Spring Tree Planting

[Tinkhamtown]

Live in Washington county, Hugo, Minnesota and want to plant 100 to 150 trees this Spring. Where would be a good place to buy seedlings? 21.5 acres mostly flat sandy soil with one 3 acre swamp...what would be the best trees to plant? Norways do well and the deer don't bother them to much but what else would work? Thanks

Tink

[LABS4ME]

Washington County extension service will probably have some deals on seedlings in the spring. They can usually recommend what is best for your soil type according to their stock. All the pines, spruce and cedars will do well in sandy soils. Buffaloberry, Amur maple, Ninebark, Snowberry and Serviceberry would be good naturalizing shrubs for sandy soil. Crabs, Hawthorns and Russian Olive are good fruit trees for wildlife for sandy soils. Rubrum maple, black spruce, dogwood, Viburnum, Willow and Winterberry would all do well in the low areas. See what they have in stock and pick accordingly.

The end of April is a good time to plant bare root stock. Use a weed mat or mulch to keep competing weeds down and to keep some moisture in the soil around the root zone. Use a quality starter fertilizer when planting them. !/3 compost mixed into the existing soils will also help them to get established.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Powerstroke]

It would also be nice to mix in a few Northern Pin Oaks and maybe a swamp white oak in the low lands.