The importance of planting a garden is expressed by the well-known phrase about the three most important things that every man should do in his life. Remember, in addition to the house he must build and the son he must raise, a man must plant a tree? It’s easier with a house and a son: the wife will help there. But how to choose the right seedlings? We will try to help here.
How to choose the right seedlings of fruit trees
There are certain rules that will help you not to make a mistake with the choice of trees for the future garden.
It is better to choose one- or two-year seedlings
These trees bear transplanting less painfully, compared to their older counterparts. You should not buy the appearance of a three- or four-year-old tree. Yes, it is taller, stronger, etc. However, it will be much more difficult for him to get used to it. During digging, part of the roots will most likely be damaged, so this process is a significant stress for the plant. As a result, the one-year-old seedling will start growing faster, it will catch up and even overtake the more mature tree in development.
Pay attention to the appearance of the tree
According to the standards, one-year unbranched (those without side branches) seedlings of grain crops (apple, pear) should be about a meter tall and have a trunk diameter of about 1 cm. Stone plants should be slightly higher – up to 1.5 m. The length of the root system at this height is approximately 30 cm.
The larger the seedling, the more powerful its root system should be. Disproportionately small roots indicate that a fairly mature tree had many roots cut off during excavation. In this case, it is better to refuse the purchase, because the roots are the main thing that you should pay attention to when buying seedlings.
It should be remembered that the basis of any seedling is the roots. It is he who should be looked at in the first place. In addition to all of the above, the roots should not be dry and lethargic. In a healthy tree, it is light both on the outside and on the cut. There should be no spots, growths, etc. on the root system.
Type of seedling root system
Seedlings can be sold with an open or closed root system. It is better to buy a tree whose roots are closed. Such seedlings are sold in containers and usually cost more. However, this tree will undergo a transplant less painfully, because the roots will not be injured.
Some very cunning sellers try to pass off a seedling recently planted in a container as one that has been growing there for a long time. In order not to come across their tricks, carefully examine the soil in the container. If it is dense, beaten, with some signs of moss, it means that the seedling has been here for a long time. To be sure, pull the trunk slightly – the tree planted on the eve of the sale will easily be pulled out of the container.
The roots of seedlings should not be dry
In seedlings with an open root system, the roots should not be in the air, because they are very quickly exposed to air and dry out. The chances of such trees taking root are extremely small. The roots should be wrapped in wet burlap, placed after digging in a clay pot or in a wet polyethylene bag.
According to the standards, a seedling with a closed root system can have a certain number of leaves on the trunk. Trees with bare roots should have no leaves at all. Because of it, the liquid evaporates, the tree loses moisture faster — its survival rate is sharply reduced.
Fruit trees in nurseries must be grafted
When buying, pay attention to the trunk of the tree and look for signs of grafting. If budding (bud grafting) was carried out, then above the root neck you will find some curvature of the trunk. If grafted in another way, a scar should remain on the trunk. The absence of such “labels” indicates that the seedling is not vaccinated. Most likely, you have a root crop in front of you, which, if it does produce a crop, is not at all what the seller promised.
In any case, and especially when planting a garden, you need to turn to specialists. Only then you can be sure of the result.
