Giving the trees a good start

Having talked about the nature of the shelter - species, spacings and aspect I have a few tips on planting etc., that may be of help. I guess the proof is in the pudding in that we can now sit on our veranda in a strong Northwesterly and enjoy a quiet drink without getting blown away.

Some people at time the thought I was a bit strange with the approach I took, but it is all about reducing as many variables ("things") as possible that will negatively affect tree survival and growth. I took every precaution I could because these trees were never going to be irrigated, and the climate can be pretty hostile.

To start I used small open rooted pine trees of about 20 centimeters height. If you want to try other trees, say in the second row or as mixture with the pines, for this I used seedlings in plastic root trainers. There is always the temptation to use larger trees with the idea that they will "get bigger faster" but this is a fallacy I am afraid. The bigger trees do not develop an adequate adventitious root system rapidly enough to service the amount of greenery above the ground. The result is more stress, slower growth and the smaller trees will have caught them up in 2-3 years and may have overtaken them.

Another factor with larger trees that stunts their growth is the impact of the wind moving the stem of the tree and disturbing the underground stability and root system, so they need staking. In some of the internal shelter belts I used larger Leylands sometimes as big as 60 centimeters, but I removed the lower third of the foliage and planted this lower third in the ground to assist stability. This works but if I had the time over I wouldn't repeat this practice - I would get smaller trees.

I usually planted in August so that the trees would avoid the worst of the frosts and be set up to take advantage of the warmer conditions as spring approached. But the preparation for planting started in Autumn: Our longest boundary is about 400 meters so I marked out where the trees would be planted by pacing out from the boundary fence (2 meters, then 2 meters) and then pacing 4 meter intervals for the length of the boundary. The first row and the second row were off set by 2 meters.

When I had marked where all the trees would be planted I sprayed a circular area about 1 meter in diameter for each tree. Spraying in the Autumn flush produces an excellent kill of grasses and weeds, I used a glyphosphate based spray with sprayfix (a detergent) to enable good herbicide penetration.

In June or July when the soil was wet and easier to dig, I dug out the 1 meter circle I had sprayed down to the stones, a depth of 30-40 cms, removing all the surface dead plant matter with the edge of the shovel first. I don't want to sound patronising but if you are going to dig use a shovel which has a pointed edge as opposed to a spade that has a flat edge, you'll find it much easier! When I had dug out the soil I then used a crow bar in the middle of the circle to loosen the stones so the tree roots would have an initial, easy passage. OK so that was about 200 holes I hear you say - yep but if you get stuck in and go at a steady pace you will achieve the desired result.

Remember what I said at the start - my objective was to give the plants every opportunity to survive and grow by removing as many things that may jeopardise this. I can tell you it is worth it - believe me I am not nuts. I know people use mole ploughs to dig furrows to speed up the tree planting or mechanised hole diggers, but trees roots will generally follow a line of least resistance so using a mole plough means the roots grow mainly in the loosened area and when the tree gets to a certain height can blow over more easily because they do not have all round root stability. Mechanised hole diggers can "glaze" the side of the hole making it very difficult for the tree roots to penetrate laterally duirng the trees early life stages.

I admit my way of planting is laborious and I am sure the neighbours thought I was nuts but as I said the proof of the pudding is in the eating. At planting time I refilled the hole with the soil making sure not to get too much organic material, you know dried grass etc. and then I would dig a hole with my hand, place the tree (I soaked the trees in water overnight in the garage) with its roots in the hole and carefully replace the soil. The trick here is to ensure the roots are spread out when you compact the soil - gently at first until the hole is filled in (I used my fist - make sure there are no stones in the soil when you do this!!) then lightly with your foot. I tried to insure that the tree was planted up to its foliage and that the level where it was planted was lower than the outside of the dug over area. It is important that the tree is firmly in the gound especially at the soil/air interface because if the stem is loose, the wind will cause the tree to move in the ground and this will cause unnecessary stress.

So the trees are planted. This is a truly rewarding experience - pat yourself on the back and go and enjoy your favourite beverage!

The next stage is vital to ensure that the tree has been given every chance to survive and grow so you get a return for your efforts. It amazes me how many people fail to do this...............