Trees - My speciality equipment

[Rick Kr]

I thought my post was getting a little long for the speciality equipment post, so I started a new one. Heres my hobby.
I have approx 5000 spruce at various heights and 1000 maple and oaks. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

I plant landscape trees. I start with something as small as 6" bareroot, all the way to 10 ft whips (deciduous). Some of the trees come as a 50mm plug.

For plugs I use what looks like a potato planter. Shove it in the ground, step on the pedal it opens the hole. I can plant 150/hr with one person helping.

Small bareroots up to 2 feet, I use a Holland planter. I can plant 400/hr. The machine runs almost too fast for one person on it. Really need two. We miss a tree now and then.

6-10' whips, I use this homemade planter that takes a ton of power to pull, as you see in the pic. Run it about 20" deep.

I weed around the trees with a weedbadger. All hydraulic. it has a sensor on the leading edge by the head, that automatically retracts it as it goes around trees. If that sensor is not working right, it will eat an 1.5" diameter tree in about 1/2 of a second.

Then when they are ready I dig them up with the tree spade.

A few pics of the field.
Emerald Lustre Maples

Autumn Blaze Maples

Thundercloud Plums (left), October Glory Maples (right)

A few 4ft blue spruce

 

[JMOR]

Very nice & interesting!

 

[W_B]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

 

[rrlund]

Looks good Rick.

 

[Bobl1958]

I agree..this is very interesting. Thanks a million for the pictures. Bob

 

[rick1]

do you have deer problems rubbing there antlers on them.
RICK

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Where can a guy buy cedar trees, small starts? Need about 50 or so?

 

[Spook]

Interesting pics. That plug planter looks similar to a old jab corn planter.

 

[dr sportster]

Nice operation.

 

[johnlobb]

It all looks nice, Rick! I remember our talk at Clarksville a few years ago. We agreed on a lot.. You were helping your friend with the steam engine. He brought some sweet corn and cooked it with the steam. It was real good!

 

[K Effective]

Thanks for the lesson, Rick. I have a friend who grew Christmas trees, he had a unit that bolted to the side of his IH Cub rear wheel, had a stub that stood outside the tire, so when he drove it made a hole each time the tire made a revolution, then he followed up and dropped the plug in the hole.

I have a Weed Badger for use in the grapes. None of my tractors have enough hydraulic flow to run it well-as you said, it will destroy plants/post/wire in no time! I need to look into the PTO driven pump/tank unit. I would like to cut back on weed spray.

 

[Russ from MN]

We also plant containerized spruce seedling, for reforestation. But some of our ground is too hard to use a hand planter like that!
That reminds mu of a potato planter, we use a spud like tool with a T handle.

 

[oc-18guy]

Very interesting.

 

[oc-18guy]

I didn't look before I posted but , I guess that's the general consensus interesting. nice job BTW.

 

[oldtanker]

WOW! It's amazing that a little golf cart can push that planter and 2 tractors! :twisted: :twisted:

Interesting operation.

Rick

 

[rbhuntn]

(quoted from post at 11:47:21 02/12/16) Where can a guy buy cedar trees, small starts? Need about 50 or so?

If you want to come to Missouri we'll let you dig up all the cedar sprouts you want for free. Well if might cost you a lunch.

Let me know if you want to come get some. I have access to two different places that you can get them.

BJ

 

[Russ from MN]

Check local nurseries. We have bought White Cedar from Itasca greenhouse in MN, but I don't know if they would survive the shipping to IN. We are only about 75 miles away and they ship them FedEx, frozen, and they are still cold when we get them the next morning.

 

[WI Dan]

That's interesting. I like the idea of the side hobby with your land. Seems like it would be easy to get into and out of the business.
Does it take much of your time? Is it on a daily schedule?

 

[larry@stinescorner]

That was really interesting,,,thanks I really enjoyed that.

 

[JOCCO]

Can relate working in forestry and logging have done planting too.

 

[J.Wondergem]

Thanks for the pictures and explaining them Rick, I enjoyed them.

 

[mtf]

I don't have a camera or I would have taken a few pictures of my tree spades the other day for larry's post. I grow both field and container
shade and ornamental trees only, no shrubs. My first shipment of liners from Oregon comes next week. THREE INCH MAPLES ARE LIKE GOLD AROUND
HERE THIS YEAR!! What part of the country you from? Nathan

 

[JayinNY]

Great pics, I work in landscaping so I appreciate
your pics and what your doing.

 

[Davidj]

On my way to visit relatives near Fowlerville, I drive by a place like yours south of Bancroft. Don't know if it's the same spot, but a nice area just the same.