Planting stock:
farm forestry seedlings
Planting time:
In most areas of the region late winter–early spring plantings are preferable except for radiata pine. Planting too soon increases the risk of frost damage and root disease in cold waterlogged conditions and makes it more difficult to achieve good spring weed control.
Wet areas are best left to dry out sufficiently in mid–September to early October before attempting to plant. Mounding is recommended for wet areas and will allow you to plant earlier (see section on Mounding).
Radiata pine is best planted early — mid-June through to the end of July.
Autumn plantings in dry ridge areas can be successful but you will find it hard to achieve good weed control through to the end of spring. Ridge areas are therefore best planted mid-July to mid-August.
In general you should complete the majority of plantings by mid-September.
If you have less than 500 mm rainfall, autumn-winter planting is desirable as long as sufficient rain has fallen and the site is not prone to frost or water logging.
The best cautionary advice is always to:
- watch the season
- react appropriately (early for a dry season and later for a wet season)
- pull out the crystal ball and plant when rain is forecast!
Site preparation:
A large 4WD tractor.
Ripping to the correct depth at the right of the year will usually require a bulldozer or large 4WD tractor.
You must prepare your site properly to achieve high survival and rapid growth of your trees. It makes the subsequent planting job fast and easy, and removes weed competition which in turns avoids the need for summer watering.
Ripping:
In most of the region’s soils, deep ripping enables:
- fast initial root growth
- higher survival rates
- improved moisture penetration
- easy planting in a friable soil
- correct spacing between rows.
Ripping lay back the soil.
Ripping should be:
- 450–750 mm deep.
- intermittent on erodible soils (lift the tyne clear of the ground periodically to break the line and prevent water flowing along the rip line).
- done when the subsoil is dry to ensure shattering of the soil. It is best undertaken either in late spring the year before planting, or summer–early autumn prior to planting. If you rip damp or wet soil you will slice the soil; this will restrict root development to a channel along the rip line; the resulting poor lateral root development will increase the risk of wind throw.
- on the contour on sloping sites — but only if the tyne is lifted to give an intermittent rip line and the catchment area above the prepared area is small, reducing the volume of runoff into the ripline and the risk of erosion.
- perpendicular to the contour on steep slopes. This minimises erosion and reduces the catchment area and hence the amount of water likely to flow into each rip line. You must avoid any concentration of water flow into rip lines.
Ripping should not lay back the soil surface to create an open channel or gutter; if you see this, your ripping is probably too shallow.
If you must rip late, roll either side of the rip line with a concrete roller at least 60 cm wide (or with the tracks of a bulldozer). Then at planting time firm the planting spot to minimise air pockets. Another option is to use a scraping device or “mini mounder” to back fill the rip line. Never roll directly over the rip line with tractor tyres as this will compact the soil, cause gutters and may lead to erosion.
