Planting European Beech Trees
Planting projects at my Bedford, New York farm continue with a large group of beautiful young European beech trees.
Over the last couple of weeks, the outdoor grounds crew took on the task of planting about 300 specimen trees. I wanted to create hedges in two of the large horse paddocks. For the three specific areas, I chose a collection of beautiful European beech trees, Fagus sylvatica, or the common beech - a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae and native to the woodlands of central and southern Europe.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I wanted to plant hedges on both the east and west sides of the South Paddock. This paddock is quite long. Gardener’s twine and stakes are used to mark the edge of the planting bed and to guide the motorized sod cutter.
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- Many of you ask about these stakes. I use hundreds of them to support my herbaceous peonies during the summer. I designed them myself with the two eyes for stringing twine – they work so wonderfully in the garden.
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- Because it was such a large project, it was done in phases. All the sod pieces were neatly rolled and placed to one side.
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- I never like to waste anything around the farm. I always try to repurpose and reuse as much as possible. These older sections of sod will be replanted in grassy areas that have gotten bare over time.
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- A four-foot long piece of bamboo is used to space the trees equally. Chhiring is excellent at positioning these specimens so everything is equally spaced and perfectly straight. When planting anything, be sure to consider the specimen’s growth habit and size when fully mature.
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- Here, you can see many of the trees lined up. The leaves of beech trees do not typically fall in autumn and instead remain on the tree until the spring when new, green leaves appear.
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- Here is a line of potted trees on the opposite side of this paddock.
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- This tree’s leaves are in transition – soon, all the leaves will be a beautiful bold green.
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- Here is a closer look at the leaf structure – alternate, simple leaves, two to five inches long with shallow teeth along the edges.
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- European beech trees are known for the smooth silvery gray bark.
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- And the third area is on the west side of what I call the Southeast Paddock. We use our trusted Polaris Ranger to transport the trees.
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- Once the trees are positioned, Chhiring uses marking spray, often used for landscaping jobs, to indicate exactly where each tree will be planted.
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- Chhiring then scarifies the root ball to stimulate new growth and promote good aeration.
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- The root system is shallow with large roots spreading out in all directions. These roots are very healthy.
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- Carlos digs the holes as Chhiring prepares each tree for planting. These holes are about eight inches deep. Planting depth is one of the most important factors. Planting a tree too deep can kill it. “Bare to the flare” is the rule of thumb. Look for the root collar or root flare – the bulge just above the root system where the roots begin to branch away from the trunk. The root flare should be just above the soil surface.
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- Chhiring looks at the positioning of the tree carefully to make sure it is straight. When selecting trees, always check for signs of injury from disease or trunk damage from mishandling. All these trees are in excellent condition.
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- A good fertilizer made especially for new trees is sprinkled generously around the root ball once it is in the ground.
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- We use M-Roots with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption.
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- Here is a well-fertilized root ball that is ready for backfill.
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- Chiiring backfills the root balls of several trees. Here, it is easy to see where the root collar of the tree begins.
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- The crew has developed a good production line process for planting the trees quickly and efficiently – look at all the trees they planted in less than one day.
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- From a distance, these trees look great. A newly planted beech tree needs regular watering during its first year or two. Once established, it can tolerate dry spells but should be given extra water during periods of drought.
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- These trees prefer calcified or lightly acidic soil. They tolerate rigorous winter cold but are sensitive to spring frost.
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- After several days, these trees are all in the ground and doing well. We’ve also had quite a bit of rain, so they’ve all been well watered. These beech trees will look so beautiful next to the allee of lindens behind them. I will be sure to share photos as these hedges develop.
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