Windbreak on hard clay.

11 years ago

After years of putting up with a punishing Westerly wind I have decided to fight back and grow a shelterbelt windbreak. My farm has heavy clay soil and I was wondering which conifer would do best in this instance. I already have a row of young 3 foot white cedars next to fence 22 yards from the house. I plan on planting a 260 foot double row of trees angled away from and on the other side of the fence to give a roughly North/South alignment.

My first choice is Colorado spruce every 12 feet on the windward side and Norways every 16 feet apart in the leeward row, also with a 20 foot separation between rows.

I plan on using 4 foot tall select grade trees, I'm hoping for it to fill in within 5 years, is this a reasonable expectation? Or should I go bigger?

I 've been unable to find a local supplier of Green Giant thuja, so it seems that is not in the cards.

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

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Comments (5)

bengz6westmd
11 years ago
Bulk mail-order GGs are easy to plant & grow much faster than you might think -- may need watering for the first few yrs. 20' avg in 9 seasons here spaced about 6' apart.

Plan on a number of species. Don't know where you're at -- Colorado spruce sooner or later develops warm & humid-climate needlecast here in the east US.

Many pines wouldn't be very good windbreaks -- Table Mnt pine is dense enough to be an exception (maybe pitch pine too). Va juniper (red cedar) makes a better windbreak than you might think. Norway spruce too - much more reliable than Colorado spruce IMO.

I think the trees I mention would grow in clay.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
we couold start teh discussion.. by asking where you are ... clay is the least of your problems ...

add the county.. and we can track down is you have a county soil conservation office.. with a plant sale in spring ... as what you are doing.. by definition.. is a wind break.. which is soil conservation ...

EVERYTHING is available online ... in the size you ought to be planting ...

whatever you do.. diversify your planting ...

ken
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snowbanana
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the responses

I live in Ontario about 75 miles N/E of Detroit.

I've read that trees shoud be of the same variety within each row, are you saying to mix it up within the rows or just have different types in each row? Also I gather neither of you are to keen on large trees and would recommend cheaper, smaller bare root trees?

Thanks again

Harold
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
my neighbor surrounded his acre lot with about 60 picea pungens 50 years ago ...

and has left his widow with a long string of dying blue spruce ...

if he had used a variety of plants.... only the pungens would be dying now ... eh???

and at 84 years old.. unless she wins the lotto ... they arent going anywhere ....

but then.... it really isnt his problem now...

the whole canada thing.. limits what i can recommend ...

as i said ... the term you need to research.. is windbreaks .... i googled: michigan soil conservation windbreaks ... and came up with the PDF file linked below ...

i wish you luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
snowbanana
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you for the link Ken, it's full of great info.