Hole planting can be done with a mattock, hoe or shovel. Hand planting rates generally vary from 200 to 500 trees per man day, although faster rates may be possible under optimum conditions. Average time requirements for hand planting are listed in Table 4. Correct and incorrect depths. The planting machine is either attached to a tractor by a standard three-point hitch or is pulled behind a tractor on wheels attached to the planting machine.
Some planters accommodate two people.
With most machines, the roots of the seedlings are placed by hand in the hollow created by the trencher and are held until the packing wheels compress the soil around the roots. Some machines have clips arranged on a rotating arm or chain. Seedlings are placed in the clips, and the trees are moved into position in the furrow and held by the clips until the packing wheels close the trench. Such machines do not require the planter to bend down each time a tree is planted. Planting depth and spacing between trees can be controlled closely with this type of machine.