Pit Wood History Part II

Pit Wood History Part II 

Planting in  the triangular wood started in March 2011. I had bought some Robinia (also called Black Locust or False Acacia) which I thought were going cheep! There are three large impressive Robinia in Sutton so I thought the climate was OK. They are nitrogen fixers and have a durable timber, so seemed like a useful tree.  There were also a lot of Eucalyptus seedlings, these had been sown and grown under lights over winter. They were in cells and needed potting on. They had been hardening off outside during a mild March and Early April. I decided to plant out rather than pot on. Exactly the same decisions had been made for the same reasons at Cairn Wood in 2010. The result was that a lot of the Eucalypts were not established when there was a sharp frost in May and all the E. nitens, the largest ones needing to be moved on died. A number of other Eucalypts also succumbed to the late frost only a few weeks after planting. I had not learnt  and planted small Eucalypts in April 2011, hoping the lighter soil would allow better root growth. Again all the E. nitens died along with some others but many survived.  

April 2011, the triangular field spot sprayed and  planted up.

There is a ditch along one side of the field, in front of the row of trees, in the top Photo. There was also a single sedge plant towards the corner between the ditch and the track. I assumed that area was the wettest and planted nitrogen fixing alder instead of Robinia and a swamp Eucalypt in the area.

The Triangular field on the 5th May 2011. A sharp air frost has blackened the new growth. The centre row  is ash. The taller trees to the left are Robinia which leafs later. The small Eucalypts to the right were also badly affected. As was the Sweet Chestnut.
  

March and April 2011 were quite after the horrendously cold winter of 2010/11. Trees had flushed early thinking, like me, winter was over. I had planted the whole field by the middle of April.  The -3C frost on May 3rd came out of the blue. The bare rooted trees had to be planted. March is the usual time for spring planting. I can blame the trees for any damage they suffered. The Eucalypts were in cells and could have been potted on or left till mid May. They would have been restricted but alive. A lot of the Eucalypts were lost, The ash and sweet chestnut had their leading shoots killed, so were destined to be forked and poorly shaped trees. Alder are a hardier breed and the Robinia had not come into leaf. The spirals put on to stop the deer browsing kept the frost off the shoots in the spiral.  As there were smaller Eucalypts that had not been planted out I was able to replace losses.

As I write this on 1st May 2022, there are no leaves on any Ash and the Sweet Chestnut is only just breaking bud. (Oak is well out). It has again been a dry warm April, so why the difference I don't know. It could be the micro climate affect of the Spirals. 

There was a fine summer and by August the trees looked well established.

August 17th 2011. The tall trees are Robinia and the dark green showing above black square tree guards are Eucalypts. 

The winter of 2011/12 saw no planting at Pit Wood while  planting at Cairn Wood was completed.  Planting in the Rectangular field waited till 12/13 season. A hay crop was removed from it in 2010, 11, and 12. Meanwhile, the trees grew well in the triangular field except for in an area in the middle of the field.