My Bedford, New York farm continues to transform with the planting of many beautiful and interesting trees.
Trees are very important to our environment - they help combat climate change, provide habitat and food for birds and other animals, and release oxygen for us to live. Yesterday, my crew planted a group of bur oak trees, Quercus macrocarpa - two rows along the outsides of the boxwood allee, one on the left and one on the right. They will grow so nicely here, and provide beautiful texture and shade when mature.
Here are some photos.
The bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa, commonly spelled burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub oak. Here’s Ryan driving a load of bur oaks in our new 2021 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 NorthStar Edition. I love these Polaris vehicles – they are perfect for riding around the farm, loading and unloading equipment, plants and trees, and for getting into tight spaces where larger vehicles cannot go. These are also perfect off-road – durable yet light enough so they don’t damage any grass. These are so vital here at the farm – we use them every day.
The leaves of the bur oak are easy to identify. They are alternate, simple, six to 12 inches long, roughly obovate in shape, with many lobes. The two middle sinuses nearly reach the midrib dividing leaf nearly in half. The lobes near the tip resemble a crown, green above and paler, fuzzy below.
And the bark of the bur oak is dark gray, rough, and deeply ridged.
I decided to plant the bur oaks between the paddock fencing and the boxwood allee on both sides.
I wanted them about one foot from the fence posts, so I could still drive my Polaris off-road vehicle through the area.
Domi begins to dig the holes. He is a fast and strong digger. Each hole is about 10 to 12 inches deep.
These holes are also quite wide – one should be at least two to five times as wide as the root ball. The hole sides should be slanted and the hole should be no deeper than the root ball is tall, so it can be placed directly on undisturbed soil. Digging a wide planting hole helps to provide the best opportunity for roots to expand into its new growing environment.
Then Pasang follows behind to plant each tree previously positioned in its proper location. There is one tree every third post, so about 15 to 18 feet apart.
Pasang then pulls out the tree and inspects the roots. He scarifies the root ball and loosens up the roots to stimulate growth. This is very important to do, especially if the roots are densely bound in a circular pattern or have started growing in the shape of the container. These specimens have healthy roots, so only a light scarifying is needed with one’s pruners.
Each specimen is planted to the same height as it was in the pot. Pasang places the tree into the hole making sure it is at the right depth. He also looks at the tree’s foliage and turns the tree so its main branches point sideways so they are not in the way of passing Polaris vehicles or horses.
A scoop of good fertilizer is then sprinkled on the surrounding soil. Always feed! My soil is filled with nutrients, but I still make sure everything is well fed. Often, plants can’t get all the necessary nutrients from garden soil alone, so they need a boost from extra soil amendments.
Pasang tamps down to pack the soil around the plant roots. This ensures good soil to root contact and eliminates air pockets that could otherwise result in dead roots.
When planting trees, look for the root collar or root flare – the bulge just above the root system where the roots begin to branch away from the trunk. The root flare should be just above the soil surface.
Here is Chhiring with the bamboo stakes. I feel it is important to stake every tree, so it is well supported and well-marked as it develops.
Chhiring places a tall bamboo stake next to every tree.
Because these trees are so tall, we use bamboo stakes to secure the trees. Bamboo comes in a variety of lengths and is easy to find at garden supply stores. These stakes are also very light and easy to cut if needed because they are hollow.
Chhiring drives the stake at least a foot into the ground several inches away from the newly planted tree.
All the ties are made of jute twine. Chhiring cuts all the twine to the same size so nothing is wasted. And, we double the twine to provide added security in case of strong winds.
Chhiring ties the twine in three places – this will ensure the tree is well supported and directed as it grows.
I always teach every member of the crew to twist the twine before knotting, so the tree or vine or cane is not crushed or strangled. Each piece is tied just tight enough to keep the tree secure, but not break it.
The bur oaks will look so terrific in this area. These trees are among the largest and longest-lived hardwood trees reaching a mature height of 50 to 80 feet and a crown spread of 40 to 60 feet.
At the other end of the paddocks in a grassy area not far from my grove of Metasequoia is a stand of older, more mature bur oaks. Look at the wide, open crown. These trees are so stately. When fully mature, with their massive trunks, support heavy, horizontal limbs.
The bur oaks are planted just in time. Looking up above the allee and stable are the clouds rolling in before a night of heavy rains. These new trees will be well watered. I hope this inspires you to plant a tree or two around your home this weekend. Planting trees – they’re a very good thing.
My horses are already enjoying some of the newly baled hay.
Hay is a harvested plant that’s dried and cured after being cut in the field. In most cases, hay is cut during the late bud or early bloom stage to maximize its nutritional value. This week, my outdoor grounds crew cut, tedded, raked, and then baled the hay from one of my three fields. This second cut of the season is greener, more dense, and filled with lots of protein - my horses love it.
Enjoy these photos and the short video at the end.
A baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store.
Here is Pasang guiding the baler as it is moved and positioned behind the tractor.
The baler and tractor are connected by a simple trailer hitch pin and clip.
Here is the motor that helps to move and propel the bales into the wagon.
Large rolls of twine are positioned and tied to each other, so they can feed into the baler and secure the hay just before it shoots out into the trailer. There are three choices of materials to wrap bales – twine, net wrap, or plastic wrap. If properly baled and stored, hay can last a long time without degrading in quality.
These are the twine strands that unravel and wrap as the bales move through the baling machine. A measuring device—normally a spiked wheel that is turned by the emerging bales—measures the amount of material that is being compressed and then knotters wrap the twine around the bale and tie it off.
Once it is tied, it moves up this conveyor belt…
…and then gets thrown into this trailer where Pasang and Phurba work together to grab the bales and stack them. Our wagon is covered to protect the bales from any unexpected rain and to offer shade to the crew stacking the bales as they are thrown.
Chhiring drives the tractor and starts the process midday when there is the least amount of moisture. The tractor rides to one side of the windrow while the baler passes directly over it to collect the hay.
Here is a closer look at a row of hay ready to bale. I have three separate areas for growing hay. They are all planted with a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers – all great for producing good quality hay.
Here is a bale of hay as it is lifted in the baler’s reel and moved up the conveyor belt.
And then propelled into the wagon by a mechanical arm called a thrower or a kicker. The bales are manageable for one person to handle, about 45 to 60 pounds each.
Domi walks behind the baler to rake up any hay that was not picked up by the machine.
Chhiring drives the baler slowly over every windrow. All the hay is dry and passing through the machine smoothly. If the hay is properly dried, the baler will work continuously down each row. Hay that is too damp tends to clog up the baler.
In less than an hour, the wagon is almost completely filled with bales of hay. Each bale is about 15 by 18 by 40 inches large. The number of flakes in the bale is determined by a setting in the baler. Many balers are set for 10 to 12 flakes per bale. I have two hay trailers. Each one can hold about 150-bales.
Once the trailer is full, it is brought to the stable, where the hay is unloaded and stored in the hayloft.
Here’s some of the hay already placed into a wheelbarrow for the horses. The second cut of hay has a finer texture and usually, a greener color and heavier leaves. It is more dense, the leaves are more tender and if cut at the right maturity, it is healthier with lots of protein.
We use these galvanized wall mounted horse feeders in the stalls. They’re from RAMM Horse Fencing & Stalls, a 30-year old family-owned business located in Swanton, Ohio. The feeders hold up to two flakes of hay each.
But here’s the true test – Dolma offers some of the newly cut hay to Banchunch, my Fell pony. The verdict: he and the other horses love it. It makes me so happy to know I can grow good, nutritious hay for my horses right here at my farm.
And here is a short video showing how the machine picks up the hay, bales it, and then throws it into the wagon.
Here in the Northeast, we're expecting cloudy skies and rain showers today with temperatures in the high 70s - just one day after my outdoor grounds crew worked hard to cut, dry, and bale another good amount of hay for my horses.
When I moved to my farm in Bedford, New York, I designated three separate areas as hayfields and planted them with a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers - all great for producing quality hay. This past weekend, we cut the hay in one field and then tossed the grass to begin the crucial drying process in preparation for baling. Yesterday, the crew tedded the hay again, raked it into windrows, and baled wagons filled with hay.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This time every year, we always hope for at least several days of good, dry weather, so we can get a nice cut of hay from the fields. Timing is everything when cutting the hay crop. The last few days have been perfect for this year’s second cutting.
The best time to do any cutting is when grasses have reached what is called the “late boot stage”. This stage is typically reached after six to eight weeks of growth after a previous cutting. The “late boot stage” is when the seed head of the grasses first pops out of the sheath. Second cut hay has a finer texture and usually, a greener color and heavier leaves. It is more dense, the leaves are more tender and if cut at the right maturity, it is healthier with lots of protein. This field was cut over the weekend and left to dry for a couple of days.
This is a hay tedder. A tedder spreads and fluffs the hay in a uniform swath after it is cut. It basically turns the hay, so it can dry completely.
The tedder uses a rotary motion to grab the hay with spinning tines and then cast it out the back of the machine.
Here is a closer look at the tines, or moving forks, which aerate or “wuffle” the hay and speed up the drying process.
The tedder is attached to our trusted Kubota M7060HD12 tractor – a vehicle that is used every day here at the farm.
Look at the giant tires on this tractor – they are about five feet tall.
Here is Domi driving the tedder up and down the field as the machine takes all the greener hay from the bottom and turns it over to dry.
Here is another view – look how the tedder picks up and fluffs the hay with its forks.
After the hay is tedded, it is then raked. Raking the hay is the fastest part of the process. There are different kinds of rakes – they include wheel rakes, rotary rakes and parallel bar or basket rakes. This is a parallel bar rake. This type uses a gentle raking action with a lower chance of soil contamination than the wheel rake.
The parallel bar rake picks up the cut and drying hay and rakes it into windrows that can be baled. A windrow is a long line of raked hay laid out to dry in the wind.
A side view shows the hay being gathered together by the rake’s tines.
The hay rake is pulled at a slight angle to the tractor as it moves.
Chhiring moves at about six to eight miles per hour. The speed actually makes a difference in creating the windrows – slower speed results in a wider windrow that is not well filled in the middle. High speed results in a narrower windrow that is over filled in the middle.
And here, one can see the windrow after it’s made.
Chhiring goes over the entire hayfield to make as many wide, fluffy windrows as possible.
And here is the top of the first windrow ready for the last stage – baling.
The entire process of raking this field takes about 45-minutes. By the look at these windrows, we should have some good quality bales for the horses.
The windrows are done. I am excited to see how many bales of hay we get from this cutting. I’ll share the very interesting process of baling hay in my next blog. Stay tuned.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
