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We want to cover the two main advantages pre-digging the holes for your Nellie Stevens Holly trees, including how that effects productivity and how pre-digging can let you know if soil drainage is adequate. We also cover two disadvantages of pre-digging, including the extra effort to clean out holes if it rains hard, and risk of some-one falling in an open hole overnight. We also cover various soil types and how that effects watering schedule, from white sand all the way to the worst of all, pipe clay. Pre-digging the Holes - productivity plus There was a time that I would rent a Dingo, take vacation from my regular job at noon on Friday, and went from job to job getting all my holes dug by dark on Friday evening. Beginning at daylight on Sat am, the truck would come to those 3 or 4 drops, I would meet the truck at drop 1, unload those Leyland Cypress trees, follow the tractor trailer to site # two, unload those Nellie Stevens Holly trees, etc. I would leave two helpers at drop #1, have them complete that job then drive to site # two and plant those. You are the equipment operator, with one helper riding along. After you and your helper are finished unloading site # four, you and him plant those Nellie Stevens Holly trees, then drive to site # three, plant those and all four jobs are complete. You should then drive to drops #1 and #2 to collect payment and check the work. With four drops we would never have completed the four planting jobs in one day without having the holes pre-dug. We could not have asked the trucker to wait at each planting job while we unloaded those Thuja Green Giant trees, changed to the auger attachment, dug those holes, etc. You can hardly get a trucker to make 4 stops to begin with! Two Disadvantages Pre-Digging Remember that someone could walk through the neighborhood at night and trip into a dug hole. If you are planting in a rural area this may not be an issue. I remember a job in Richmond VA at a corporation that was secured by a tall chain link fence, so I was able to pre-dig the holes one week ahead of planting day. When we came back on planting day we found it had rained heavily and washed about half of that loose dirt back in the holes. It took more work to "clean out" those holes by removing the heavy mud than if we had dug them freshly. Advantage of Pre-Digging - ensure your soil drains. I also remember another planting job near Fort Washington, Maryland in a secure area, so I pre-dug the holes. The entire area was built up from fill dirt many years before. This soil would not drain at all. When we came back to look at the job, all holes were full of water, with deer tracks leading to each hole where deer had been drinking water from the holes. It's a good thing I checked that site before the day the truck arrived, and re-scheduled the planting day for 1 week later. I explained the problem to my customer. We rented a Ditch Witch, and dug a small trench leading away from of each holes so that it would drain properly. Then the holes looked like a comet with a tail on it. Those Thuja Green Giant trees would have all died due to being planted in holes that would not drain. We would have never known it except for the pre-digging. In summary the advantages are; planting day will go quicker if the holes are pre-dug unless it rains hard and washes the loose dirt back into the holes. Another advantage is you will find out if the soil does not drain well and address it by pre-digging. If this is the only goal, you may want to just pre-dig a few and just fill them with water using a hose. When you return the following morning and they are still almost full, you can address it before planting. Soil Types People ask me if Leyland Cypress will do well in red clay; they do fine in red clay, red clay drains very well Watch out if you see a grey clay soil while digging, sometimes it will be in a layer about one foot deep and is called pipe clay. Once wet it feels like Silly Putty in your hand. That layer below will cause water to accumulate and kill Thuja Green Giant trees. Loamy soil found in the Hamptons area of Long Island drains very well, therefore Nellie Stevens Holly trees planted there require more water than other soil types would require. If planting in a berm made with any decent top-soil will also drain well so therefore require additional water. Water as a guideline 5 gallons per tree twice per week for ten' trees. You could water 5 gallons three times per week during the first month if planted during hot weather, then cut back to 5 gallons twice per week. Leyland Cypress thrive in white sand and tolerate salt very well. I planted 13 big Leyland Cypress in Mantoloking, NJ in white sand, with seagulls flying overhead, my customer reported they were doing fine. David Watterson and Family have been growing trees in NC since 1995 and now grow trees in VA and have an affiliate nursery in GA. We specialize in privacy screen trees, Leyland Cypress and Thuja Green Giant are favorites, also have Cryptomeria, Maples, River Birch and many others. We are wholesale and have a $2,500 minimum order. Contact us for trees from 7' to 25'. http://www.treefarmnc.com
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