New dibble bar worked well

Gravel Road

Well-Known Member
Received 150 trees yesterday from the Missouri Department of Conservation, so I finally got to try out the new dibble bar. Got a late start due to the weather, but did manage to plant 100 of the trees in the afternoon. Finishing wouldn't have been a problem but 15 persimmons were tubed, staked and had landscape material staked out. It seems like it takes forever to do that stuff by yourself.

I have to say that the dibble bar exceeded my expectations. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but once a method was figured out it's fast. Last year I used the tractor with a post hole digger and that was a pain in the rear. Believe it or not, it was way easier to plant using the dibble. For reference, the ground is a heavy soil with some clay, but was wet today. Dry, hard ground would not be fun.

The bar was a Jim Gem KBC Bar that I got from Forestry Suppliers (through Amazon).IMG_20170225_145706086.jpg IMG_20170225_145723822.jpg
 
I use the dibble bar for seedlings and auger for potted trees. I agree dibble works like a charm when you get the hang of it. I learned in 4-H many, many, many years ago. Do they still have 4-H? My son and I planted some pines when he was about 12. (1992). This past year those pines were thinned. Oh, do you think I should send him some of that money?..........
 
We planted about half of the first 3000 trees I ever planted with dibbles because of wet soil instead of the pull behind planter.I had good luck discing the ground as deep as I could a month or so before planting time.After it got a could rains it was just right.Do you have any trouble with fabric blowing up
 
I use a dibble bar as well as a plain ol post hole digger and find each more efficient than PTO auger when working by myself

bill
Yes, it felt like I got on and off of the tractor 1000 times when I planted 300 trees last year. Always clearing the auger bit of roots or grass so it would cut or having to add down pressure.
 
We planted about half of the first 3000 trees I ever planted with dibbles because of wet soil instead of the pull behind planter.I had good luck discing the ground as deep as I could a month or so before planting time.After it got a could rains it was just right.Do you have any trouble with fabric blowing up

That's a great point. Discing first would get everything loosened up. I planted some elderberry and hazelnut into an area that had been tilled and planted into milo last year and it was a piece of cake. I might try just spraying the areas a couple times with gly this year to see if that is enough to ease the planting effort and increase survival rates with less competition.

No problems with fabric lifting, as I use a heavy 6" staple at each fabric corner. Gravel would probably be better but it forces me to use a truck and I didn't want to be stuck with using a truck if the weather got really wet.
 
Heading back out to finish the last 50. It was supposed to be a beautiful morning but we just had a little snow storm for 15 minutes. Weird, weird weather.
 
They do get heavy by the end of the day. I wish it weighed 1 or 2 pounds less since the weight really doesn't matter too much.
 
I have the one in the pic. I wish I didn't have to use it but with my rocks it is the only way I can plant a tree. I wouldn't be able to plant without it.
 
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