Transplanting pine trees

Thursday, March 31, I transplanted around a dozen small pine trees.  Across the road from me a number of small pines trees are growing wild in an unused field.  As they are growing near power lines this is not the place for them.  I transplanted the smallest of them.

My past history transplanting pine trees have shown them to be very touchy when moved and my success rate is not as good as with other trees.  I picked trees small enough that I could get the tree and all its roots in the dirt dug without any roots getting exposed to air or light. This was a good day to transplant as it was heavy overcast and the ground was very wet.  I had to make two trips with the wheelbarrow and even then the wheelbarrow was so loaded down with dirt I worked up a heavy sweat on a cool day when moving the trees.

I planted the trees along my fence in the NE pasture.  When they grow up they will hide the houses of my neighbors.

I have other trees along this fence.  I checked on them and found the mice had eaten the bark off five of them: three pine trees and two arborvitae.

Argh!   Those #@&% mice!!! 

Two of the pine trees...

Two of the arborvitae...