Potting Up Trees from Musser Forests, Inc.
Potting up hundreds of trees at my Bedford, New York farm is a huge, yet exciting undertaking.
Every year I plant hundreds of trees, sometimes thousands. Trees are crucial to the environment. They provide food, protection, and homes to scores of birds and mammals. They also help combat climate change and release oxygen for all of us to live. This week, we received a shipment of bare-root cuttings from Musser Forests, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company specializing in conifer and hardwood seedlings and transplants. Bare-root trees are so named because the plants are dug from the ground while dormant and stored without any soil surrounding their roots. Once the young specimens arrived, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew placed them in tubs to soak and then hurried to pot them up in nutrient-filled composted soil, so their root systems could develop before they're planted in more permanent locations.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- I’ve bought many trees from Musser Forests Inc. over the years and have always been very pleased with their specimens. As soon as they arrive, the roots of the plants are immersed in water, so they can soak – doing this gives the plants a better start.
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- All our tree potting projects are done in my large Equipment Barn where the seedlings can be kept in water and protected from the elements during the potting process.
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- Bare-root plants should not have any mold or mildew. The cuttings should also feel heavy. If they feel light and dried out then the plant probably will not grow. Among this collection of trees and shrubs are black locust, red mulberry, swamp white oak, American chestnuts, pignut hickory, viburnum, and arborvitae.
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- We also have ‘Green Mountain’ boxwood – a vigorous evergreen shrub with bright green foliage that retains good color throughout winter. I have grown many of this boxwood variety and it does very well here at the farm.
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- And these are young junipers ‘Saybrook Gold.’ ‘Saybrook Gold’ is an evergreen shrub with a spreading, arching, feathery growth habit. It typically reaches four to five feet high and spreads horizontally to six feet wide. This juniper features mostly needle-like, bright yellow foliage with drooping tips.
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- We always pot bare-root cuttings in individual containers. The trees will only remain in these pots temporarily – eventually, they will be transplanted in various locations around the farm. We save pots whenever we can – they always come in handy for projects like this, and I always encourage the crew to reuse supplies whenever possible.
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- We ordered large rolls of heavy duty commercial grade landscape fabric made with durable, woven polypropylene. This fabric will line the space where the trees will be stored, to keep the area tidy and weed-free.
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- Previously, we used this area for our pumpkin patch. It did not work as well as we wanted for our pumpkins, but it is a perfect spot for all our potted trees. Brian raked the area flat and removed any old root systems and debris.
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- And then he unrolled the weed fabric on top, covering the entire space.
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- To keep it down, Brian and Ernesto overlap the pieces and then secure them with industrial sod staples.
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- We use these strong staples for many projects around the farm. They are made from steel and are available through garden centers or big box stores carrying garden supplies. They are designed to hold a variety of items in the soil, from artificial turf mats to weed cloth.
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- And they look just like staples when inserted into the fabric barrier and then into the soil.
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- Here is the space completely covered with weed cloth. It already looks so much better.
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- Back in the Equipment Barn, Phurba drops loads of composted manure and top soil onto a tarp for potting. Composting manure above 131-degrees Fahrenheit for at least a couple weeks kill harmful pathogens, dilute ammonia, stabilize nitrogen, kill weed seeds and reduce any objectionable odors. I am so proud of the nutrient-rich soil we make here at the farm.
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- Once a mound of compost is unloaded, it is amended with some good fertilizer and then mixed well. Ryan sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer made with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption.
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- Here is a closer look at the fertilizer – it comes in tiny pellets that are neater, easier to handle, and with reduced dust. Remember, if you eat, so should your plants and trees.
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- Here, each bare-root is carefully separated from the bunch and then placed into an appropriately sized pot.
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- The root section should fit into the pot without being crowded at the bottom. Healthy bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start because their abundant, roots have already had a chance to develop unrestricted.
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- Each pot is prepared with a small layer of soil ready for the tree and backfill. The bare-root specimen is held still in the pot, so it is straight and centered in the container.
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- And then it is carefully backfilled. Here, it is also tamped down lightly so there is good contact between the tree roots and the surrounding soil. Each tree is placed at the same level it was grown by the nursery – where the roots start and the top shoots begin.
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- As each tree is potted, it is placed in a row with all like specimens. These pots are not quite filled to the top because we will also top dress each pot with mulch.
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- And then they are delivered to the fenced in area where they are out of the way and can develop. Most of these bare-root cuttings do not have leaves, so they are difficult to identify. It is important to keep them separated by cultivar and always properly marked. By late afternoon, dozens of bare-root cuttings are potted and carefully arranged. I am confident these trees will thrive in these pots and be in excellent condition when it is time to plant them in their more permanent locations around the farm.
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