Planting trees 211
How to plant seeds or cuttings in containers
➊ Water your planting soil the day before you plant so it will be moist but not wet.
Treat the seeds before planting, but not so long before that they will begin to
sprout or rot (see page 304). Fill your containers with soil.
➋ To plant very small seeds, scratch the surface of the soil, sprinkle 5 or 10 seeds, and
cover them very lightly with dirt by scratching the soil again with a fork or stick.
To plant larger seeds, make a hole in the center of the soil about 2 to 3 times
as deep as the width of the seed. You may want to plant more than one
seed in each container. Cover the seeds with dirt and press down lightly.
Pressing the dirt removes air pockets where fungus could grow.
➌ Water the containers after planting. If the seeds are very small, this
must be done carefully so the seeds are not washed away.
➍ When the seeds have sprouted 1 or 2 leaves, choose the seedling that looks
strongest and cut away any others, leaving one seedling in each container. By
cutting the seedlings you do not want rather than pulling them out, you will not
disturb the roots of the seedling you do want.
Watering tree seedlings
Watering tree seedlings is one of the most important activities in a nursery.
Water your trees in a way that gently sprinkles the water like rain, instead of
in a single stream like a tap that might wash away soil and uncover roots.
The amount of water a seedling needs depends on how
deep its roots have grown. Water seedlings as soon as
their leaves begin to droop. But it is best that they never
get to this point, because it is stressful for the plant.
This tree
needs
water.
Until seedlings have 2 or 3 leaves, water whenever
the top of the soil appears completely dry.
This
tree has
enough
water.
Then, until they have 5 or 6 leaves, water when the
soil is dry as deep as the fingernail on your thumb.
Then, until the roots push against the bottom of the
container, water when the soil is dry as deep as the first
joint of your thumb.
Weeding and fertilizing
Weeds compete with tree seedlings for light, water, and nutrients from the soil.
A few small weeds in a container will do no harm. But if there are more, cut
them away at their base to not break up the soil.
If your soil is fertile, seedlings should get the nutrients they need. If
fertilizer is needed, make natural fertilizer from manure, compost, or urine
(see Chapter 15).
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012