People who have never tried tree tubes nearly always predict dire results, the most common of which is that the seedlings will "burn up" or "cook" inside the tree tubes.
Here's an interesting tree tube post about how this near-universal prediction has been proved wrong time and again.
Thanks a bunch for the information. I am going to do a small number of plantings using tree tubes this spring - if we ever get a spring - in north central Minnesota. 2 varieties of apples(Honeycrisp & Sweet 16), 3 varieties of plums(Alderman, Superior, and American) and - just for the heck of it - a few butternut trees. Along with the tubes I plan on using a 4x4 weed mat and a pre-planting mycorrhyzal root dip as well as in-hole tablets that supply mycorrhyzals and a root stimulant. Here is link to the mycorrhyizal info: http://www.itascagreenhouse.com/page23.html
ReplyDeleteI will be taking photos and videos of the process and growth and share them with you if you are interested. Thanks again!
Very cool Eric! As a MN native recently transplanted to CA I keep an eye on the weather back home (and rain/snow outs at Target Field) and know it's been a rough spring. Hope things start to thaw soon! Yes! I am very interested in getting information about your trials. Who did you buy the planting stock from? I have always been curious about the effects of mycorrhyzal dips and tablets. Obviously mycorrhizae have a huge impact on nutrient absorption and growth, and no doubt forest-specific mycorrhizae are depleted in soils that have been farmed or otherwise disturbed. But I haven't seen a lot of research on the short and long term benefits of mycorrhyzal additives, so I'm excited to see what you learn. Please keep me posted, either in comments here on this blog or via email: chris(at)wilsonirr.com or siemschristian(at)gmail.com. Thanks!
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