FAQs

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY PLANTS?

You may pick-up your order or have it shipped. 

Pickup orders will be ready the first week of May. Please arrange with us to get them during that time.

If they are shipped, you'll receive your seedlings between mid-April and the end of May. We ship orders based on approximate growing zone and the order in which they were received. If you have a shipping date request, contact us before March 31st to make arrangements.  

WHAT DO I DO AFTER I RECEIVE MY PLANTS?

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1. inspect the box for serious damage.

2. open the box(es). prop the plants up. open a bag and inspect the roots to make sure they are moist.

3. sprinkle the roots with water, if needed. keep the roots moist, but not soaking wet!  

4. plant right away. if you cannot plant right away, look at the next section to see various options on what to do. 

WHAT DO I DO IF I CANNOT TRANSPLANT MY SEEDLINGS RIGHT AWAY?

The most important part is to keep the area around the roots moist. NOT soaking, but damp enough so the fine root hairs will not dry out. Next, keep the plants cool, but not in freezing temperatures. The easiest ways to accomplish this are to prop the plants up in a barn, cool basement, garage. Keep them together as bundles for easier handling. You can elect to keep them in the bags they arrived in or bury the roots in moist in damp sand, wood shavings, woodchips, soil, peat, or potting mix. If the plant order is small enough, you can manage this by storing your seedlings in a refrigerator. This can extend your time to plant them for 1-2 weeks. 

Another method for extending the period between your plants arriving and transplanting is "heeling", or burying the roots of your bundles in a trench. 

HOW DO I ESTABLISH MY NUT TREES?

Young nut trees require extra care during and immediately after planting, especially for trees with a taproot (Walnut, Hickory, Butternut, Buartnut). Effective weed control helps reserve moisture for your crop trees. Use organic mulch to hold moisture, and water at least once per week while they are getting established.

Be sure that you can provide water to the trees during their first growing season, keeping the soil surrounding them “uniformly moist, constantly.” Each tree should receive 5 to 10 gallons of water per day until the end of May, and 2 to 3 times per week thereafter through mid-July.

For more details, check out the free tree crops planting guide by the Savanna Institute. 

 

HOW DO I CHOOSE A SITE FOR MY NUT TREES?

Nut trees grow very fast in rich soil. Soils with some clay that are not constantly wet are good for most nut trees. They can tolerate wetter soils than fruit trees but will drown if their roots are sitting in water all year round.

Hybrid Hazelnuts and Korean Stone Pine do not have taproots and, like fruit trees, favor lighter, well-drained soils, though will grow in heavier soils with care in the earlier years.

 

WHAT FORM OF TREE PROTECTION SHOULD I USE?

Ask 10 people and receive 10 different answers! In most cases, you will find that a combination of approaches will work best for deterring pests that affect your area, similarly to how a more complex password is a greater deterrent from computer hackers. We approach tree protection by handling the conditions across a number of variables by running through some of the things to consider below. 

Some things to consider:

Who are the pests you need to worry about? (deer, voles, moles, mice, birds, rabbits, raccoons, armadillos, livestock...etc) A tall deer fence will take care of deer, but will not help with a mole issue. Learning their patterns of behavior shapes the approach. 

Cost/benefit of tree protection per number of trees that will realistically be impacted. 

How long is it necessary for your trees to remain protected? A couple of years or the life of the tree? 

General guidelines:

To deal with girdling from rabbits or rodents, mow closely to the trees to reduce grasses. Apply woodchips. Add a tree guard or mesh cage.

To deal with deer, consider tall tree tubes 5' around each tree and/or a tall deer fence. 

To discourage deer and rabbits, homemade egg repellents applied to the trunks, stems and foliage can work for a while, but may require more frequent applications. 

If using tree tubes for hazelnut seedlings, they should not exceed 24" and should be removed no later than two years to allow them to fill out. Wire cages are fine as well. Hazelnuts are not preferred deer browse, and we personally do not regularly apply tree tubes or tree guards on mass plantings of hazelnuts. 

If using tree tubes for Chestnut seedlings, they should be 5' if there is no other form of deer deterrent. Wire caging that meets the 5' heigh requirement works too, but may be cost-prohibitive. 

Tree spirals help deter girdling. Wire caging also helps and offers a more long-lasting solution. 

Here is a video by Stefan Sobkowiak of the Permaculture Orchard for ways he handles pests to give you more ideas. 

 

DO I NEED TO PAY STATE TAXES? 

Wisconsin and Illinois require that you pay state taxes for online purchases. If you're a nonprofit or a business that wishes to receive a tax exemption from your purchase, please fill out the appropriate form. 

Here's the one for Wisconsin:

https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/SalesAndUse/ExemptionCertificate.aspx

 

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