PINCHINEARTHDAY2013SAPLINGPLANTINGANDCAREDETAILS

ThedonatedsaplingisaWhitePinespecieswhichgrowswellintheCanadianclimateandisahardy, valuabletree.Characterizedbytheirclusteredsoftbluegreenneedles,theyareidealscreenor windbreakandprefermoist,welldrainedsandyorloamysoils.Grows50'80'witha2040'spreadin thelandscape Thebesttimetoplant Thebesttimetoplantanytreeorshrubisfirstthinginthespringshortlyafterfrosthaslefttheground andwhiletheplantsarestilldormant.Thiscutsdownonthetransplantingshocktheplantmustface andprovidelotsoftimefortheplantstogetnewrootestablishmentbeforethenextfreezeup. Ifyouplantoplantinthefalldeciduoustreesshouldbeplantedafterleafdropandtheyhavegone dormanttominimizethestressesonthetrees.Forconifersfallplantingshouldbedoneinlatesummer orearlyfalltoallowthetreestimefornewrootestablishmenttoavoidfrostheaving. Ifyouareplantingpottedorlargertreestheycanbeplantedfromearlyspringtolatefallbutthetiming willdeterminehowmuchafterplantcarewillberequired(forsummerplantingyouwillhavetobeable towateronamoreregularbasis).Ensurethatyourpottedplanthasawellestablishedrootsystemin thepotandisnotafreshlypottedbarerootplant. Rememberthatbiggerisnotalwaysbetter,becausethebiggerthetreeisatthetimeofplantingthe greatertheafterplantcareitwillneed. Handlingandstoringseedlings 1. Donotallowtheseedlingstodryout.Amplemoistureisthekeyfactorinseedlingsurvival. Remember,"iftheydry,theydie". 2. Transportseedlingscarefully.Roughhandlingcandamagerootsystemsandpredisposethe seedlingstostress. 3. Avoidtemperatureextremes.Fluctuationsintemperatureespeciallyexcessiveheatduring storageandtransportcanresultinseedlingtrauma. 4. Plantpromptly.Oncetheseedlingsaredelivered,minimizestoragetime(especiallyearlyinthe season). 5. Don'topenthebagsuntilyou'rereadytoplant,andresealanypartiallyusedbagsasquicklyas possible. 6. Handlecontainerstockseedlingsbytheplug,notbythestem.

Preparingthesite Treeseedlingsrequirefourbasicelementstothrive:water,nutrients,sunlight,androomtogrow. Grasses,weeds,andbrushgrowingontheplantingsitethreatenyournewseedlingsbycompetingfor thesebasicrequirements.Heavyvegetationalsoprovideshabitatformiceandotherrodentsthateat thebarkofyoungseedlings. Goodsitepreparationhelpstoreducecompetitionfromunwantedvegetation,andalsoensuressuitable plantingspotsforyourseedlings.Sitepreparationcanalsomaketreeplantingeasier.Consultthe extensionnoteentitled"ClearingtheWay:PreparingtheSiteforTreePlanting",listedatthetopofthis pageforinformationondifferentsitepreparationtechniques. Properplantingtechnique Plantingcanbedonewithamachineorbyhand.Nomatterwhatseedlingtypes,plantingmethods,or toolsareused,thereareafewthingsthatplantersmustdotoplantatreeproperly: 1. Forbarerootstock,spreadtherootsoutwellandneverrollthemupinthesoil. 2. Placetheseedlingasuprightaspossible.Evenonslopes,thetreeshouldbenomorethan10 degreesfromvertical. 3. Selectthebestmicrosite.Don'tplantseedlingsnearwaterholes,stumps,orrocks.Youcan alwaysmovethetreetoamorepermanentlocationonceithasbeenallowedtoestablishitself andgrowinaprotectedmanagedarea. 4. Planttheseedlingsattheproperdepth.Forbarerootseedlings,therootcollarsshouldbeat groundlevel,whileforcontainerstock,thetopofthesoilplugshouldbe1to2cmbelow groundlevel. 5. Neverleaverootsexposedtotheair,andneverburythebranches. 6. Donottrimorpruneseedlingroots.Seedlingsneedeverysingletinyroottoabsorbmoisture andnutrientsfromtheground.Themorerootsurface,thebetterthegrowth. 7. Packthesoilwell,butdon'toverpackitorslamtheholeshut.Pressgentlybutfirmlytoprevent shockingtheroots.Airpocketscankillroots. 8. Spacetheseedlingsproperly,includingnaturalregenerationfoundonthesite.

ENJOYYOURTREEANDKEEPDOINGGREATTHINGSFOROURPLANETS HEALTH!!