starting shrub seedlings in the ground

7 years ago

Last year I ordered a lot of bare root seedlings of trees and shrubs from NYS department of conservation and planted them directly in a cleared area in May. They were quickly lost in the growth of new and old but dormant plants. I'm tempted to try again, because I can visualize a grove of winterberry in this damp area that would be perfect. Is there a way to do this economically without having to pot them up and nurture them for years to reach a certain size? I'm sure to answer my question you'll want to know what the other plants are there that they will be competing with. I have planted ferns (ostrich, interrupted and lady), Norway spruces which are no more than two feet tall. The usual list of invasives persist but I can now largely identify and remove them - thistles, Japanese honeysuckle, bittersweet, wisteria, ivy, etc. A lot of wild impatiens (with the orange flower) takes over now that deer are kept out. My overall objective is to plant a screen along this low, wet boundary.

Featured Answer

NHBabs z4b-5a NH

7 years ago

I would give them a growing season in pots with a careful eye towards giving them plenty of moisture. Plant in the fall in the final site, but keep a cleared area around each with mulch and pulling out of the Impatiens/jewelweed and cutting overhanging fern fronds as needed. IME, once winterberry gets its feet under it, it will take off, but it needs protection from competition for light for the first few seasons in the ground. My winterberries were grown from tiny cuttings and are now over my head.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

kitasei
Original Author
7 years ago
OK, I'll take this as marching orders. I will also use TALL markers so they don't get lost as they did last time. I think the best markers are those that Untermeyer Garden uses - substantial bamboo stakes about 2-3 feet tall with names written in heavy black.
Related Professionals
Middletown Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bainbridge Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Newport Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Oxnard Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Vincennes Landscape Contractors · Memphis Landscape Contractors · Cedar Rapids Landscape Contractors · Muncie Landscape Contractors · Montgomery Home Builders · Annapolis Home Builders · Cambridge Home Builders · Augusta Home Builders · Bridgeport Home Builders · Amherstburg Home Builders · York Home Builders
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
7 years ago
For my seedlings or new cuttings that have been planted out, I use 1”x1” wooden stakes 2’-3’ tall, pounded into the ground with a mallet. The top 10” have been spray painted red or wound with bright flagging tape. DH, who does the vast majority of the mowing is trained. I forgot to mark a 2’ sapling this past season and he mowed it down, but as long as plants are marked, they survive.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
lost in tall weeds is one thing.. dead is another.. are you sure they all died???

i used marker flags.. for various projects .... bigbox ought to have them ... ive been known to beg a bunch from the miss dig dude... lol .. you know.. the flags they use to mark the lawn for digging around utilities .......

ken

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Marking-flags-Safety/4294559264
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
btw .... i have bought from the MI conservation dist many times ... they sell 2 to 3 year old stock ... made for the type of planting you did .... its akin to reforestation plantings ...

in no terms.. would i call them seedlings.. because to me.. that implies tiny babes.. first year out of the seed ... and these are the type that would need to be grown on ... in theory.. the conservation plants should be ready to go .... as they are not really 'babes' ....

i only mention this.. in case you feel that you are failing in search engines because of the terms used ...

i tend to agree... that competition from weeds.. may have starved them for water in the heat of summer .. but.. on the other hand.. it could have provided some shade ...

ken

took me a while to find this ... of course he calls them seedlings.. lol ... doesnt matter if its a shrub or tree .... covers maintenance ... mulching.. care during the process .. grass competition .... etc ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMAaMJK8Tbg

btw .. i also used surveyors flagging tape in loud colors for marking plants ... also at bigbox

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=surveyors+flagging+tape&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images
Skip1909
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Winterberry is a favorite of deer, you might have to fence them or put a cage of some type around them if you have a large deer population. You need to kill the vines too. Follow NHbabs advice and use the year in pots, meanwhile kill the spring cool season weeds, then kill summer warm season weeds, the kill fall cool season weeds, then plant.