Bareroot large caliper trees

nuthin_special

nuthin_special

Location
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Seriously, is it even possible to buy 2" or bigger caliper bareroot trees in Canada? I've seen a couple nurseries in the states growing and selling them here but i'm having a hard time finding a Canadian equivalent.

Anybody?
 
Not to derail too much, but If you have planted any larger then 1.5" caliper bare root stock, how has your success been. I have been thinking about this as a cost reducing option for some street trees. I want to say Cornell did a good bit of research with a town in New York where they planted a bunch. So I know its been done. I will say availability of large bare root stock is pretty limited in my area as well.
 
Well, since i've so far planted no bareroot trees then i guess my success is 100%. Or 0%.

I've heard good things but mostly i'm tired of not having any control over root orientation in a B&B tree or worse in a container.

The cost difference is very attractive but is suspect that with the digging, soil addition, mulching etc, it won't be heaps cheaper for the client.

I'm going to order about 10 this spring and see how it goes before i push harder to sell them.

Actually in 1997 i planted bareroot spruce trees for two months, maybe about 10,000 of them. No idea how many made it. Probably crappy roots since we all just shoved them into holes as quickly as possible.

vince
 
I use a Missouri gravel bed to hold my bare-roots and plant 1-2" caliper bare-root trees. Some of the ash and willows have been over 2 inches.

I loose about 3% of my trees each year. And I contribute most of that to transportation issues, poor soil quality at planting site and/or customer lack of care. This year I'll be using hydro-gel to transport from gravel bed to planting site.

Species selection is diminished a bit, but it works very well and has many benefits.

The Fargo, ND parks department uses the same process with very similar results.

Large caliper bare root with the aid of a gravel bed is the way to go.
 
This may be a stretch for you, but I get my stock from Cross Nurseries in Lakeville, MN (south Metro Twin cities). Gary Cross is great to work with has larger caliper stuff they're willing to dig.
 
Graham, I'll let you know. we just did a 5-6" Cal Nuttall Oak from b&b to BR. The tree was planted in the wrong location and the ball would not hold together so I used our Airknife to evacuate the soil. We replanted it immediately and will follow up with an intense watering program. I'm concerned the heat of GA will be the biggest concern. Check with me in 8 months or so.
 
Sam why not heel them in wood chips?

I'll check out Cross Nurseries for the fall, right now it's too late to get through the customs paperwork for this spring.

I've found Winkelmolen Nurseries in southern ontario has a decent supply and i can get them shipped up here with another local nursery's order.

Thanks

v
 
Wood chips would work, but getting them out after they start rooting might not do you any benefits in the weight department. I'm guessing the roots would grab onto the wood chips and not let go. Plus if you have them in the wood until fall planting you would end up with a B&B version...
If weight is not an issue, then I suppose it would work, but the great thing about gravel (I use pea rock) is that it drops away easily with a few shakes and is then reusable. Also, I think the rock would have more moisture benefits. It drains the excess water better, holds the moisture surprisingly well (I quickly found out that I watered way more than was necessary the first year), and wont grow a bunch of other stuff (e.g. fungus, mold etc.). Pretty much more room for error in the watering department.
Here is a pic of me with a 2" white ash after a summer in a gravel bed (facebook page).

facebook picture
 
That makes sense. I wasn't considering keeping them heeled in all summer but that flexibility would make a big difference. Wood chips would work for a couple of weeks I guess.

So when you pull a tree from the gravel bed while the leaves are out, you'll dip the roots in hydrogel for transport?

That is some pretty impressive root development in your picture. Also a by light tree.

How can a wire basket b&b planting make more sense than this?


V
 
Yes, if the tree is to be planted during leaf out, Hydro gel is the key.
The Fargo parks department uses a tub of hydrogel mixture to haul the trees in until they are planted. I'll use the hydro gel just for a dip after they are pulled, then use the classic wet straw and plastic bags. Of course if you can convince the client to wait until fall, thats is best.

This is definitely the way to go. As long as the tree isn't in the bed for more than one season, they pull out with little effort. I set them in my trailer with my mini skid. Then use my mini skid to auger a wide and shallow hole (36" auger). Then throw the tree over my shoulder and walk to the planting hole. The whole process takes only a few minutes. Last spring me and an employee planted 128 trees in one day! That was a good profit day...
The fall trees don't require staking at all and like I stated earlier my loss is very low. Plus, I can offer a large tree, planted, at less than half the cost of a B&B tree. The benefits are all around; to the client, to the tree, and to the profit margin.

The coolest part is, if you don't sell the trees they will overwinter in the gravel. No prep work or covering required. And I'm just as far north as you Vince! Just try and sell those right away because I busted a shovel trying to dig out a 2" willow that overwintered in the bed. Those roots were NUTS!

Changing the paradigm is the hardest part. Nurseries/garden centers are reluctant to doing it or the concept of it because they are used to people coming and picking up the trees. And we know that doesn't work with bare root (even with hydro gel). And there is so much money in the big B&B and spaded trees because there is all kinds of people willing to pay for it. But, with good marketing and the desire to do it, this is a real profit maker for my business. I charge $40 to plant and most of my trees are marked up 85%. So a 1.5" basswood retails for about $75 and installed for $115. Plus with that, I offer a 3 year warranty. From that one sale I net about $70 (not taking into account labor, fuel etc.), but it also only takes me about 15 minutes to plant. I just line up a morning with a few trees to plant and do them all in a row for efficiency. B&B trees cant compete with that or the results.
I think the hardest thing in changing the paradigm is convincing clients that a 1.5" bare-root tree will outgrow and have way less problems than a 3" B&B. The proof is being able to show the difference in the roots. Its an easy sell for me with a client when I show them, "would you rather your trees roots looked like this (the one I shared), or like this (and I show a root bound potted trees root system)".

I'm drinking the kool-aid, but I think thats obvious...
 
Your not kidding about folks not buying the benefits of a smaller caliper vs larger caliper tree, regardless of form when it comes to establishment. Two years ago we started planting 1.25" container stock for all our street tree replacements. Basically we had very limited funds and this allowed us to keep up with our removals. Out of approx. 200 of these trees we have only lost 2 so far, both due to lack of care by the resident(watering, and string trimmer blight). The first group we planted are now approaching 1.75-2" and around 10-12' tall, after two horribly dry summers which I felt was rather impressive.
 
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And I'm just as far north as you Vince!

[/ QUOTE ]

Easy there big fella, I've got at least 1 degree of latitude on ya. Also I'm canadian so, our attitude about the cold just makes it like 10 degrees colder soon as you cross the border.

Thanks for the tips, i'm going to track down some pea gravel and get this party started this spring. Something I should have done ages ago.

Vince
 
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