Fast Growing Trees For Deer Habitat | Hybrid Willows and Poplars 

I have noticed something chewing on the some of the zip ties. I assumed it was raccoons. I have been taking off the good tubes when the tree is around 3-4yrs old and throw a split tube on the tree just to protect it from rubbing.

Darn mice. I still have issues with them building nests in the winter in the tubes. I just lift the tubes up a little in the fall so they can’t stay warm all winter in the tube, that seems to help. The tubes are amazing, I still have some from 4+ yrs ago that haven’t fallen apart yet.

Thanks

That would probably work too. What I have been doing is just lifting the tubes up 6in to a foot and retightening the zip ties. Alot of the time they slide back down though.

I will be uploading a video today, the no till videos may be out in a week or 2. A lot of the no till plantings have really had a slow start this year because it’s been so dry.

The tubes have a cerated line the whole length of the tube where it’s meant to break off when the tree gets big enough. I’ve had more mice than anything else kill my trees when they are the size of a quarter or less. They build nests in the tubes and eat the bark of the tree.

I plan of taking cuttings off them when they get big enough. So probably 2-3 yrs from now.

I’ll probably just leave the buckthorn standing there. They will slowly break down and fall apart over the years and end up tipping over probably. Won’t hurt the trees close by because they will be 20+ ft tall by then. Some of the big ones started to bust through the tubes by the end of the summer. It’s amazing how fast these hybrid trees grow!

I do the pruning in the spring. With the hybrid Poplars you’ll probably only have to prune them the first year because like you said a lot of them are already getting out of the tubes after one year. Yeah I have had issues with hornets making nests once in a while too. I have have had some issues with the trees bending the tube and tipping over when they get 15 feet tall or so. Not sure if those fiberglass stakes will be strong enough. A lot of my trees are already big enough where I can reuse the conduit stakes. I have heard that hybrid poplars are notorious root sprouters when they are cut down. A big hybrid Poplar tree doesn’t really offer much for wildlife habitat so in 5 to 10 years when they get the size of a basketball or so I am going to start cutting down a few and seeing if they send up any roots suckers. I’m hoping to get a ton of Sprouts that come out of the ground to add more food and more cover and more trees.

Thanks

I have considered tameracks, but there is no black spruce around here in southern wi so I doubt they would do as good as the tameracks. The area I am planting supposedly had tameracks 50-75 yrs ago but they were all cut down to expand the cow pasture.

I hate it too, In areas that it’s a monoculture of buckthorn it just destroys the diversity of the habitat and once it canopies over there’s no browse.

Yes I do. Where are you located, you must be in southern Wi too. I am very happy with them too.

@@wisconsinwhitetail9744 I'm near Fond du Lac so it's a bit of a ride but well worth it.

They have to be one of the best places to buy trees from they are so affordable. Me and my dad bumped into Mike the owner at the Flee-Market at the Jefferson Speeday and bought our first trees from him probably over 5 years ago.

I live on Minnesota and I drive couple hours to get trees from there to. Quality and good pricing

Yes. In 5-10 yrs I plan to cut some of them down and let them regenerate. Hybrid poplars are prolific stump sprouters. They will send up 3-5 shots from the stump and send up some root sprouts like Aspen. When I cut down 1 5-8yrs old 20-30ft tall hybrid poplar I’m hoping to get a mini thicket of poplar. Hopefully at lest 10-15 root sprout trees.

Yes, they should be able to grow from cuttings. Although I’ve never tried.

Same place I get the trees. If your in southern Wi I definitely would check out Sustanible Wildlife Habitats

No I have never fertilized my trees

If your in southren Wi you can get them from Sustanible wildlife habitats is Rockdale.

Yeah 1/2 in conduit

The tubes are pretty pricy no matter where you look

Where do u buy ur tubes?

Sustanible Wildlife Habitats in Rockdale Wi. If your not in the area they sell them online. Around $3 per tube. They are definitely worth it if your going to plant 25-100 trees. Get the 5ft ones. Deer can still reach the top of a 4ft tube.

@@wisconsinwhitetail9744 thank you

Really good, some of the bigger ones that I planted 3-4 yrs ago have busted through the tubes by the end of the growing season last year!

Next year or so should do an update video. I just planted 120 saplings to extend my woods. Think it was about 80 hybrid populars. Thought about making a video like this and doing updates every couple years

Always cool to keep updates oh how everyone’s trees are doing and tips or tricks for a better planting season

Only 1-3 ft a year. They will definitely need to be caged otherwise there not worth planting

@@wisconsinwhitetail9744 Yes, I am caging mine in as well.

That’s why the trees are planted in tubes. They are 5 foot tubes and the deer can’t reach the top to nip them off. And in the future you can cut down Hybrid Poplars and they shoot up sprout shoots and the deer will love eating on them and it will create insane cover very quickly.