Hari Kaur of
Arroyo Seco just turned me on to something spectacular and so I want to share it with you! Only up until April 20, 2007 (they do this every year), the New Mexico State Division of Forestry is offering bunches of little
tiny seedlings of trees and shrubs for sale for good prices! See their
site at http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/FD/. There are a number of guidelines for ordering, such as owning at least an acre of land—but when I ordered, they
didn’t ask me about that. And the seedlings are varying sizes of small, plus you have to buy them in lots amounting
to at least 50, it appears—or perhaps there are some available in lots of 20. But there are some wonderful things
on there.
It appears that a certain number of the trees offered
by New Mexico Forestry are “bareroot,” meaning they are quite small, and perhaps they don’t have dirt around
their roots. Evidently there is quite a bit more to the method of planting those
little bitty trees than I knew about! Luckily Satya Kaur is highly experienced
at this up at Ram Das Puri and has sent us comprehensive directions! Thanks,
Dear. We really do appreciate this!
This is the first supplier of treeshelters that
Satya Kaur recommended. http://treeessentials.com
And here is a tree nursery and supply that carries
treeshelters and has pictures, although when you try to click through for more details, it appears that their website is not
working properly. http://oikostreecrops.com/store/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=98&strPageHistory=cat
And here is a site that promises improvement on
the original design of treeshelters, and gives good explanations. http://www.summitenvironmental.net/id20.htm
Here is a webpage that shows a picture of treeshelters,
and is a study from CA. I don’t think that their conditions are as harsh
as ours, though, making treeshelters really important, rather than a choice here. http://groups.ucanr.org/slosson/documents/1995-19982105.pdf
BAREROOT
TREE PLANTING from Satya Kaur, Ram Das Puri
I have been planting bareroot trees from New Mexico
Forestry for 6 years, with a high rate of survival. Here are some suggestions from my experience.
1. Choose your trees carefully, according to the
intended purpose and environment available. The Forestry service gives good information about each one. Elevation, water and
soil needs, size and speed of growth and distance are all important.
2. Prepare the holes before the trees come. The
soil should be decent loam, not too sandy or clayey with all rocks removed. Most soils do not need to be rich, just loose
enough for the roots to spread and with decent drainage Each hole should be at least 12" deep and wide.
3. Plan your watering when preparing the holes.
Drip systems are ideal if you have sufficient pressure. These babies will need a gallon of water twice a week without fail
in the first full season of growth and close to that for the 2nd. Missing a couple of waterings can be fatal.
Water at this rate till they go dormant and then
continue to water through the winter, maybe once a month or more if there is no moisture and it is warm.
4. The main key to survival of bareroots is protection
and shelter in their first 2 years of growth. They require protection from wind, sun, excessive cold, animals, weeds and insects.
The very best way to do this is with treeshelters.
2' height is plenty for these little guys. They can be ordered from Treessentials or Oikos Tree Crops and you can check
for other sources. I have the best luck with out of state county extensions that have them for better prices. The best deal
is 50 at a time. Expect to pay $2.50 with shipping if you order 50, up to $4 apiece if you order in smaller quantities. I
see these as a requirement if you want the trees to thrive. The bareroots are such a bargain that it is not a heavy investment
and you can share treeshelter orders also. For every treeshelter you will need a 2' stake, available from local hardware stores.
5. When the twigs come, keep them cool and moist till they
are planted. This is very important.If they dry out, they will die. 8-12 hours before planting, put them in a bucket of water
and root stimulator - I like superthrive best.
6. Plant in the cool of the day and keep the bucket
of trees out of the sun. Water each hole before planting - a couple of gallons. I also add solid water at this time, to keep
the moisture up during the heat of summer. Solid water is a granular
substance that increases exponentially the capacity to hold moisture. It is pretty wonderful stuff. Rohde's
sells the best quality of this at the best prices, but it can be purchased locally in nurseries. Each tree will look like
a stick with roots. Plant it according to the directions that come with the trees. Place the treeshelter with the stake in
the direction of the strongest prevailing winds, and water it in (I add extra root stimulator in the water). You can water
right into the treeshelter. Mulch well around the treeshelter to keep out weeds.
7. Be patient. Most of them will break dormancy,
although 5-10% might not. If they make it through 3 seasons they are probably set. The first season or 2 they may be developing
roots, it depends on the types. After 2 seasons they are usually ready to be fed and the treeshelters can be removed. I have
read that it is best to wait till the tree has a diameter of 2" but in our climate that can take a while and I have fond the
shelters can safely be removed after the 2nd winter. Weed around them and check for weeds inside the shelter. Talk to them!
Cheer them on!
Possible problems - if the heat is really excessive
and they are totally expose, the treeshelters can increase the internal heat too much. This only happened once to me, with
one type of tree. If you do not see leaves by summer, the bareroot is unlikely to ever break dormancy. Pop it out and try
again next year.
I hope this helps. I am happy to help with specific
questions or concerns if I can.
Blessings
Satya Kaur
khalsashakti@yahoo.com
From Siri-Gian Kaur:
In the short run, I think that we are going to
plant all the little seedlings together in a sheltered and irrigated spot, as a nursery so that they can be easily watched
and taken care of until they get big enough to transplant where I want them. Then I expect I will use the treeshelters
for them and put in irrigation there where I finally want them to spend the rest of their lives!
