I just spoke to a customer who had a sad story to tell. It’s even sadder when I think about how many times I have heard a similar story over the years.
A few years ago this gentleman spend all day planting 200 oak seedlings on his property. His plan was to come back the next day and put tree tubes on them. During the night deer came through and ate literally every one of the 200 trees he had planted.
That’s a sign of just how bad the deer browse problem is these days – and how critical it is to get your seedlings covered with treeshelters as soon after planting as possible.
One good strategy is to plant up until lunchtime or shortly after, so that you have the rest of the day to spend covering them with tree tubes… unless of course the deer are following you down the rows and eating the seedlings as you plant (I’ve heard that story before as well, although I suspect it was a slight exaggeration!).
