Planting Cherry Bark Oaks

Magicman · February 16, 2010, 08:59:18 PM

My planting man called. He has me scheduled to plant my Cherry Bark Oaks Friday. Also said that he may have a couple of hundred Shumard, Swamp Chestnut, or Nuttall seedlings. I told him to bring them on.

These will be planted on the Hack-n-Squirted acres where I killed the Sweet Gums.

I'll have to "grease" my camera up......

Don K · February 16, 2010, 09:14:21 PM

Do they plant with a dibble?

Don

Magicman · February 16, 2010, 10:16:23 PM

Hoedad. They'll be planting in the dead Sweetgum thicket.

Don K · February 17, 2010, 05:40:30 AM

The black marks on the dead trees. Is that where the cancerous poison was injected or a fungus eating them as a snack.

Are you worried about the sweet gums breaking off and damaging the oaks? I'm sure it would only be a small hit or miss situation.

Don

Magicman · February 17, 2010, 07:57:04 AM

The sap ran down, and yes probably fungus. I know that I had 100% kill.

Yes, they are going to fall, as a matter of fact, some are already. Good thing. It'll make a jungle and protect the young trees from deer rubbing, I hope. All of the natural oaks in that grove are rubbed. I'm planting about 300 stems per acre, so enough should survive to have a good stand.

WDH · February 17, 2010, 08:17:40 AM

When the gums are thick like that, hacking and squirting is a lot of work.

woodtroll · February 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM

Looks and sounds good. All good species!
I wonder how much transfer of herbicide you could have gotten. Hack and squirt 1/2 the trees or so?
But by treating 100% you know you treated 100%.
Are you worried the herbicide is still soil active?
Any other plants showing sign of chemical damage, such as other natural hardwoods mixed in?

Magicman · February 17, 2010, 10:41:48 AM

Quote from: WDH on February 17, 2010, 08:17:40 AM
When the gums are thick like that, hacking and squirting is a lot of work.

Yes, but it should be worth it. What's time to a pig ???

Magicman · February 17, 2010, 10:52:31 AM

Quote from: woodtroll on February 17, 2010, 10:18:57 AM
Any other plants showing sign of chemical damage, such as other natural hardwoods mixed in?

I didn't treat any oaks, and none of them showed any signs of ill affects. Some were quite close. The professional information that I have gotten says that I will be OK. If not I'll have the biggest "Burr Rabbit Patch" around....

Anything is better than a Sweetgum thicket.... :D

fishpharmer · February 17, 2010, 01:57:02 PM

When you gonna tell the planting man he is planting in a sweetgum thicket? ;) :D

Magicman · February 17, 2010, 05:46:40 PM

;D ;D He knows it. I already went through and orange spotted trees at about 10X12. He said that it wasn't necessary, but I did it anyway.

I called him today about maybe finding a few more trees.

indiaxman1 · February 17, 2010, 07:35:42 PM

Have never used the chem on sweet gum, but do agree they are a scourge the way the grow up.....they are a weak sapling/tree, and one can lay waste to a bunch with chainsaw (short bar) and machete....I girdle the bigger ones...about the only saving grace of this species is the autumn color it shows...but you gotta kill/control em

woodtroll · February 17, 2010, 10:35:01 PM

Sweet gum may be a pain, but in spots it grows fast, straight and clear.
It can put lots of volume on per year.

WDH · February 18, 2010, 08:15:01 AM

The red gum heartwood is beautiful but tricky to work with. Sweetgum suckers prolifically from the roots. The herbicide takes care of that. If you fell or girdle them, they just get mad and sprout like mad ;D.

Magicman · February 20, 2010, 06:05:27 PM

The oaks are in the ground. They planted 1300 Cherrybark Red Oaks yesterday. There were 6 planters, so the entire job took a little more than an hour.

Adraine with a bundle of Red Oaks

Unpacking and separating the tree roots

Putting them in the ground

Two future generations with a newly planted tree

chain · February 20, 2010, 09:17:30 PM

Quote from: WDH on February 18, 2010, 08:15:01 AM
The red gum heartwood is beautiful but tricky to work with. Sweetgum suckers prolifically from the roots. The herbicide takes care of that. If you fell or girdle them, they just get mad and sprout like mad ;D.

We manage for sweet-gum in ravines and fields, they don't seem to compete much with SL pine, but shoot right up straight as an arrow. These soils up here are so sensitive to species [or vice versa] if a tree grows well in a certain area, we manage it. I sawed out a nice gum log, solar-kiln dried and built a work-cabinet and utility shed, was very pleased as how the lumber worked up.

WDH · February 21, 2010, 11:52:57 AM

Oak needs partial shade to establish well. You certainly have the perfect partial shade in that deceased sweetgum thicket ;D.

Magicman · February 21, 2010, 02:09:25 PM

And now I have more Hack-N-Squirting to do.....

WDH · February 21, 2010, 07:13:13 PM

That armed guard in your last pic should keep you safe while you toil :D. Either that, or they can bag a few squirrels for the dumplings (but that is another tread. Notice the smooth transition from cherrybark oak to food. That takes a great deal of skill

).

Magicman · February 21, 2010, 08:52:54 PM

Quote from: WDH on February 21, 2010, 07:13:13 PM
Notice the smooth transition from cherrybark oak to food. That takes a great deal of skill ).

Skill ??? Hungry makes the transition. digin_2 A young crackshot grandson and their Memaw makes the squirrel and dumplings..... :D

I am very happy (as you can tell) to complete this idea of changing something worthless into a thing of pride and beauty.....

I plan to take a picture each year documenting the progress.

Magicman · December 31, 2010, 03:53:44 PM

I walked through and took a look at my Cherrybark Oaks that were planted February 20th. Some are over 3' tall. It looks like I had a good mortality rate on my killed Sweetgums, and a good survival rate on my Charrybarks.

Ed_K · December 31, 2010, 04:27:25 PM

You did good,they would of all been ate up by the deer up here.

Autocar · December 31, 2010, 06:32:57 PM

Cherry Bark Oak are they in the red oak family ? I remember seeing sweet gum and bought a few in souther Indiana over four feet on the stump and as straight as a arrow. Sure would be fun to turn those so called worthless logs and make a six layer plywood out of them

.

Magicman · December 31, 2010, 07:17:23 PM

Yes, Red Oak. Our most valuable hardwood. As those Sweetgums die and fall, I'm hoping that they will form a protective barrier against the deer. So far, it looks good as many are already falling. Yes, the deer will bite the tops out of any new sapling.

WDH · December 31, 2010, 10:00:47 PM

I see a bunch of cherrybark oak leaves on the ground and no sweetgum ;D.

Magicman · December 31, 2010, 10:27:33 PM

Wow, I never even noticed that. ;) I have knocked the pith out of those Sweetgums. ;D :D :D

WDH · December 31, 2010, 10:32:13 PM

The little cherrybarks seem to be enjoying the shade. That is a perfect environment for them to get established.

Banjo picker · January 01, 2011, 01:34:03 AM

MM what chemical did you use to kill the trees? I have a few stands of sweetgum that have come up in an abandon field and I would like to select kill just some of them....They are too thick, and its time to get rid of some of them so the others can grow...I have probably made more money on sweetgum here on my place than any other tree..Dad always hated them but they make good ties and pallet cants and I have sold a bunch of them...I will have another round to cut in about 3 or 4 years...I like to get at least 3 tie logs from a tree before I fell it....

Who did you see about getting the oaks? Tim

Magicman · January 01, 2011, 08:37:07 AM

Tim, I tried several different chemicals, but the most dependable was 8oz of Arsenal per gallon squirted into the hacks. I'll be doing some more very soon. I can see what I'm doing better now, plus no "rattlemoccasins". It needs to be done before the Spring sap flow, as that will tend to wash your squirt out.

My first trees, a mixture of Cherrybark, Swamp Chestnut, and Shumard Oaks, came from Molpus Timberlands. Last year, I just let the planter supply the Cherrybark Oaks.