2 Questions...

[Typhoon]

Ok, this question has 2 parts.
I have 50 acres of country property. 25 of it is timber. Well, on the other 25, im doing alot of grass seeding, and also planting some TREES!! Anyways, I have been doing some reading about the Arbor Day foundation, on their website, and it says that when you join, you receive 10 trees! Well, the join-up fee is only 10 bucks. So you are getting 10 trees for 10 bucks!! You can choose either 10 flowering trees or 10 oaks. I am wanting to get the 10 oaks. Is this too good to be true or is this just really a great deal? They are supposed to be 1 to 3 feet tall upon delivery. Is this worthwhile?? That was my first question. My second question is: When using willow cuttings to plant new ones, what is the proper technique for doing this?
Thanks!!

[Jeff]

I gues I am not answering either question but providing food for thought.  Last year we had a bumper crop of acorns on the Northern red oaks in our yard. This year I have been mowing off hundreds of little trees. One time they were a foot to 18 inches tall.

[beenthere]

Typhoon
It is not a bad deal, and many years ago I would get those 10 trees. Most of them did not grow, and I found out that on my 13 acres (at that time), 10 trees to plant in a year was just a fraction of what I really wanted and needed. By the time those 10 trees get to you, they have been through a lot since being plucked from the nursery.

Not trying to discourage you, but my life is too short to just plant 10 trees a year when I might need thousands.  

[woodmills1]

Yes the arbor day deal is for real.  For years at my old house I would get them and after 15 or so years I had many nice blue spruce and walnuts,  I also went for what they called a song bird package of mixed low flowering shrubs.  The new owner moved in and cut down all but 2 of the spruce trees.  I coulda cried.

If you do get them here is a tip.  They are small, so plant them as soon as you can.  I used to plant them in 5 gallon pails near the house so I could water them every day.  I didn't loose too many that way.  Then I would transplant them to where I wanted them in 2-3 years.

Also check out your local conservation or county forestry as they very often will offer very inexpensive trees at certain times of the year.  Once you join arbor day you can order larger trees from them.  Good luck.

[Tillaway]

Willow cuttings, don't ask how I know this.  Plant in winter or spring when the ground is not frozen.  Make cutting from last years growth about 2 feet long.  Simply sharpen the big end and shove it into the ground leaving only few buds or inches exposed.  Be sure to plant them right side up.  Putting almost the whole thing into the ground encourages lots of roots and good moisture contact, too high and they will not survive.  Plant on about a 6'X6' spacing if you are doing wetlands rehab.

[IndyIan]

Typhoon,

Find your local tree grower and you can buy hundreds of Oaks for less than a $1.  I bought 2 bundles of "10" (more like 15) Red Oaks this spring for $0.50 each.  They were bare root but some were 3.5 feet tall, some 1 ft tall.  Almost all of them took and were doing well until the catapillars got at them.  

It's hard work planting them and you have keep the roots moist but if you do a 1000 a year for a few years you'll have some nice looking groves in no time.

Ian

[swampwhiteoak]

My personal opinion is the arbor day foundation "deal" is ok for a homeowner that wants a few small trees and generally supports what the foundation does.

On the other hand if you are serious about reforestation, order from a real commercial nursery and you will get much cheaper prices and better trees.  Get advice from a forester or someone knowledgable about what are the best species to plant for your soil and your objectives.

Tillaway is pretty much right one with the willow.  Same thing works for silky and gray dogwood.

[RedHawkRidge]

My experience with planting small (year-old ?) saplings has been with hardwood -- walnut, oak, and I find a more robust first year growth from nuts/seeds rather than the transplants.  I will get 2'-3' growth out of Tubex almost every time.  Seems like the transplants need a year or more to recover before they kick in.
jim

[beenthere]

Welcome to the forum, RedHawkRidge

How about a bio filled out so we can have a better feel from "wherst" you are comming from, and for how much answering we should (can) do, in response to your questions. Sounds like you have some good experience under your belt.
Please, bio fill-in.

Thanks

[Stephen_Wiley]

Interesting aspect of willow or cottonwood is exemplified not to far from where I live.

A 140 year old Cottonwood called the " Whip Tree" is where a pioneer women simply stuck her riding whip in the ground and became a tree.

I guess I better go get a pic to put on here and show.

[Stephen_Wiley]

I was being conservative of age of tree in my first post, this tree is now 150 years old this year.

[Stephen_Wiley]

Plaque which is on rock monument near the base of the tree.

[Stephen_Wiley]

This riding whip would certainly make an impact on ox or horse now. Trunk of  ' Whip Tree'  70" d.b.h.

[Stephen_Wiley]

At the time that Mrs. Geer was riding in 1854, I don't believe that she had leaves on her stem (whip). Plenty of them now.