[Image description: an image from the movie Dazed and Confused with text that reads "'This summer is too hot'. Me: 'Have you ever planted trees?' 'No.' Me: 'Be a lot cooler if you did'"
this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2024
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Nature and Gardening
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Yeah early-mid summer is about the worst time to plant. I've put plants in the ground during the summer but I'm out there watering them nearly every day when it's this hot, at least for the first few weeks.
I agree that it's a really difficult time for larger plants to establish and begin supporting themselves. One thing I've found helpful, and that I tell everyone receiving one of our plants during the season, is to water more deeply and less frequently to promote the kind of root growth that will provide better resilience during dry and/or hot periods
That's unfortunate timing =/
Locally collected seed should give you a leg up getting them growing, especially if you're overwintering and starting them with rodent protection. I don't have a positive ID on the hickories I'll be transplanting this fall but would be happy to send some if you're stateside and interested
Keep 'em moist and cool - the back of the refrigerator is better than the freezer. The books I have don't have figures for cold stratification beyond 3 months but doing that can increase germination by up to 80 percent.
Don't want to gush technical stuff at you if you don't want or need it, especially in a meme thread, but I will gladly geek out and answer whatever I can for you
The deepest ones I've got experience with are about 14" deep, with a top of 2" square tapering to a 1.5" square at the bottom - theoretically, you could get away with growing in those for up to a full season but you'll have to worry about encircling roots and the trees may experience difficulty during transplanting if something isn't done to free them from that shape. Wider grow bags would definitely give you a buffer in that they'll have more room for the lateral roots, but many of the ones I've tried wick moisture from the substrate so you may need to devote additional time to watering.
Something we've had good success with is the use of air prune boxes (apologies for the self plug but it's something to which I have quick access), which do limit the length of the taproots during the time in the box but substantially increase the amount of fibrous roots the trees will grow. Once transplanted, the taproots will resume normal growth behavior. Here's an introductory article about them from someone other than me writing for Mother Earth News. We grow a number of woody plants in air prune boxes for a full growing season, at which point we remove them and either plant or ship them during the fall and early winter. I can't recommend them enough, but it's important that you choose the method that will work best for your circumstances, time, and means.