Source for bagged and balled trees

[hoosierdoc]

As part of a landscaping project I'm about to start, I need a lot of trees for a privacy hedge. I've decided on Colorado Blue Spruce planted in two alternating rows. I am estimating I'll need 88 of them so I'm hoping to order 100 in case a few die. I was looking online and I was impressed with pricing. There's a place in PA that will sell the trees 5-6' bagged and balled for $50 each with a 10% spring discount. Shipping is $1250 for a total delivered price of $5750.

Anyone have ideas of where I can get a similar tree for cheaper? I was hoping for something from Michigan or Indiana as it might save $$ on the shipping but haven't gotten quotes back yet.

Also, group buy possiblity on Colorado Blue Spruce. Probably won't add much to shipping to go up from 100

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You might try contacting Brehob Nursery. Now with that said, they are wholesalers, so they only sell to licensed landscapers or retail outlets, but they may be able to point you in the right direction.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Indianapolis[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]4316 Bluff Road
Indianapolis, IN 46217
317-783-3233

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Westfield
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]4867 Sheridan Road
Westfield, IN 46062
317-877-0188

Brehob Nursery, Inc.
[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[snapping turtle]

Check out the IDNR tree nurseries which could save you thousands if you were to go bare root seedlings. That is the major push they have but they also do 2-3 year old balled trees also. Blue spruce is slow growing but they are great stuff compaired to the white pine and other faster growing items used as wind breaks.

Bare root trees have to be cared for intensely the first two years. After that they are fine but I also see the need to go balled as they grow slow. There are several grants available to reforest or to plant for wildlife that can offset the cost. My bare root blue spruce planted 7 years ago are now my height some that get more sun are over 2 feet higher.

Sorry looking ing at the order firm it seem Norway Spruce is what you can order from them. Not blue but the cost for 100 of them is under 50 dollars shipped to your house. Buy 200 and put 5000 dollars into a tractor to tend and plant them with. Consider a die off of 40 percent if just planted in a field without tending. With tending and careful watching I had 2 die out of 40 I planted and had 2 killed when my daughter deciede to run them over with a lawn mower.

A forester will will come out if the size of the land is large enough and recommend soil and types of trees that will work well if you have swampy areas ECT.

If you were able to expend the energy and manpower for that same 5000 you could reforest a huge amount of land. Add the cost of a tractor and bush hog and sprayer into the 5000 and you could still get several 100 oaks hickory and wildlife packets along with select apple, pear, and peach trees.

DNR: Instructions for Ordering Tree Seedlings

 

[Aggar]

John Deere landscapes in noblesville might be able to help ya out. 317-770-8950. Ask for greg. Hes the nursery manager. Also I found some pines in the auto rv a couple years ago. They were about 2-3' tall and got them for $20 a piece. Ended up getting 75 and the deer have eaten about a 1/3 and about 15 died from the drought 2 years ago. Scan Craigslist. There's a guy around Sheridan that's always wheeling and dealing.

 

[BE Mike]

A friend of mine grows Christmas trees. He also sells live trees. Here is a link that might be useful: Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association

 

[Brando]

If you want to have success with the trees, be sure to buy local. Spruce that are grown in our climate will do better with less work. Think similar soil type, temperature highs/lows, rainfalll, etc...B&B trees grown in Indiana are better acclimated.

 

[Brandon]

We bought one at Lowes last year for 50 bucks. about 6' tall. They had several pallets of them.

Be careful about buying Blue Spruces though, there is a fungal disease that makes them turn a brown/purple and shed their needles. We are battling this right now on a different blue spruce.

 

[daemon2525]

There is a Ft Wayne nursery that I like. Advanced Tree Technology

 

[WebSnyper]

Town of Avon does a tree sale every year. Delivery included for Avon residents, but has to be picked up by others.

I don't think info is up for this year with all the details, but here was the info from last year: http://www.avongov.org/egov/docs/1363960170_765991.pdf


They usually have a variety at various prices. May not help the OP, but might be of interest to others. I don't see Colorado's in the document above, but know they have various evergreens among the selections each year. For those living in Avon, the inclusion of delivery is very nice given the pricing.

 

[Trooper]

Purdue's Indiana Arborist Association
https://ag.purdue.edu/fnr/Associations/IAA/Pages/default.aspx

Bellinger's in West Lafayette also has a statewide reputation as an arborist
4902 State Road 25 West
Lafayette IN 47909
(765) 572 - 2241
Bellinger's Professional Grounds Maintenance

Should point out that Bellinger's has their own tree farm. Plus access to Purdue Forestry.

 

[Hammer]

Before pulling the trigger on Blue spruce I would do some research on Spruce spider mites, which spruce get and need to be sprayed every year or bi annually to control the spread of them.

Take a look at Arborvitae Arborvitae

You can also check with Lowes and order trees you want direct from the nursery, just talk to the manager of the outdoor dept. I use Brehobs but they are HIGH for what you are wanting to do. They are more of a specimen type dealer. You can call Advantage and see if they have anything you would be interested in. Advantage Forestry

 

[IndyGunworks]

a place out of fort wayne sells something called a hybrid rocket... its pretty much a cedar tree thats really fast growing... i plan on planting several of them next year

 

[philo]

Check out the IDNR tree nurseries which could save you thousands if you were to go bare root seedlings. That is the major push they have but they also do 2-3 year old balled trees also. Blue spruce is slow growing but they are great stuff compaired to the white pine and other faster growing items used as wind breaks.

Bare root trees have to be cared for intensely the first two years. After that they are fine but I also see the need to go balled as they grow slow. There are several grants available to reforest or to plant for wildlife that can offset the cost. My bare root blue spruce planted 7 years ago are now my height some that get more sun are over 2 feet higher.



Sorry looking ing at the order firm it seem Norway Spruce is what you can order from them. Not blue but the cost for 100 of them is under 50 dollars shipped to your house. Buy 200 and put 5000 dollars into a tractor to tend and plant them with. Consider a die off of 40 percent if just planted in a field without tending. With tending and careful watching I had 2 die out of 40 I planted and had 2 killed when my daughter deciede to run them over with a lawn mower.

A forester will will come out if the size of the land is large enough and recommend soil and types of trees that will work well if you have swampy areas ECT.

If you were able to expend the energy and manpower for that same 5000 you could reforest a huge amount of land. Add the cost of a tractor and bush hog and sprayer into the 5000 and you could still get several 100 oaks hickory and wildlife packets along with select apple, pear, and peach trees.

DNR: Instructions for Ordering Tree Seedlings

I work at the State nursery, thanks for the plug. As of close of business friday we still had about 98,000 3-year-old norway spruce seedlings available. They typically run 24"-36" in size and are great for windbreaks. Unless you have a huge deer population, they usually won't bother the norway spruce.

The best way to have a successfull planting is to plant early and control weed competition. Don't fertilize in the first year. It's better to control the weeds with herbicide than to mow too close to the stems. "Mower blight" is responsible for a lot of lost trees.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

I work at the State nursery, thanks for the plug. As of close of business friday we still had about 98,000 3-year-old norway spruce seedlings available. They typically run 24"-36" in size and are great for windbreaks. Unless you have a huge deer population, they usually won't bother the norway spruce.

The best way to have a successfull planting is to plant early and control weed competition. Don't fertilize in the first year. It's better to control the weeds with herbicide than to mow too close to the stems. "Mower blight" is responsible for a lot of lost trees.

This is the best advice so far in this thread. Norway Spruce have the best survival rate for spruce here in Indiana. Bear in mind that no spruce are native here so anything you introduce will be challenged. Blue spruce are seldom recommended due to aforementioned disease and to a lesser extent mite problems. More of a problem is they can't tolerate the heavy soil and hate"wet feet". What often happens is we use an auger to drill holes in the clay soil and it ends up being like a little bath tub. The auger glazes the side of the hole so any water that finds it's way into the planting hole doesn't drain out and the roots have a difficult time penetrating to expand into the surrounding soil. If you are going to use an auger, make sure to take a spade and break down the inside of the hole to remove the hard, shiny surface that the auger will make. I have also been using an organic compound that has been showing fantastic results with root growth both in university tests and in my own experience. Holganix is a compost tea based product with added mycorrhizae and a bunch of other beneficial soil flora and fauna that really helps plants. Recent university tests also have shown that bare root trees grown under hardwood mulch versus bare ground, compost, grass exhibit the best root growth and survivability.