quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
I planted a dozen around the yard here 18 years ago by jabbing holes in the ground with a rock bar. Two survived. They're probably 25' tall now.

Actually, now that I think about it, 3 survived. One had to be cut down because its roots found our old sewer line and stopped it up. That one was really prosperous compared to the others.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I did it one summer in high school. We went through old clear cuts and fires and replanted. It wasn't too bad of a job for a teenaged back, but I'd hire it out these days.

BTW, you (or more likely the progeny) may well regret planting those pines. They grow like weeds here and are not really good for much. They leave needles and ankle-busting cones everywhere and IMO are just kind of ugly trees. If it were me, I'd try to plant a boat load of fir in there. At some point it'll be marketable and/or useable for firewood. That pine isn't really good for either. The spruce are nice trees though.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris42:
Planted 1500 about 30 years ago. Spruce and pine. If I had it to do over they would be all spruce varieties. Both grow good looking trees and since you are doing Christmas trees I expect they will be fine. For me they are part of fill in old farm land. The Pines grow fine, but heavy snow breaks limbs off. The spruce fold up like an umbrella in heavy snow, so they don’t break. One species can also share diseases, so having a mix is a good thing. Ours are planted about 6-8’ apart, which would be fine for your purpose. If you really want them long term, they should be much closer, like 3-4’. This way, as they grow the limbs are self clearing, not getting very big before breaking off.

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
We planted 15,000 longleaf pine seedlings on 31 acres in January. We used a contract crew from Guatemala to plant them. About 20 of those guys with dibbles planted those trees in 3 hours. Only advice I can give you is plant your rows and spacing wide enough so you can get a mower between them. Your trees will seem to disappear as the grass and weeds grow around them but they will emerge from the grass stage in a year or two. We also left some areas of bare ground for food plots and to benefit the quail and turkey.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
I wish you success in your endeavor into Christmas tree farming. The Norway spruce are kinda pretty and I would think they would sell pretty well. The only pine that I thought made a decent Christmas tree is the Piñon, a single-needle pine with a shorter needle than most pines. Maybe the ones you have can be trimmed up to look nice and sell OK.

I hated tree planting, but then when we ordered in trees we got 20,000 - 30,000 seedlings.

What conifers are native to that part of the country; or are there any?

quote:

Originally posted by dgshooter:
Good luck to you! I just planted seedlings from the Conservation Dept too. Not nearly as ambitious though. Ten each of walnut, pecan, hazelnut and pine.

I don't know if I'm a Nut Farmer or a nut, Farmer.

quote:

Originally posted by msfzoe:
Don't deer like to munch on the seedlings?

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
When I was in high school I got a batch of Norway Spruce seedlings from the local co-op. They must have been a lot cheaper back then; I remember paying ten bucks for 100 of them.

We planted them completely around my parent's property. Over the years we harvested a number as Christmas trees. When my mom sold the place last year, the property was completely bordered with thirty foot trees. Great privacy barrier by then.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
I’ve planted a bunch, up towards 1000 over the Spring. Most of mine have been Red Pine, then some White Pine and Spruce.

Scotch Pine get scraggly as they grow, not the prettiest type. Red Or White Pine age well, more upward when they have others around, as opposed to a single in a field.

For a thick Spruce that’s a fast grower I like the Norway Spruce, tall and long living. Of course match the soil and conditions with the species.

The main thing is to get those roots mostly straight while planting, no ‘J root, where the tree dies a few years later. It’s better to go slow and plant carefully. If one needs a break, put the trees in damp soil, preferably under shade till later.