how far is the run ... how long a line

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

It will be an "L" shape. One side is between 80-100 feet for the outer row, with the other side being about 150 feet long. The longer side will stop the trees where the property curves after the 150 feet. I could do a third row, but we are wanting to leave more inside space open, as I have some apple trees and an enclosed garden on this piece of the property. The shorter length (80-100 feet) is separated in the middle by a waterway, giving me a 10 foot wide distance that I wouldn't plant anything.

That waterway, there's no reason not to plant near or up to it on either side. It would look kinda cool. If it's a stream I guess ?

A lot of the look is going to be determined as to how close you can "wait" for the trees to fill, in. Most people will plant Norway Spruce as a quick windbreak about 15 feet apart. The further apart the more you'll appreciate it later. The Serbian's I wouldn't be afraid to plant about 1/3 close (10 foot circumference for the trees). The Oriental Spruces too, need a minimum of 15 feet.

I've done the same here. I never used a tape measure for anything and I can say that some of my mix of Serbian and Oriental's (from Treehaven, my only nursery I order seedlings from now) are closer than that but I have so much land that I just kept going and going. I think I have 200 seedlings from "Don" is his name. He's a nice man. Buy the biggest you can. They're still cheap. P+3 and P+4 is what you're looking to buy. I can't remember but the larger seedlings are like 2 dollars a piece, I mean gimmie a break.

My last bit of advice...just pucker them around for a real natural look. No "definite" space, distances... Not much thinking.

Best Regards,

Dax

Good advice from Dax. The larger sizes are the way to go. And take the time to plant them very carefully with the roots spread out and deep.

As for the spacingÂone thing you can do is plant two or three times as many as you really need, and then after they have grown for six years or so, remove the ones that are the least attractive. One of the wonderful things about Norway spruce, is the genetic diversityÂthe trees donÂt all look the same. The downside is that some are not so attractive as others, and some donÂt grow as fast or lushly as others.

Also, I always recommend more than one seed (seedling) source. Trees from different seed sources sometimes grow differently. I planted a 1,200 foot double row screen of NS last year. Three seed sourcesÂOne from Musser, one from Carino, and one from VanÂs Pines. This year I added a fourthÂa Romanian source from the Virginia Forestry Dept. And in addition I have a minor component from a fifth source, and may add a sixth next year if I have some losses.

Dax talks of P+4 or so. Some nurseries donÂt offer seedlings started as plugs. I think the "transplants" are just as goodÂI use both. The 2+3 or 2+4. I just look for the sizes, I do well with those 24 to 36 inches. In each category, go for the largest sizes, if they are sorted that way. They are likely to be more vigorous growers.

--Spruce

That's good advice regarding the general size the seedlings arrive as.

Dax

Thank you all so much.
Dax, do you have any pictures of something like this "randomly spaced" I only have room for two rows, or three if they are jammed in there. The space also runs along the road or can be seen when coming to the place, so they have to be in a straight line.

Also, can I get contact info, like a website or phone number for Don? Thank you

Nostalgic:

I have never done any "random" spacing, but if you plant extras--meaning 6 or 8 feet apart and then thin them out, you will have irregular spacing. For example, two beautiful ones may be 6 feet apart, and then it can be 18 feet to the next one and so on. Some people want regular spacing--more formal that way--but personally, I don't care much. I just want the most beautiful trees. Of course, for a screen, you don't want really wide gaps. But NS 18 feet apart, or more, will in time close the gap between them. I planted my screen with trees 8 or 9 feet apart (I would have done 6X6 except for the difficulty protecting them all in this deer infested area). I will thin them out later to preserve the best ones.

One point that some people don't understand is that trees don't have to be any specific distance from each other to grow well. Two Norway spruce trees--or any trees for that matter--can be planted right next to each other and grow beautifully. But if two trees are close together the must have extra room on the sides away from their "mate" in the pair.

--Spruce

Hi, photos and contact info below.

Dax

{{gwi:690710}}

{{gwi:690729}}

{{gwi:690732}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Hilltop Tree Farms/Treehaven Evergreen Nursery

Dax,
Whats wrong with your photo's the last time?

I fixed it. The pictures will be available in a few hours or tomorrow... I can't remember how photobucket works but I had to delete others because my acct. was too full.

Dax

If you have two favorite species mix them in. My yard was dominated (made beautiful) by 4 large white ash. Boy does that bug on the way here scare me with the possibility of loosing most of my mature trees.

You can click on the icons. I can't believe these photos aren't showing, at least for me. Can you guys see them?

Dax

Per Photobucket:

"Bandwidth is used when digital content is viewed from a link you have posted on another website or in an email (e.g. MySpace, eBay, message boards, etc.). Bandwidth is a measure of the number of bytes passed over time via direct linking. It is calculated by adding up the size of each of your images or videos as they are sent from Photobucket. The 'Monthly Bandwidth' number is the amount of bandwidth you have used within the last month. The month is determined by the day of the month you registered your account.

Bandwidth usage is unmetered for Pro accounts, however Photobucket reserves the right to disable direct linking on accounts that are using excessive bandwidth or otherwise abusing the system. The current usage number for Pro accounts is displayed in your Account Options just to give an idea of your current usage level. Free accounts are allowed 10 GB of bandwidth per month. This is hundreds of thousands of images viewed via direct links and resets each month on the day you registered."

Too many pics posted (dare I say), hopefully your sign-up anniversary is coming soon and it will reset. Otherwise, yes, clicking on the icon takes us to the photobucket website and we can see them there, not as nice as in the post.

-MWD

p.s. could always sign-up for another free account under a different email address if it's a huge deal. Kind of a hassle though, but who wants to pay for a Pro account. Guess we just click to view.

Sweet. I've had this acct. since the dawn of time. I think Feb. is my month, or it's march.

Thanks Dave.

Dax