Dogwood planting???
Whitetail Deer
I ordered 50 red osier, 25 grey and 25 silky dogwoods for this spring. They are rooted seedlings (19" average 10" minimum. The plan is to put them on the edge of my swamp area. I have a few questions moving forward with my project. The area has canary grass and I know that stuff is hard to get rid of. My plan is to use glyphosate 2 weeks prior to planting to knock it back. I also plan on cutting it to keep the competition down. Any tips on weed control? The next question, with the 100 plants, am I better off fencing in a 75'x75' area and planting individual plants or doing clusters of 4-5 individually caged in the area I want to establish it? My thoughts of the clusters is it will create easier access for deer to move around and feed or bed. With the clusters, I would use a 5' piece of fence that will make a 19" diameter cage. I could do 20 clusters with 100' of fence and save some money. Thoughts and tips on the idea are welcome. I want to make this worth the time and money.
I've been contemplating planting dogwoods in canary grass as well. In my situation I don't have the best access, equipment, or availability to get their often. Though I've dabbled with some small scale plantings, I do not have tried and tested experience planting on a mass scale; but can offer my thoughts... I've been considering spraying a grass specific herbicide to kill the grass off periodically while hopefully not killing the "broadleaf" dogwoods. For browse prevention, I've considered planting clusters and protecting with a circle of 5' high concrete mesh fencing, tree tubes, or a solar powered electric fence. I think the electric fence would allow the largest area of planting at the most effective cost. However, I have the understanding that if canary grass contacts the fence, it will short circuit. If you are diligent with the cutting or herbicide it would be my recommendation based on my thoughts to this point. In addition to the seedlings, I also recommend planting cuttings. Dogwoods (and willows for the environment you described) can be propagated from cuttings. So each cutting planting can be free with a little work if you have access to a growing colony of dogwoods. Good Luck!
I tried them and guess too dry in Kansas and I was in a wet spot. Theres alot of talk where bill Winke tried planting them also and had issues in Iowa. Good luck,they say they are great.
Redoiser will grow much faster than grey or silky. I wouldn't recommend planting clusters, as the plants will naturally spread and cluster themselves. If planted in clusters they will compete with each other. I've had good luck with using a 3x3 weed barrier mat to keep the grass and weeds down. Unless you have a ton of deer, the dogwood will be able to outgrow the deer damage. They are suckering shrubs so if they get eaten or rubbed they will come back.
jmiller, you wouldn't cage any of them? Just put a weed barrier down?
Just my 2-cents as a forester and herbicide contractor Both dogwoods and reeds canary grass both prefer sites where their toes stay moist or get moist for part of the year. But not standing water or the water table at the soil surface. If your site isn't moist my feeling is you have the wrong plant for the site.
You are right to do your herbicide application before planting. I dont have first hand experience killing reeds canary that comes to mind. But I am confident it kills better late summer than spring when you will be planting. If you fail to kill it with ease this spring you have two options. You could just heel all your seedlings in the ground to be dug next spring and planted out permanently after you do the site preparation this late summer. Or you could plant them out this spring and plan to cover each individual seedling with a 5 gallon bucket or trash bag and clothes pin so you can do a broad cast treatment over the top without killing them.
My observation has been very limited use for browsing here in the north east. I have a red osier dogwood in my back yard where I see it on a regular basis for 20 years. And the site is much dryer than what the literature would describe as a typical site. I have never seen any evidence of browsing, or enough for it to register. But the deer are within feet of my house eating dropped apples, browsing the hell out of some white ceder I planted, and just generally browsing other natural shrubs and growth. And in the last few years gorging on my vegetable garden. Somit seems dogwood is pretty low on their preferred list around here. Our conservation agencies recommend dogwoods for song bird food sources. Especially during migration. If the dogwoods thrive on your site they have a sprawling and spreading growth habit. I would recommend planting them spread out to accommodate what they will grow into, not what their current size is this year or next year. I might use an 8'x8' or 10' x10' spacing. You will get a much bigger patch or strip of cover for your buck in the long run. Weedy forbs that will establish between your shrubs make great brows for your deer. Some perennial weeds also produce a lot of blossoms making good pollinator habitat. Off topic, but some kind of disturbance that eliminates a monoculture like reeds canary will result in a variety of species to become established and provide desirable habitat for a variety of species. And I agree with CW that electric fence around the perimeter is your best bet if you need to protect them. And you can deal with the grass grounding out your fence by just applying herbicide. If need be, you can mow it once or twice in the early summer and then spray it mid or late summer when the plant is more susceptible.
Looking forward to seeing some pictures and a report on your project as it comes along.
Erik
The berries are attractive to birds but the deer won't generally browse it. The worst they will do is rub on it. I wouldn't use any caging.
Had to fence off my dogwood (don't know what kind it is) or the WY mulies would've eaten it down to nothing.
It's hard for me to imagine that the deer won't browse it- especially in the winter. I've seen plenty of browsed dogwood when winter scouting. If you do a youtube search there are plenty of videos about planting both seedlings and cuttings- and many take browse into consideration or express prior failures due to browsing.
Interesting to see the variation across the country 9 out of 10 times or more in newengland we have so much natural growth you dont need to plant a thing
