Now that the rain has arrived, it is time to get planting. By following a few simple rules you will increase the success of you tree planting and ensure good survival rates.

Site preparation

Once your seedlings have been delivered or collected it is crucial to keep them damp. Seedlings may need watering up to twice a day in dry weather and will dry out very quickly once the cell trays have been ‘popped’. To make things easier for you and the seedlings, arrange for them to be delivered onsite, just prior to planting.

Hand planting

Hand planting seedlings is a good option for smaller projects or difficult terrain. It is also a great opportunity to get family, friends and community involved, and all it will cost you is the barbeque afterwards. There are various tools for making life easier when hand planting, including the pottiputki (a planting tube from Finland) and the kidney bucket. These two devices allow you to work in an ergonomically correct manner and are simple to use and easy on the back. Depending on how well your site has been prepared you may also need gloves, a planting bar, a sedge planter, spades, picks, and rakes.

Pottiputki planters have a hollow tube with a duckbill end that is driven into the ground and levered open to create a hole suitable for the seedling. The seedling is then dropped down the tube into the hole and pressed into place with foot pressure.

• Step 1. Ensure the duckbill is closed. Push the planter into prepared ground, by standing on the footplate and pushing it in as far as you can. This allows the rootball of the seedlings to be planted as deep as possible.
• Step 2. Place seedling in the hollow end and push lever with foot to open the duckbill.
• Step 3. Lift the pottiputki up and over the seedling. Make sure not to close it before it is clear of the seedling.
• Step 4. Push the earth in around the plant to ensure it is straight with no roots exposed.

Planting bar & sedge planter

Move the planting bar or sedge planter from sideto- side as you punch it down into the ground. Place the tree seedling against flat side of hole, then use your foot to firm the earth down around it.

Machine planting

When doing larger plantings you can use machinery to save time. There many different commercial and homemade machinery options for mechanical tree planting. The ‘one pass tree planter’ is the most commonly used one in the Wheatbelt.

Most shires have a one pass tree planter for hire. Bookings are often required as it is likely everyone will want to use them at the same time. Make sure you have access to a tractor of the appropriate size, and someone to plant with you.

Features of the one pass tree planters, include:

• ability to scalp away weeds and their seeds by removing the top few centimetres soil option to mound soil for waterlogged sites
• shelves for the seedlings to rest on
• covered seat for the planter
• press wheels to press seedlings in
• adjustable chain to measure distance between seedling rows.

While setting up the tree planter correctly can be time consuming it is vitally important to get it right. This ensures that the rip is deep enough and that seedlings are planted at the correct depth. Adjustments to the tree planter will need to be made for each site where the conditions vary. If in doubt, ask someone for advice.

Direct seeding 

Direct seeding often gives a more diverse result and can be cheaper than seedlings alone, however it does require specialist skills and equipment. Ensure that your seeds are thoroughly mixed so you don’t end up with patches of the same species in one spot. Some seeds are lighter than others and will float to the top of the mix with movement of the machinery.

TIPS FOR YOUR REVEGETATION

• manage weeds, rabbits and other pest prior to planting
• mix up the different species
• water seedlings well prior to planting
• make sure each seedling is adequately covered with soil and all of its root are in the ground
• cover up to a third of plant’s lower stem to ensure its roots remain in contact with soil moisture year round
• plant only when soil moisture is present and rainfall is forecast in the days following planting

Enjoy your planting and watch your forest grow!

Source: Wheatbelt Agroforestry Biodiversity Values, http://bit.ly/29JZ2CF