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Planting Out Tree Seedlings in the Field

After all the hard work in the nursery, the next step is to plant out tree seedlings in the field. Each year, many people plant out tree seedlings in different places around the country; however, only a few trees survive. Although harsh environment such as drought, poor soil, wildlife, grazing animals and so forth account for the low survival, the major cause of the low survival is poor knowledge and techniques to control the planted out seedlings from the harsh environment. Healthy seedlings can be available at the nursery. However, if the seedlings are not planted out properly, the trees will never grow well. If you expect faster growth and survival rates, proper planting and tending of trees are of utmost importance.

TECHNIQUES TO PLANT OUT TREE SEEDLINGS 

The planting out techniques can be classified into five steps that include site preparation, seedling preparation, actual planting, tending activities, and management activities on the trees.

Site preparation

The site should be prepared well before planting out tree seedlings. The activities of site preparation include the following:

1. Clearing: if there are bushes or grasses around your planting site, clear them before in order not to disturb the digging process and also prevent the competition between seedlings to be planted with moisture and sunshine. Bushes and branches should be cut at the base. Remove and pile the branches and grasses in an orderly manner. The branches can be used to make a temporary fence for the planted out trees while grasses can be added as mulch to conserve moisture.
2. Digging: planting holes should be dug before the rainy season starts. The popular size for holes in tree planting is usually 2feet by 2 feet (60 by 60 cm). As a rule of the thumb, the planting hole should be big in size. The purpose of the planting hole is to soften the soil so that the roots of the trees can penetrate deep and the soil can catch and contain more moisture. Big holes will store more water and make it easier for healthy root development!
3. Refilling of holes: before planting a tree seedling, the holes have to be refilled with some soil. This is because the planting hole is usually way bigger than the size of the pot holding the tree seedling. It is advisable to refill the hole with quality topsoil and if possible one can include well-decomposed manure. It is not advisable to mix dry branches and grasses while refilling the planting hole because they might attract termites.

Seedling preparation before planting

1. Watering before transport: water the seedlings just before transporting them from the nursery to the planting site. This water will prevent the seedlings from drying up during transportation especially if the seedlings are to be transported over a long distance.
2. Transportation of the seedlings: seedlings are living things and very fragile so they must be handled carefully. Do not pile them up each other while transporting. Using boxes or bags is recommended especially when the planting site is far.
3. Provisional allocation site: the seedlings should be planted on the spot shortly after arriving at the site. In case it needs some time until planting, the seedlings must be kept in a shade and protected from the wind. Water them if necessary to keep them moist and vigorous.

Planting

Favourable weather should be targeted to plant out tree seedlings. Favourable weather means that rainfall should be available for at least the first three months. Tree seedlings can also be planted out in dry months as long as they are watered regularly.

The common planting process is:

1. Making a hole the size of the pot using a panga or a stick. Remember that one is supposed to initially make a big hole and refill it with soil
2. Hold the pot and harden the soil by your two hands
3. Remove the pot carefully so that the soil does not break loose
4. Planting the seedlings without removing the potting soil
5. Pushing the soil around the seedlings firmly by hand to avoid leaving any space between the soil and the roots. One can also step on the soil around the seedlings to make it firm.

Silvica recommends that you plant out trees in the afternoon (after 3 pm). You don’t want to expose the tree to hot sun on its very first day, dou you?

Tending to planted out trees

1. Slashing and weeding: if grasses and bushes grow around the planted out seedling, clear them to reduce the competition for light and nutrients. Be extra careful to avoid damaging the planted out tree. Grasses and other weeds seriously reduce the growth rate of trees.
2. Shading: in the first dry season, planted out trees can benefit from shading. However, shading planted out trees is impractical in most cases. If possible, plant out seedlings where they can get some shade from other mature trees. Care should be taken, however, not to plant the seedlings in complete shade; remember trees, as with all plants, need sunshine for photosynthesis.
3. Watering: watering is very necessary especially during the dry season. One can also use bottle watering, do you know what bottle watering is?

Instead of watering a tree seedling with little water daily, it is recommended that one soaks the planted out tree seedling with a lot of water once a week. This will encourage the development of strong roots and will make the seedling stronger.

4. Protection: you should make efforts in protecting your seedlings from wild and domestic animals, insects and harsh weather. Can you suggest methods that can be used in protecting seedlings?

Management activities on trees

Depending on the objectives of tree plant, one can undertake various management interventions on planted out trees such as:

1. Thinning: This is where one fell down some trees. The main purpose of thinning in a timber plantation is to increase the diameter measurements of the remaining trees.
2. Pruning: this is the removal of branches from trees. It is done to produce knot-free timber.
3. Coppicing: is a pruning technique where a tree or shrub is cut to near ground level. Eucalyptus species are known to coppice well.
4. Pollarding: is a pruning method where a tree or shrub is cut at a higher level from the ground. Acacia kirkii are known to pollard well.

The ultimate growing trees in the field is to attain high survival rates. Nursery operations are tedious and cost a significant amount of time and money. Ensure that you get your value for money by implementing correct planting out techniques.