"Tree Planter and Mulch Machine Locations In
Saskatchewan,Manitoba and Alberta"
and Important Tips on Use!
"Below the attachments of some of the tree planting machines and mulch machines available on the prairies for rent or free use. Also know that many other RMs have tree planters and mulch machines for free use as well"
Over All Procedure
1st:
Plant the trees with the tree planter. Plant then the full root plus two inches of the lower stem under ground.
Squash down any clay or dirt lumps pulled up by the tree planter. If necessary run a quad tire up and down each side of the tree row to flatten lumps of earth. Remove stones 1.5 meters back from tree row.
2nd:
Manually stomp each tree to seal it better....give one 45 degree angle kick toward the tree from two inches away from the tree with the heel of your boot. This one single swift kick will create a three cup water depression at the base of the tree seedling. To know if you did it correctly, pull on the tree seedling. If sealed well it should break off rather than pull out of the ground. I can heal trees as fast as I can walk...its that simple.
3rd:
Push the ten inch long tooth picks into the ground at location of each tree.
4th:
Lay the plastic mulch over the trees with the tractor pulled mulch machine
(use 2.8 or 3 mil plastic if you want it to last longer) .
5th:
Pull the trees out of the plastic at each location of a tooth pick pushing out of the plastic.
Tips on Easy Setting Up and Use of Mulch Machine
If you set the turnbuckles of the mulch machine so that the back discs are one inch lower than the front discs this will help guarentee proper soil coverage of the plastic so it does not blow off with the first major wind! You should see twenty inch width of the 48 inch wide plastic when laying. If you see more than 20 inches you are going too deep (raise the cylinder); if you see less than 20 inch width of plastic showing you are going too deep (raise your cylinder).
How to Cut the Plastic Accurately And Find The Trees:
There are many accurate methods of cutting the plastic accurately. Do NOT cut holes more than one inch! A totally accurate method for beginners is to buy a pack of ten inch long tooth picks from Dollar Store for $1 or one penny per tooth pick. Drive the ten inch tooth pick backwards into the ground till only four inches is sticking out of the ground at each tree with the point of the toothpick pointing up. Then simply apply your mulch. One tooth pick will poke through the plastic at each tree location where you can then simply poke your finger through the plastic, swirl your finger clockwise inside the hole and up to massage the tree seedling through a maximum one inch hole in the plastic you made with your finger."
6th:
Inter Row Grassing:
Broadcast grass seed at rate of 40 lb per acre (or better broadcast twice at rate of 20 lb per acre. I suggest you use common creeping red fescue. Broadcast between tree rows and three meters on the outside and inside of your tree planting. Then pack well but NOT with a roller as this will cause wind erosion and your seed can blow away. Next, mow the weeds will the grass forms a perfect sod as a 'living mulch' between the plastic mulched tree lines. Do NOT think you can grass right up against the tree lines without plastic mulching first. We researched/tried that and it does not work ...your trees will stay in a dwarfed state. The purpose of putting this grass is it is shallow rooted, goes dormant but rarely dies during droughts, often stays green till november and typically stays low growing so is less of fire hazard than most grasses that grow higher and which go dormant far earlier in the fall. .This turf grass planted in spring or summer after a rain or into moist soil will typically form a perfect sod by end of May of year two (or far far sooner if you irrigate it). This sod grass is called a living mulch because it stops the far larger annuals from growing between the tree lines. Creeping red fescue is the finest textured lawn grass so also very pleasant visually and for maintaining and for walking on.
7th:
Water :
Tree establishment and growth rate is 95% related to moisture availability. Trees should be watered two to three gallons of water every ten days it does not rain. Never give constant drip irrigation. Copy mother nature by giving a good watering followed by a week to ten days without water. Skip a watering if you find moisture in the top one to two inches of soil.
8th:
Watch for Spider Mites especially on poplars
Spider mites (four inch web) can be eliminated by spraying warm water only on the mites or warm water with a bit of detergent in it. Many other pests can be eliminated by warm soapy water sprayed on. This removes the wax coating on their bodies and they dehydrate. For voracious beetles consider applying Malathione,
1st:
Plant the trees with the tree planter. Plant then the full root plus two inches of the lower stem under ground.
Squash down any clay or dirt lumps pulled up by the tree planter. If necessary run a quad tire up and down each side of the tree row to flatten lumps of earth. Remove stones 1.5 meters back from tree row.
2nd:
Manually stomp each tree to seal it better....give one 45 degree angle kick toward the tree from two inches away from the tree with the heel of your boot. This one single swift kick will create a three cup water depression at the base of the tree seedling. To know if you did it correctly, pull on the tree seedling. If sealed well it should break off rather than pull out of the ground. I can heal trees as fast as I can walk...its that simple.
3rd:
Push the ten inch long tooth picks into the ground at location of each tree.
4th:
Lay the plastic mulch over the trees with the tractor pulled mulch machine
(use 2.8 or 3 mil plastic if you want it to last longer) .
5th:
Pull the trees out of the plastic at each location of a tooth pick pushing out of the plastic.
Tips on Easy Setting Up and Use of Mulch Machine
If you set the turnbuckles of the mulch machine so that the back discs are one inch lower than the front discs this will help guarentee proper soil coverage of the plastic so it does not blow off with the first major wind! You should see twenty inch width of the 48 inch wide plastic when laying. If you see more than 20 inches you are going too deep (raise the cylinder); if you see less than 20 inch width of plastic showing you are going too deep (raise your cylinder).
How to Cut the Plastic Accurately And Find The Trees:
There are many accurate methods of cutting the plastic accurately. Do NOT cut holes more than one inch! A totally accurate method for beginners is to buy a pack of ten inch long tooth picks from Dollar Store for $1 or one penny per tooth pick. Drive the ten inch tooth pick backwards into the ground till only four inches is sticking out of the ground at each tree with the point of the toothpick pointing up. Then simply apply your mulch. One tooth pick will poke through the plastic at each tree location where you can then simply poke your finger through the plastic, swirl your finger clockwise inside the hole and up to massage the tree seedling through a maximum one inch hole in the plastic you made with your finger."
6th:
Inter Row Grassing:
Broadcast grass seed at rate of 40 lb per acre (or better broadcast twice at rate of 20 lb per acre. I suggest you use common creeping red fescue. Broadcast between tree rows and three meters on the outside and inside of your tree planting. Then pack well but NOT with a roller as this will cause wind erosion and your seed can blow away. Next, mow the weeds will the grass forms a perfect sod as a 'living mulch' between the plastic mulched tree lines. Do NOT think you can grass right up against the tree lines without plastic mulching first. We researched/tried that and it does not work ...your trees will stay in a dwarfed state. The purpose of putting this grass is it is shallow rooted, goes dormant but rarely dies during droughts, often stays green till november and typically stays low growing so is less of fire hazard than most grasses that grow higher and which go dormant far earlier in the fall. .This turf grass planted in spring or summer after a rain or into moist soil will typically form a perfect sod by end of May of year two (or far far sooner if you irrigate it). This sod grass is called a living mulch because it stops the far larger annuals from growing between the tree lines. Creeping red fescue is the finest textured lawn grass so also very pleasant visually and for maintaining and for walking on.
7th:
Water :
Tree establishment and growth rate is 95% related to moisture availability. Trees should be watered two to three gallons of water every ten days it does not rain. Never give constant drip irrigation. Copy mother nature by giving a good watering followed by a week to ten days without water. Skip a watering if you find moisture in the top one to two inches of soil.
8th:
Watch for Spider Mites especially on poplars
Spider mites (four inch web) can be eliminated by spraying warm water only on the mites or warm water with a bit of detergent in it. Many other pests can be eliminated by warm soapy water sprayed on. This removes the wax coating on their bodies and they dehydrate. For voracious beetles consider applying Malathione,
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