Windbreak planning

Hi everyone! I'm new here but have been reading for a while.

I am in the development stages of a new property. Bought 37 acres of field. Planted in Canola last year. 32acres is being rented to a farmer for his own use, the other 5 is our new home site. Pond is being dug, basement is in and house will be in place in a couple of weeks. Animals and such will wait until next year. For now it is site development I am looking at.

I have already ordered some native prairie grass seed from a local research station. I will also be spreading some native flower seed as it becomes available or as I am able to collect it. Wild praire is what I am working on, both low and tall grass.

To sorround the site I have already submitted a request for a sellection of trees and shrubs from a shelter belt program. These include deciduous and coniferous. Shrubs and trees selected for fast growth, longevity, stable growth, minimal maintenance, and wildlife use.

All of this brings me to my question of whether I have left anythig out. Is there anything obvious that i am not thinking of? What have I neglected?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sounds like you planned well. If you have deer around they take to dinning on the flowers.

Have you included any Caragana, Saskatoon's, High Bush Cranberry and Mountain Ash for the windbreaks? These are all pretty Bird friendly.

I am trying to get some Prairie grass growing on a small plot of around 5 acre here in Nova Scotia. So far there is mixed success. The Deer do like many of the flowers and two brown thumbs do not help either.

Enjoy your project! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon

Thanks.

Part of my request for trees and shrubs included 100 Caragana, and 100 Ash. Next year I will be applying for others as well. I can apply for more every year, so no rush to do all at once. I applied for almost 2000 already, in total.

What I have been told about the grasses is that it is best to work on small areas within the larger area. Focus on making these as dense and successful as possible. Once you have these areas established, you can then collect and spread the seed produced by your own grasses. The idea is that this seed is already acclimated to your particular site and will do better in the long run. Same thing for the flowers.

I plan to seed our immediate yard area. Prior to starting work, we stripped the topsoil off to the sides. It will be spread back over the site for easy seeding. Immediately around the house will be a lawn, but around that will be the wild grasses and flowers. The other couple of acres will take a few years to start, and more than that to complete.

Windbreaks:
-Any thoughts on spacing of shrubs and trees?
-How about between fruiting shrubs and conifers?
-Should try to recreate prairie habitat, or my own interpretation?

Do give some consideration to self protection from wildfires. I have a circular drive around my house which was partly motivated by consideration for fire. I have 160 acres which is mostly native grasses including blue stem, big blue stem, and so forth.

Pat

Sounds like you have a project all planned out which is something I can never do! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

On the Caragana plant them close to form a thick sturdy hedge which the birds will like. These things are very hardy and should survive almost anything. They will also act for a snowfence and provide moisture for the other trees. If you twine them together as they grow you will make a natural fence. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Just for information the Caragana is a member of the pea family.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Good thoughts on the caragana... I had been thinking about having areas with denser planting for exactly that purpose. Any idea if caragana is easy to make spread. Some woody stemmed shrubs can have branch's bent down into the soil and forced to root. I have been doing that with cotoneaster, raspberry, and black berry. Can I do this with the caragana? It makes it easy to plant them loosely then make areas denser later.

I go to pick up some of my grass seed later tonight. No Hair Grass or Wild flower seed available though. Big Blue and Canadaian Rye to start with...

Thanks again

You lucky dog!! Any thought of putting the plan on paper? The toro groundmaster thru a bearing the other day and the grass is way too long here. Actually having the state bird (mosquitos) and ticks coming in...even with the free range chickens and ducks roaming around.

That was a great idea about a fire break. Are you putting in some water hydrants as well?? Electric power outlets? They come in so handy when watering or if get a couple animals.

Looked at the prairie seed this year, and boy was it expensive!! But i really like the idea. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

If by "plans" you mean the grass and such... it is already in the works. The site is being prepared now. A large part of an acre is being re-leveled for the house and yard. the surrounding area is then being setup for drainage into the 1/4 acre pond, topsoil gets spread back over everything, and the seed i will pick up tonight will be planted in the nice black soil. Just prior to a couple days of light rain if possible.

Fire isn't really all that much of an issue. But seeing as I come from the mountains where it is... i will have about 1/2 acre of lawn around the house/garage/kennel with irrigation available. If I end up using spring burns once in a while, I might need the safety. My wife has asthma though, so I highly doubt I will be burning. We ask the guy farming the field not to burn either.

The grass seed is expensive, but I will be collecting my own seed each season and spreading that once I have some growing. That cuts down on the cost by a lot, but it does make it take longer.

Any time you wish you could send us some of that black soil! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

The Caragana will spread. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

For some reasons many people do not like them but they make excellent hedges and extremely hardy. They are actually member of the pea family.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Does anyone else have any thoughts on good cold climate trees or shrubs that I could look at using?

I am trying to think of both longterm use and short term growth when picking things. I am including some slower growing oaks and maples into the design, not to mention butternut/black walnut, mulberry, apple, cherry, apricot, plum, etc.

Once I have things established I would really like to get some Chestnuts from the Ottawa area and give them a try. You never know... I can grow somethings in the right microclimate that are two zones warmer, why not try a tree?

The Univ of Minnesota has some good resources and makes some of their own trees. Seems a while back they had a very fast growing poplar. They also are big into apples.

Just planted a few Russian Olive. I like the silver colour and soft feltlike leaves. The thorns are impressive as well. Not the kind of thing I am going to enjoy pruning and picking up after, but what the hell. You can't have everything.

A large amount of hair grass has sprouted and is going to seed. I like it. Self seeded, 12-18" tall, very soft tops.

Still keeping my eye open for more options

Just had to chew up a Russian Olive, pulled out of the ground by the storm. Pretty wood. Tree was about 17 years old and had started to rot some.

Just do not put in buckthorn. It is an awful and obnoxious tree,brush that you cannot get rid of and makes life miserable.