Chipmunks are out of control here this year too. I wonder if it’s because last year was a mast year for the white oaks/walnuts/cherries? That and the extremely mild winter we had seemed to make the population explode. I had to plant cucumbers 3 times this spring because the seeds kept getting dug up I’ve got to pick up some more 1/2” hardware cloth myself.
We're kinda overrun with them too. No plants for them to eat but they live under the bird feeder and seem to have holes everywhere! Don't have the heart to kill them.
When they get into your engine compartment and start tearing apart your air filter, pooping on your engine block and chewing through wires, you will have a change of heart. They are not welcome here. We actively accelerate the circle of life as not doing so could be extremely costly.
I put out 25 Eastern White pine saplings this year. Dual purpose. Wind break and creating a 'boundary'. So far, 22 of them are still kicking. No special treatment. Planted in the woods, under canopy. Some new growth showing. Will get 50 next spring.
Hope the canopy isn’t too thick. EWP likes open sun. But so does the white pine weevil, so some cover is very helpful to get straight trunks before “releasing” them by removing the over-story.. but you probably already this.
They are a constant battle here. Last summer we killed 33 and this year it looks like we didn't make a dent.
We planted 50 Norway spruce 4 summers ago and 50 more last month. I can't block out the surrounding idiots fast enough. Lol.
First planting was a test to see if they'd live in the area planted. So far so good. I hope they don't take 20 years to get as tall as I am, being shaded half of the year.
We planted these Norway in 2007 from dormant, bare root seedlings. Full sun. Its hard to tell from the picture but they are all 15'-20' now. Some might be closer to 23.
Under canopy is only option for where I need them. Understand growth rate will be affected. Weevils not much a problem here (far as I know anyways lol). There are several wild Scots pines in the near vicinity that would have taken root under a dense canopy of other Scotts and Virginias. Entire area once dominated by pine (when I was a kid). Second succession coming along nicely on half off the hill. Other half is going straight to Third succession, which displeases me. Too wet for the oaks.
I found this young white pine growing in the shade on the edge of a sandpit a couple years back. I dug it up and moved it here. Up until this past winter it was shaded by a sugar maple. I took the maple down back in December, so now the pine gets full sun for about 2 hours every day. It shot up about a foot so far this year. Counting the whorls on the trunk, it’s an 8 year old tree which should keep growing relatively fast now that it’s getting more sunlight. This top leader is all this year’s growth:
Just planted 3 more black locust trees. The first tree picture, is the far tree in the second picture.
Take a 5 gallon bucket and put about a dozen hedge apples in it along with about a half gallon of water and fertilizer mix. Then take a short sledgehammer and mush the whole thing up, adding more water/fertilizer mix as needed to make a nice Osage soup. Dig a ditch 4" wide and 4" deep and as long as you need for the soup. Pour the soup the full length or the trench. Let the water settle a bit then cover over with dirt. Next spring you will have the start of a hedge row like those that temporarily stopped the Sherman's at Normandy.
I tried that 2 years ago with several hedge balls, and I kid you not the squirrels dug up every single seed Not even maple seeds are safe at my house. I dropped hundreds of boxelder seeds in one sunny area and they all got eaten. It’s really bizarre.
We have 2 cats that thin the chipmunk herds. There has also been a hawk frequenting my yard I suspect enjoys the chippy buffet.
I acquired a free load of wood chips this morning from the DPW, and spread them along the stone wall where my chestnuts are growing. I’m trying to both build up the soil here and keep the weeds suppressed, so as to save myself extra weed whacking every week. I think I’m going to put in another Chipdrop request, for just wood chips this time. That makes more sense to me than hauling several more loads in my small truck.
