The Shellbark Hickories

I was pretty bummed after coming to terms that my two shagbark hickories planted last fall didn't make it through the winter (actually one technically did but it died back to the ground). I know hickories can be hard to transplant with such a long taproot, and they are definitely slow growers. But I like hickories too much to give up that easily. 

So I decided to "take two" with shellbark hickories instead. As more of a lowland native species, I believe they'll be better suited to my wetter clay soil than shagbarks.

June 2023: Shellbark number one. It may seem small but it has a two-foot taproot underneath.

June 2023: Shellbark number two. Two trees are needed for hickory nuts, although it could be up to 15 years before these trees produce any.

Just as with the shagbarks, these little guys are a foot tall with a two-foot taproot, and I had to use a post-hole-digger to dig the hole for planting. While I used much of the clay soil I dug up as backfill, I also mixed in some topsoil, fertilizer, and a good amount of compost. Additionally, I soaked the hole with two gallons of water the night before planting, and an additional two gallons each after planting. We also had three-quarters of an inch of rain the next day, and scattered showers the rest of the week. I'm hoping this preparation will lead to better results than my last hickory-planting attempt. I'm also providing all this information to help any others who may be interested in attempting to plant hickories.