Friday, August 21, 2009

I'm a Tree Herder

I had a thought the other day. Why am I trying to keep 10 tiny trees alive from ten miles away? Wouldn't it be easier to pot them and bring them into town? "Absolutely!" said Frank Gomez of hybridpoplars.com. Ok, so I'm a little slow with my epiphanies.

So, I loaded up my tools and some containers into the trusty rusty pickup and began herding the rogue poplings into town. 10 out of 300 lived, not a great outcome. One might think that I would be upset. At first I was, but I am choosing now to chalk it up to experience or lack there of. I will be wiser next year, and by the by, Frank has graciously agreed to replace the ones I lost next year and he has given me tip after tip along the way. If you want to look at it with a positive spin, I now have the strongest 3 percent of the trees for propagation purposes!

So, until next year this is where the little buggers will live (well, they have a winter home in the garage).

3 comments:

  1. Take them suckers home. If they have a warm lighted area they will do their thing. I wonder if they will go into winter cycle and releaf in the spring or if they keep growing through the winter in good conditions. Keep us posted...

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  2. I plan to let them harden off on their natural cycle outside and then move them into the cold (but not frozen) garage to remain dormant for the winter. I have already noticed new growth since bringing them into town.

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  3. I love the milk jugs. We have several empties each week and you have found a good use for them. Keep your eye on the trees. Baby them. They'll pay you back plenty over time.

    SG

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