On Sat, 17 May 2003 14:05:46 GMT, Geoff Kegerreis
wrote:

Hi Brian, welcome to the group.

Thanks.



With mature root systems of naturally-occuring trees, the trees will
likely sprout back
new leaves, but with the lack of these extra energy reserves, the trees
will more than
likely die. So the answer to your question is that it is not a "lost
cause". I would give them
at least until August to sprout back new leaves, and if they don't then,
replace them.

Looking more closely at them, most of the trees seem to have in tact
growing points and probably will come back. Ths is a great relief,
because replacing them all would be an expense of money and time I
couldn't really afford.


A half-hectare piece is too large to use a tarp, but tarping these trees
would certainly help.
Pretty soon that bloody frost will be gone, and you'll be able to plant
some more trees.

Yes, it's already gone and --touching wood with crossed fingers while
whistling-- there won't be another this year. It was sort of a freak,
a single night of hard air frost after a month of mild temperatures.
And I've got fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, soft fruit as well as the
woodland trees and shrubs, but it was only the standard woodland trees
that were hit. I'm supposing this is because they had only just come
into leaf and were still tender, while everything else has been in
leaf for a while.


Here's a suggestion: Construct a hot house - a small framed uninsulated
house using clear,
plastic visqueen or other rolled good material so that inside the house
the climate stays warmer
for longer periods of time. Purchase some large 12" pots, or construct
some place to put some of
your pasture soil inside the hothouse and plant your seedlings in there
for a year or maybe two. This
way, the roots of your trees get used to that type of soil and you don't
get problems with the frost
until the trees build up enough root mass to recharge new growth.
Transplant the trees carefully about
the 2nd or 3rd week of June. If you get a frost after that, it's just bad
luck, but chances are you won't.
Even if you do, your little ones now have more defensive power to fight
the frost. It may be cost or time
prohibitive, but that depends on your situation.

To have raised my own trees from seed as you suggest would have been
the best way, I agree, but I was impatient to have trees. Getting
single whips from a nursery just down the road would have been the
next best step, but the nursery I did use offered a much better deal.
Perhaps what I need is not so much arboricultural training as
decision-making training!

Thanks to you and everyone for the advice and comfort!


BM