Planting Trees

[hillhunter]

Ok guys, I know the window for planting hardwood seedlings is fast approaching. I want to scatter maybe 50 or so trees across some of our property, planting in groups of three to five trees per site. It will be open sun on a blackland prairie soil. From the stuff I have read I want to use a combination of nutall, shumard, and sawtooths. Probably go about 80-90% on the nutall and shumard and only plant about 5-10 of the sawooths. I know the sawtooths can produce acorns in less than ten years, what about the other two? What is a reasonable timeline for acorn production if they are cared for? I plan to put something around them to keep the deer from hurting them and to spray around them. If I get them planted before the first of March am I good or do I need to get them planted in the next two weeks? Thanks guys.

[gibowhunter]

Plant them ASAP, water them if possible when planting and dig hole as wide and deep as possible to loosen soil, fill in and plant to swolen part of trunk above roots where plant was previously in the soil. Try to loosen any roots that are root bound on potted trees, if root bound trim back some of the branches on the tree.
Put them in tree tubes
Keep the grass killed around them
Fertilize them 2-3 times a year around drip zone, edge of outer branches, that's where most roots are. About a cup full per diameter inch of 13-13-13 or to soil sample.

Under these circumstances they should all have acorns in less than 10 years.

[cockandlock25]

[jdbuckshot]

we usually plant them a whole bunch at a time.

i planted over 400 in the last couple years. i have dug holes with the post hole digger and planted, and it is a pain in the butt. but the results were good.

i planted 150 last year, and used the dibble bar. i open the hole up as deep and wide as possible, try to get it as deep as the tree is long. stick the seedling all the way down into the whole and pull it up, that way you don't J-root the tree. i usually just fill the hole with soil from the top of the ground. install tree shelters and stakes, and fertilize and spray. and you will have some acorns.