drained areas Plantingover rocks, septic tanks and leach fields, on sand mounds
CARE OF TREES FOLLOWING PLANTING Check periodically to be surethat brush, grass and other vegetation is kept under control bymowing, mulching, spraying or a combination of these treatments.Always obtain advice from a licensed pest control advisor beforeusing chemicals. You ag extension agency may offer courses inapplication of chemicals. Monitoring the appearance of yourtrees will help you to detect signs of insects, diseases orother problems. Apperances also help sell your product. Look forfoliage turning yellow, new foliage drooping or other signs ofpoor health. It is easier to take successful corrective actionif the problem is detected early.
Over watering is a common problem in irrigated plantations. Youprobably won't need to water more frequently than every 7-10days. Give your trees a thorough, deep soak and then let thesoil dry out before the next watering. This encourages the rootsto grow down in search of water. Frequent, shallow wateringencourages root growth near the surface and the trees are moredependent on irrigation and are less windfirm. Animals can be amajor cause of damage to young trees. Porcupines, gophers, mice,rabbits, deer and cattle are the most frequent source of damage.In many states you may have to call your game commission and gettheir recomendations on legal methods to protect your crop. Inour state, you can get help from the Pa. Game Commission to killdeer that are a threat to your seedlings or obtain a free fenceto keep deer away from your seedlings. Over the years we havelost more trees to mice than any other animal. Put rat baits outon a regular basis. Over the years we have lost more seedlingsand plants to mice than any other culprit including deer andrabbitts combined. You an see more articles about the care oftrees plants and nursery stock at our web site;http://www.seedlingsrus.com and http://www.highlandhillfarm.com
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