In this case we were able to lean the trees against the tailgate, but often times it helps to put a bale of straw or two across the back of the truck or trailer to lean the trees against.
Then additional trees are actually stacked onto top of the first row of trees. The pots rest on pots so the trees themselves are not damaged.
I know this makes you uncomfortable, but trust me, this is how trees are loaded on a daily basis across the country.
It’s important for People Who are Just Now Entering this industry how things are done so you can be efficient at what you do.
Questions, comments, mean things to say? Post them below and I will respond. Until then, by any and all means stay inspired!
Be sure to note that if the trees are in leaf or even in bud to be sure to tarp cover them, windburn can happen even if you are driving slow and careful. A customer might think you are installing dying trees.
Hi Mike
I love all your videos and of course your Donkeys.. I propagated yoshino cherry blossom, Japanese red maple, flowering crabapple and carolina allspice last week. My question is the soil medium. I used sand, potting soil and sphagnum peat moss. Im not sure if I have the right soil mixture. And also im getting mixed reviews about the cuttings being in shade or full sun. I have my cuttings in my basement where its warm. Your thoughts?
Larry,
Cuttings that are still rooting appreciate some shade. Potting soil? See this;
Okay, let me see if I can make the important points.
My most recent video on potting soil, this one is about pine fines or pine bark mulch; http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2018/03/potting-soil-can-use-make-potting-soil/
Just in! This mix is actually pretty good, https://www.amleo.com/berger-bark-growing-mix-3-cu-ft/p/BM7/. If nothing else gives you an idea of what a good mix should be.
1. First of all, it is confusing because there are so many options that make for a good mix. A lot of it has to do with what is available to you in your area.
2. Pea gravel. I used to add pea gravel to my well rotted hardwood bark mulch but I’ve learned that adding pine bark is really a better option. In small quantities pine bark is often sold by the bag and called soil conditioner in the box stores.
3. Rotted hardwood bark mulch is still a good option, I used it for years with great success. It only failed me when I tried to really stock up (50 yards worth) then it rotted too much and didn’t drain well. That’s when I started mixing in large amounts of pine bark.
4. Growers actually use pine bark fresh because even as it ages it really doesn’t change a lot.
5. So right now my ideal mix is very heavy in pine bark and to that I add either commercial compost or well rotted hardwood bark mulch.
6. But what I really do is buy a load (90 yards) of pine bark then I start working that into the potting mix that we are current using. I think it’s important for me to stay ahead of the wave by adding more pine bark before I am out of soil. Right now I have a large pile of pine bark that’s been sitting here since ???? early summer I think. And there is a part of my potting soil pile that is far too aged and compacted so on my to do list is to blend these two piles together before spring.
7. Yes, I now have a front end loader that makes this easy. But at this place, http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/03/mikes-first-backyard-nursery/, I used a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a rototiller. I usually kept about 10 yards on hand and always replenished my pile before it ran out using the old to mix with the new.
8. But back then I never turned the entire pile. That would have been crazy. I’m too lazy to turn compost! Or as I like to think of it, I value my time more than that.
9. Instead when I added fresh material, bark mulch, commercial compost or pea gravel to my pile, I simply put it on top. I’d use a two by twelve as a ramp to get the wheelbarrow up on top of the pile. I built the pile like a “Dagwood Sandwich”, you might have to Google that. Layers of materials. Then when I needed soil I would simply rototill one corner and get an awesome mix that I’d shovel on to the bench by hand.
10. And that’s where the legless potting bench came in. I’d rest one end on the pile so it would be nice and close for shoveling, then the other end on blocks or a saw horse. http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/01/homemade-mobile-potting-bench-it-has-removable-wheels/
11. So yeah, today I do things very differently, but I started exactly where all of you are today.
No matter what you use, it doesn’t have to be my mix, just pick a potting soil that somebody else here is using with great success. Bagged soil? Sure if that’s what you want to do. I have no idea how much it costs to fill a one gallon with a bagged mix but I am curious about that if anybody wants to share than number with us.
Here are some tips on getting good potting soil;
Looking online for mulch is probably not the best place to look because many of the dealers who sell mulch really have little to no web presence at all. I’m sure there has to be some hardwood bark available in New Jersey.
I’d pick up the phone and start calling around. Garden Centers, landscapers and excavators will know who sells bulk hardwood bark mulch. These dealers are often hidden away on some side street.
I’d take a full day and visit as many garden centers and nurseries in your area that you can. Browse, ask some casual questions.
1. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk mulch.
2. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk potting soil.
3. What do most growers around here use as a potting mix.
Bulk potting soil is available, usually around $55 a yard, but worth it. But it’s not readily available in all areas and in most cases you need to send a truck to get it.
But it won’t cost anything to ask these questions. You’ll either get really good, answers, might get the brush off, or you might find somebody who loves to talk about growing plants and will bury you in valuable information.
Good info here about potting soil, http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/12/mike-mcgroartys-secret-bed-building-and-potting-soil-recipe/
and here;
http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/how-to-make-your-own-awesome-potting-soil/
This is an uncommon question. To start with, I am in my 70s and in ill health. I have a 4′ fence with a 1′ apron for an enclosure. The apron has rotted and the dogs can now dig out. The area is mixed sun/shade.
My thoughts are to take cuttings from American hazelnut, black raspberry, blueberries, and elderberries and put them in the ground as a “living hedge”. Since the fence apron is too much to remove and has 1 1/2 inch openings, these cuttings can not be rooted first, but need to be put directly where they will be needed. I have powdered root-on but feel it will come off when the cutting is pushed down into the existing soil.
I’m looking to you in hopes you can provide a better idea of getting a living hedge in a short time frame. I also plan to mulch the cuttings as soon as they are in the ground. This is a half-acre enclosure so around 1100 feet and I will be placing cuttings at every 6 inches, knowing because of the method I have to use, I will get a low percentage of survival.
Thanks for your advice and as always, I will be watching your many useful videos.
Wade
Wade,
Your idea is sound and the rooting powder should be fine, just make a hole with a screw driver first then water in to eliminate air pockets. But some of the plants that you selected might be very difficult to root but you can try. I really can’t say for sure.
Hi Mike, are you selling weeping redbuds (lavender twist or ruby falls) or rising sun redbuds this year?
Rachel,
I have some Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud. $39.00 each
I grow native trees to Southeast-East Texas. Good post on how to transport.
I’m very small grower with very small backyard. Have you reviewed chipper-shredders in the past?
Allen,
I have not, I reached out to one company and never heard back from them. Company from Las Vegas I think.
Good Afternoon,
I’m in Toledo, Ohio and it’s definitely winter outside. I have a half-dozen small oaks, 3′ to 5′ tall in my front yard. I’d like to dig them now and transplant them where I want them in the back yard. Can I get away with doing this right now, during winter?
Thomas, As long as the ground is not frozen you can. Just don’t leave them out of the ground for long. Dig them and plant them right away, the roots cannot be exposed to freezing air.