Most novice amateur gardeners are concerned with the question of whether it is possible to save time and money by growing planting material on their own. Grow seedlings berry crops, for example, garden strawberries, is quite simple, but with trees the situation is different. Almost all fruit tree seedlings are grafted plants, which are usually obtained by budding cultivars(scion) onto special rootstocks. The process of growing seedlings using budding is not easy, however, it can be mastered with a little patience and perseverance.
No wonder the famous proverb says: “Look at the root.” Such important characteristics for a tree as vigor, early fruiting, productivity, resistance to adverse environmental factors, durability, and simply viability are largely determined by the rootstock. Therefore, you should choose the rootstock carefully.
Depending on the origin, rootstocks are either seed (seedling) or vegetative (clonal). The former are obtained from seeds, the latter by propagating the original, specially selected mother plants by vegetative means. Seed rootstocks are usually unpretentious, but vigorous, and this is their disadvantage. Also, trees on seedlings begin to bear fruit later than trees on vegetatively propagated rootstocks. Clonal rootstocks differ in their vigor and maintenance requirements. As a rule, the weaker the rootstock, the more capricious it is. Let's take a quick look at the main rootstocks for fruit trees.
Seedlings of wild apple trees, as well as some varieties - Antonovka vulgaris, Borovinka, Pe-pinka litovskaya - are used as seed rootstocks for apple trees. In Crimea, you can also use seedlings of Sary Sinap, Napoleon, and White Rosemary. All these rootstocks are vigorous and unpretentious. A search is underway for weak-growing seedling rootstocks for apple trees, but so far they have been unsuccessful.
There are a great variety of clonal rootstocks for apple trees: from vigorous to dwarf. The most common dwarf rootstock is M9, of English selection, represented by numerous clones. Also used, especially in areas with harsh winters, is the Russian red-leaved rootstock 62-396, which is more vigorous than M9. Since 2000, the dwarf rootstock of Ukrainian selection D-1071 has been zoned. Dwarf rootstocks for apple trees have a poorly developed root system; on such a rootstock the tree cannot stay upright on its own and needs support. The maximum height of trees is 3-3.5 m. M26 rootstock occupies an intermediate position between dwarfs and semi-dwarfs, but it is also advisable to install supports for it, especially on light soils.
Representative of semi-dwarf rootstocks - 54-118, Russian selection. True, there is evidence that on fertile soils and with sufficient moisture, it begins to exhibit the properties of a medium-sized rootstock.
Typical common medium-sized rootstocks are English selection MM106 and Russian 57-490. Not so long ago, a medium-sized rootstock of the Ukrainian selection D-471 was zoned. Vigorous clonal rootstocks for apple trees are of no practical importance.

Which rootstock should you choose?

It all depends on what type of planting you are going to create and how carefully you plan to care for the trees. Dwarfs should be planted when the gardener is confident that he can provide them with optimal humidity, fertilizer, proper shaping and pruning, chemical protection from pests and diseases, absence of weeds. At the same time, it makes sense to plant an apple tree on seedling rootstocks only on very poor soils. The best option for a home garden - this is a semi-dwarf or medium-sized rootstock.
Seedlings of forest pear, as well as varieties such as Limonka, Aleksandrovka, Ilyinka, are used as seed rootstocks for pears. It is advisable to use forms of wild pear whose leaves are slightly affected by brown spot. On carbonate soils, pear grows well on seedlings of the pear tree and the Hurt-Armud variety.
Vegetatively propagated forms of quince are used as clonal rootstocks for pears. The most common: dwarf - Sydo (Sido), quince C (“C”); semi-dwarf IS-2-10; medium-sized forms - quince A (Angerskaya, MAJ, Provencal quince, VA-29 (“BA-29”), IS-4-6.
Unfortunately, not all pear varieties are compatible with quince. The following varieties grow and bear fruit well on this rootstock: summer varieties - Bere Giffard, De-kanka Meroda, Ilyinka, Limonka, Mli-evskaya rannyaya, Moldavskaya rannyaya, Oreanda Crimea, Roussele Stuttgart, Sweet from Mlieva, Starkrimson, Trapezitsa, Yunska Lepotika ; autumn - Alexandrovka, Bere Amanli, Bere Ar-danpont, Bere Gardi, Bere Dil, Bere Ligelya, Bukovinka, Victoria, Vyzhnitsa, Goverla, Grand Champion, Gurzufskaya, Dekanka du Comis, Dessert, Good Louise, Conference, Large-fruited, Azure, Forest beauty, Autumn Favorite, Malevchanka, Nikolai Kruger, Autumn of Bukovina, Platonovskaya, Pridnestrianka, Polesskaya, Smerichka, Starokrymskaya, Storozhinetskaya, Tauride, Talgarskaya beauty, Trembita, Truskavetskaya, Chernivchanka; winter - Bere Kyiv, Bergamot Lvovsky, Vassa, Josephine Mehelnskaya, Zimnyaya Mlievskaya, Zolotistaya, Zolotovorotskaya, Crimean winter, Kucheryanka, Curé, Olivier de Serre, Domestic, Pass Krassan, Parizhanka, Prikarpatskaya, Roksolana, Saint-Germain, Storozhinetskaya, Striyskaya, Lviv Souvenir, Melting, Christian, Cheremshina, Kiev Sketch, Yablunivskaya. Pear varieties that are incompatible with quince are grown with the insertion of a compatible variety, that is, first a compatible variety is grafted onto the quince, and an incompatible variety onto it.
A few years ago, a universal rootstock for pome-bearing species appeared (selection from the Institute of Horticulture of the UAAS) - UUPROZ-6. This is an intergeneric hybrid obtained from crossing a quince and an apple tree. According to the authors, the rootstock is suitable for 6 species (apple tree, pear tree, quince tree, Japanese chaenomeles, hawthorn, rowan tree]. Time will tell how successful this rootstock turned out.
Cherries and sweet cherries are grafted onto seedlings of wild cherries, cherry varieties Drogana yellow, Denisena yellow, cherry varieties, as well as antipka (maga-leb cherry). The latter is advisable to use in the south, and in the forest-steppe zone only in elevated areas with deep groundwater. Of the clonal rootstocks, BCJ1-2 (for sweet cherries) is widely used.
Cherry plum seedlings are used as the main rootstock for plums in all zones. You can also graft onto seedlings of some plum varieties, but this rootstock is more demanding of soil moisture. Felt cherry is suitable as a low-growing rootstock for plums, but it is incompatible with many varieties. The Big Blue, Italian Hungarian, Giant, Kirk, Memory of Vavilov, Renklod Altana, Renklod Karbysheva, September, Stanley, Edinburgh grow well on this rootstock. It should be remembered that felt cherry- an incubator for this dangerous disease stone fruits, such as moniliosis. In general, it is not worth keeping this plant on the site unless absolutely necessary. Existing clonal rootstocks for plums are not widely used.
The main rootstock for apricot is zherdeli (seedlings of local wild forms).
You should not use seedlings of varieties, especially large-fruited ones, as the trees on them adapt less well to growing conditions. In areas with heavy, waterlogged soils, apricot is sometimes grafted onto cherry plum, with which many varieties are incompatible.
The best rootstock for peach are seedlings of varieties. Sometimes poles, cherry plums, and felt cherry seedlings are used, but many varieties are incompatible with them. A characteristic manifestation of incompatibility in peach is premature reddening of the leaves of the oculants in the nursery, often against a background of quite intensive growth. Such plants are not suitable for planting in the garden. They should be removed immediately or marked and removed when dug up, otherwise once the leaves have fallen it will be difficult or impossible to distinguish them from those suitable for cultivation.

Rootstocks in the nursery

An industrial fruit nursery consists of several departments (fields). The grown rootstocks are planted in the so-called first field of the nursery, or field of oculants. Do it in early spring. Seedlings are planted in such a way that their root collar (the place where the root enters the trunk) is at soil level. Simply put, they are planted at the same depth at which they grew before. On light soils, seedlings can be planted 2-3 cm deeper. Special attention When planting, pay attention to the root system of the seedlings. It should be as branched as possible. This is especially true for species prone to the formation of a core system - pear, cherry plum, peach, apricot, apple seedlings. In general, the more branches the root system of a seedling has, the better it takes root and grows in the nursery, and then in the garden. Before planting, the roots are trimmed, leaving 15-20 cm. This is done to stimulate the formation of lateral roots. Aboveground part rootstocks are shortened to 20-30 cm, and all branches in the root collar area are removed.
Layerings of vegetatively propagated rootstocks, regardless of root fouling, are planted in the first field to a depth of 20-25 cm.
Before budding, the soil is kept loose and free of weeds and watered if necessary.

Budding

Budding is grafting with an eye, that is, a bud together with a bark shield with a thin layer of wood. It can be carried out in different terms, however, the most common is the so-called summer-autumn budding. It is carried out when the cambium on the rootstock is in an active state and the scion cuttings are sufficiently mature. In Polesie and Forest-steppe they bud from the third ten days of July to the second ten days of August, and in more southern regions - from the first ten days of July to the first ten days of September. First of all, pear and cherry seedlings are budded, since they can stop growing early, which reduces the activity of the cambium and can negatively affect the survival rate of the grafts. Lastly, seedlings of apricot, peach, cherry plum, and an-tipka are budded. The listed species tend to grow actively for a long time in the presence of a sufficient amount of moisture in early autumn, and the oculated buds, due to the thickening of the rootstock stem, may float (end up inside the wood) and not germinate in the spring.
2-3 weeks before budding, all lateral branches are removed from rootstocks to a height of 20-30 cm. Water if necessary.
Seedling rootstocks are ideally budded into the root collar to prevent the future appearance of root shoots in the garden. But since it is inconvenient to carry out manipulations so low, budding of seedlings is allowed at a height of 3-4 cm. Clonal rootstocks, especially for pome trees, are budding much higher - 15-20 cm from the ground. The higher the graft is made onto a weak-growing clonal rootstock, the more it reduces the growth of the tree.
It is advisable to carry out budding from the north side on the rootstock, so that the budding site and the scutes themselves dry out less during grafting, and heat up less at the end of winter - at the beginning of spring. Oculate in the morning or evening. For budding, well-ripened shoots that have stopped growing are selected, as evidenced by the formation of an apical bud on them. The length of the shoots is 40 cm and more. Cuttings are prepared on the day of budding or the day before, removing the leaves, leaving parts of the petioles 0.5 cm long. Then the cuttings are placed in a container with a small amount of water. Store in a cool place.

Budding strapping

There are two main methods of budding: behind the bark in a T-shaped incision and in the butt. When carrying out budding by the bark on the rootstock, a T-shaped incision is made in the bark in a designated place, then the bark is pushed apart with the brush of a budding knife. It is desirable that the bole in the budding area be smooth on all sides, without tubercles or stumps. This will make tying easier. Then the shield with the bud is cut from the scion cuttings. The length of the scute is about 2.5 cm. The layer of wood under the bark should be minimal, and the fibrovascular bundle that goes to the bud should be in the middle of the scute. The scutes are cut, holding the cutting with the lower end away from you or towards you. In my opinion, it’s more convenient to do it “on your own,” especially if the cutting has large sagging under the buds (which is typical for pears, apricots, and plums).
The cut shield is carefully inserted under the bark, holding it by the remaining part of the petiole. Under no circumstances should you grasp the shield itself directly with your fingers! Practice shows that this reduces the survival rate of the eyes.
The inserted shield is immediately tied with PVC (or other) tape. Tying can be done from bottom to top or vice versa. It’s better from the bottom up: firstly, if the budding is carried out low, then after completing the tying it is more convenient to make a loop from above, and not near the ground; and secondly, the hanging end of the tape can be used to cover the grafted bud, protecting it from the sun and partially from the rain.
If budding by the bark in a T-shaped incision is carried out when the bark on the rootstock is well separated from the wood, then the butt can always be budding, but everything must be done very quickly, because the grafting components dry out faster with this method. To carry out butt budding, a strip of bark with a thin layer of wood about 3 cm long is cut off the rootstock with a knife from top to bottom, then the upper part is cut off, leaving one third. Under the remaining piece of bark (the so-called “tongue”), a scion shield with a bud is inserted, made in the same way as when budding into a T-shaped incision. The difference may be that the shield is inserted directly from the knife, without transferring it to the other hand; at the same time, there is no need to leave part of the petiole on the shield when preparing scion cuttings, and the leaves can simply be carefully brushed off.
If the shield of the scion during budding in the butt is thinner than the cut strip of bark on the rootstock, then when inserting the shield, it must be shifted so that the cambial layers of the components coincide on at least one side. Without this, engraftment of the oculated kidney is impossible. Also be careful when tying - the shield may move during this.
After 2 weeks, the survival rate of the eyes is checked. To do this, remove the harness. The established shield is smooth, has a fresh appearance, natural color, and the bud is of normal size. The petiole that was left fell off, and if not, then with a slight downward pressure it will easily fall off. Rootstocks on which the eyes have not taken root are budded again, higher or lower, or from the opposite side.

Further care for occupiers

The following year, the first field of the nursery, or the field of oculants, turns into the second field, or the field of yearlings. In early spring, before the start of sap flow, the rootstocks are cut off above the budded bud. Later, the grafted bud germinates. However, it should be borne in mind that dormant buds located on the remaining part of the rootstock germinate earlier and often grow more intensively than a shoot from a “foreign bud.” Therefore, it is necessary to break out the so-called wild shoots on the rootstock 2-3 times with an interval of 10-15 days. If this is not done in a timely manner, the shoot of the grafted variety will be severely inhibited and will lag behind in growth in the future. In addition, if the shoots of a variety and the rootstock are similar (for example, cherry, apricot, cherry plum, apple trees on green-leaved clonal rootstocks), it is not easy to distinguish them. It is better to cut out shoots of wild growth longer than 5 cm, since breaking them out creates large wounds.
Further care of the plants consists of regularly loosening the soil, fighting aphids, and watering if necessary. If side shoots appear on a seedling, do not forget to break them off at the beginning of growth in the area of ​​the future trunk.

Preface

Of course, apple trees are one of the most popular fruit trees all over the world, it’s not for nothing that many food products and seasonings are created based on apples (take, for example, ketchup). And in private gardens, apple trees have been and remain leaders, since they are present on almost every personal plot. This is explained by ease of care and almost constantly guaranteed harvest.

How to grow an apple tree - soil preparation

An apple tree, depending on the variety, requires a certain amount of space for free growth and development. At maximum, she needs at least 5 meters.

Before purchasing an apple tree (in the form of seeds or seedlings), you should select a place on the site for planting it. In principle, there are varieties that are unpretentious and can successfully bear fruit on almost any soil, but it is still better to choose an area where the soil is loamy. If there is none, then it is quite possible for better rooting and accelerated growth young tree it will have to be partially “reproduced”. Made by adding some clay directly to landing hole, and this must be done at least two weeks before the intended landing. But if the soils are not sandy or slurry, but are of the clayey type, then in this case sand is added to the planting hole two weeks before planting.

The introduced elements should occupy from 1/5 to a quarter of the total volume of the pit.

The most unfavorable soil for apple trees is soil with a lot of stones, marl or chalky clay. In this case, you will have to work hard and ensure good growth of the root system by complete replacement earth to a depth of one and a half meters and a diameter of up to a meter. New land is prepared for planting immediately: humus is mixed with sand, peat, compost and pure clay in the proportion of 50%/20%/15%/10%/5%.

When preparing a planting hole, you should also immediately pay attention to the initial application of fertilizers: about a quarter of the hole is filled with peat, coarse sandstone and compost (or purchased humus) in a combination of 35%/15%/50%, respectively. The hole itself should be slightly larger than the root system of the seedling. On average, soil is removed to a depth of about 0.6 m (with a total depth of seedling roots of 0.4 m), and its diameter corresponds to approximately half a meter (with a transverse dimension of the root system of 0.3 m).

It should be borne in mind that when digging a hole, the soil being removed should be clearly divided: the fertile (top layer) is removed immediately to its entire depth and folded separately from the soil that lies underneath it. Soil that is not fertile is not used when planting an apple tree, since the entire remaining volume of the planting hole after planting is filled only with fertile soil, and if there is a lack of it, you can purchase ready-made soil in a specialized store, or collect soil from the forest. To improve the aeration of the roots of a young tree, you can add a little pine needles to the upper layers of the soil, which will also protect the planting from freezing if the apple tree is planted in the fall or winter.

Growing seedlings from seeds

In principle, you can grow an apple tree directly from a seed, although doing this at home is somewhat difficult. Seed germination occurs only in the fall; the process begins approximately at the end of October. To do this, a freshly harvested ripe fruit seed, without washing, is placed in a humid environment at a slightly positive temperature. The medium is prepared from a mixture of sand, sawdust and activated carbon. Some gardeners consider it necessary to add a little apple pulp mashed into the puree, but this can provoke the development of mold or even putrefactive processes. For the first week, the seeds are kept on the balcony or outside the window on the north side, but here it is necessary to ensure that the temperature does not drop to 0ºC, but does not exceed 5-7ºC. Next, the seed is placed in the refrigerator without top shelf everything in the same prepared environment and stays there for at least six months. In this case, you will have to make sure that the substrate does not dry out, but you also should not over-moisten it. Under no circumstances should the container with the seed be covered with a bag to ensure gas exchange.

Typically, seeds begin to germinate within 2-6 months, therefore, as soon as the first shoots are noticed, it is necessary to prepare the soil for transferring the seeds to more natural environment. Taken flower pot with a drainage capacity of 2 to 5 liters, into which soil for seedlings is poured, which is easiest to purchase in a store, or you can dig up ready-made humus in your garden plot in a compost pit. Seeds are planted at intervals of 10-20 centimeters to a depth of 2 cm.

The seedling is kept in a pot until spring; in the spring it can be placed in a garden bed, having prepared the planting hole according to all the rules. In early to mid-October, the grown tree is removed from the soil and again placed in a pot corresponding to the volume of the root system. It is necessary to keep the seedling in a cool and shaded place so as not to disturb the apple tree that has fallen asleep for the winter. In the second spring, the tree is planted in a new place, and the planting hole is again prepared. Experienced gardeners It is recommended to bend the stem root by 90º, or cut it off. The apple tree can spend its second winter in the open ground, but in the fall the trunk is tied with cotton fabric, burlap is thrown over the stem shoots, and a “hut” is built around the future tree from poles about a meter in diameter, densely covered with spruce branches. This is necessary to prevent freezing of the trunk, shoots and root system in the event of severe frosts. In winter, you will have to make sure that the young tree is constantly covered with a layer of snow. In the third spring, the seedling can be placed on its permanent place.

Selection of seedlings in the nursery

It is much easier to purchase ready-made seedlings from a specialized nursery. This is not only more practical in terms of convenience, but also ensures that the variety matches the climatic conditions of the region where the apple tree is planted.

Seedlings are sold in three types:

• annuals;
• two-year crowned;
• two-year-old uncrowned.

A one-year-old seedling is never placed immediately in the place of its permanent growth, since it belongs to preparatory material and demands special conditions cultivation, which were already mentioned above. But two-year-olds differ only in their crowning, depending on the capabilities and expectations of the gardener himself. Crowned ones are purchased if it is possible to grow a fruit tree of full height, but an uncrowned apple tree is chosen by gardeners who want to get an apple tree taller or shorter than the varietal one. These may be situations related to the lack of space for the full development of the crown in width (then the apple tree is allowed to grow in height), or in height (the location of the site next to power line supports, etc.).

Independent crowning is carried out according to the number of stem buds: at a height of 0.7 meters from the butt, the required number of buds is counted in accordance with the required number of future branches of the crown, and the tip is pinched or bent 90-120º and fixed with electrical tape

By default, the number of buds is 3-4, although it can vary depending on the variety, since there are vigorous, medium-sized and semi-dwarf varieties. Dwarf varieties are booked only in nurseries.

When choosing planting material it is necessary to select apple tree seedlings that have at least three skeletal processes relative to the central root, which has already been cut off (which is very noticeable by the characteristic end of the stem root). The stronger and more extensive the root system of the seedling is, the more problem-free growing apple trees will be, since they are less susceptible to diseases and pests, and they will “take up” the ground faster, and the harvest of the first harvest will be closer by a year or more!

Planting a seedling

As mentioned above, to plant seedlings, you must first prepare a planting hole. If it happens that the seedlings are already in hand, but there is no hole, then they are buried in the most suitable place(the coolest and most shaded), and the pit is prepared according to the above instructions and kept for at least a week, but no more than 10 days, since the seedlings will begin to die over a longer period. And in a shorter period, proper mixing and caking of the prepared “layer cake” under root system.

Before planting the apple tree, a stake is driven into the center of the hole of such a height that after filling the hole it is equal to or even exceeds the height of the seedling. This stake is used as a support for a young tree, since the trunk of a young apple tree is not yet strong enough and can break due to the impact external factors-strong wind, animals or curious children. The peg is placed on the south side relative to the seedling, since in this case it prevents the bark from burning in excessively sunny summers.

A small mound is placed at the bottom of the pit, on which the seedling is placed and the roots of the apple tree are evenly distributed along the slopes.

Care should be taken to ensure that the roots do not get too entangled with each other and, especially, do not “stick out” upward, even at an angle, since the exposure of even one root after several years can destroy the entire tree.

To simplify this action, the roots should be dipped in a mud mash, but before this you need to carefully inspect them for damage. Damaged roots are removed, or before being immersed in mud, they are wrapped in cloth, which must be removed before planting. Tying the apple tree to the peg is done using a figure eight; the twine is not rubbed too hard on the tree, since otherwise there may be a risk of damaging the young and tender bark.

Backfilling is done only with fertile soil, compaction is carried out thoroughly, starting from a level of approximately 15 cm. Tamping is done with a small log, which is lightly pressed over the entire surface of the layer. Further compaction is carried out every 10 cm of piled soil. Do not compact the soil too hard, as this may interfere with the aeration of the roots. The root collar should be slightly above ground level, but you should not raise it too high. Therefore, if there is more than 5 cm left from the ground level to the neck, it should be lowered by making a small hill. After planting, the tree is carefully watered with 50-60 liters of water for a two-year-old apple tree and 40-50 for a one-year-old apple tree. The soil that has settled after watering is mulched with sawdust, humus or straw.

Care after landing

In the first year after planting, the apple tree needs special care. Firstly, it's watering. The first year, and the best three, the apple tree must be watered depending on the frequency and abundance of precipitation. In rainy summers, watering apple trees is minimal and involves pouring 3-5 buckets with a frequency of no more than 2 times a month. In hot and dry times, the frequency of watering increases to 1 time per week in a volume of up to 5 buckets. Water is poured not under the tree trunk, but into the grooves along the perimeter of the crown, since this ensures the best supply of the tree roots. Best time for watering - late evening.

Also, in the first year, the ground under the apple tree should be loosened to a depth of 20 cm and regularly weeded to remove weeds, especially bindweed. Light mulching of the soil is allowed.

Pests must be gotten rid of as soon as they are noticed. For a young tree, 2-3 sprayings are allowed.

• Securing the harvest

Naturally, fruiting of an apple tree does not occur immediately after planting, but it can be brought closer by ordinary tree care, which will be relevant in the second and all subsequent years of the tree’s life.

Growing apples involves:

1. watering a mature tree up to four times a year. The first time is watered at the beginning of flowering (May-early June), the second time with the formation of fruit ovaries, the third time when apples ripen and the fourth time after harvesting (late August-September);
2. timely removal of shoots and branches affected by pests or diseases;
3. timely spraying up to three times a year - after swelling of the buds, when buds appear and after harvesting, if necessary. Funds are selected depending on need;
4. uniform pruning at the end of autumn with complete cessation of sap flow;
5. soil insulation on winter period spruce branches or mulch;
6. insulation of the trunk at a height of up to 70 cm with straw, which is covered with roofing felt or wax paper;
7. caring for apple trees in the spring, which includes removing insulation, residual mulch or spruce branches, bleaching the trunk and watering. Fertilizing is done with urea and boric acid according to the instructions for the fertilizer.

Harvesting

The criteria for starting the harvest may include:

• abundance of fallen trees with no pest damage;
• darkening of seeds in fruits on the tree;
• easy separation of fruit from branches.

Harvesting apples involves sorting them by size, since only medium and small fruits are suitable for storage, but large apples are tall taste qualities and are suitable both for consumption and for preparing preparations. It should be remembered that not all varieties are suitable for long-term storage, but fruits collected in time can last at least a month in the cellar in boxes with straw.

Apples, depending on the variety, begin to ripen by mid-August - early September, however late varieties can ripen until mid-October.

1. Personal communication with experts from Austria and Canada in the field of tree growing.
2. Translations of articles and other materials from foreign languages. The materials and experience of Australia, America, England, and Austria were studied.
3. Own experiments

Domestic experience was also studied, but it turned out to be quite small and it was based on foreign solutions. That is why so much attention is paid to foreign information as a primary source.

Why container growing?

Our goal is to grow a healthy, strong tree that will reach its maximum potential. In a word, our goal is quality. From the point of view of the development of the root system, the standard of quality is a tree planted from seed immediately in a permanent place without further replanting. For many reasons, this method is rarely possible and ineffective, but from the point of view of the QUALITY of the grown tree, this is the standard, because The root system of the tree is not damaged throughout its life and develops naturally.

From the point of view of technologies for growing seedlings, everything comes down to getting closer to the standard, namely, making sure that the seedlings have the opportunity to develop as naturally as possible and receive the least damage during transplantation.

At the moment, the following technologies for growing seedlings exist:
Saplings with an open root system (ROS)– grown in the ground, after which they are dug up and cleared of the soil. When digging up a seedling, a significant part of the roots is damaged and remains in the ground. Roots cleared of soil are additionally damaged by air. The comparison that comes to mind is a fish out of water. This technology is the most imperfect.

Seedlings with a clod of earth- grown in the ground, after which they are dug up, but the roots are not cleared from the ground. When digging, a significant part of the roots is damaged and remains in the ground, but the remaining roots are protected by the earth, which is already better than OKS.

Seedlings in containers– this method is the most perfect. When replanting, there is no damage to the root and the roots are protected by the soil at all times. Here we must immediately make a reservation that by such seedlings we mean a situation where the seedling was initially grown in a container, and was not transplanted there subsequently.

In this article we will look at container technology in more detail.

Container Types

It’s not enough to define best technology, you need to understand the disadvantages and nuances of its use, so as not to ultimately spoil good idea poor performance. As is usually the case, the disadvantages of this technology are a continuation of its advantages.

Advantages - the volume of soil in which the roots develop, limited by the container, allows us to obtain a compact root system and replant the seedling while preserving all the roots.

Disadvantages - the root rests against the wall or bottom of the container and begins to wriggle in search of a further exit. Up to a certain point, this does not play any role, but by keeping the seedling in a container, we can get a clump of intertwined roots. The danger of this is that as the tree grows, such roots will choke themselves and the tree will die.

Of course, the roots do not intertwine immediately, it depends on the size of the pot; the smaller it is, the faster this will happen. If we put the question this way, how to choose a pot size that will allow the formation of a high-quality pot without deformation. The answer will be this: the size of the container is determined based on:

1. type of tree (more precisely, CS of this type) - we grow and
2. growing period in a container - we mainly grow seedlings up to 1 year, sometimes up to 2 years.

Based on this, we will choose a pot for our nursery.

Nut and fruit trees those grown in our nursery have a core KS*. Features of the rod KS:

1. already in the first year the root grows >40 cm in length
2. the tree reacts very painfully to cutting off the taproot.

*Some other trees with a core joint (Oak, Pine, Hawthorn, Elm, Pear, Rowan, Bird cherry, Ash)

In the case of container growing, the presence of such a CS means that it is necessary to select deep containers that allow the roots to develop freely. In our case, to grow an annual seedling, you will need a container 40 cm high. If the container is 12cm wide, its volume will be 4.8 liters. If you grow a couple of seedlings a year, you have the luxury of using 5-liter containers for annual seedlings. What if you have 1000 of these seedlings? What if you want to grow a 2-year-old seedling, should you really use meter-high pots!? Using lower containers, for example 20cm high, can already lead to curling of the root, which will have to be pruned, but we have already indicated that trees with a tap root react painfully to such pruning. It turns out that we have a choice of using huge, long containers or cutting the root. Both options do not suit us! What to do?

Air root pruning

The question we raised was especially relevant in tree nurseries, which in the 20th century wanted to abandon OCS (due to the poor survival rate of such seedlings, up to 50% of plantings died) and switch to container growing of trees, but had a strict limitation on the volume of the container. In tree nurseries it is economically feasible to grow seedlings in 200-400 ml containers.

Ultimately, an elegant way was found that allows seedlings to be grown in small containers, while maintaining the ideal state of the kernel and developing it even better than if it were simply kept in huge containers. The phenomenon of aerial root pruning was discovered, the essence of which is as follows - when the root comes into contact with air, its tip dries out, but at the same time active growth zones are preserved and as soon as the root hits the ground, it continues to grow. This solved the tap root problem.
A bonus from using root pruning is that as soon as one root stops its growth by touching the air, another, new root begins to develop. In the case of a core KS, in this way it is possible to develop an additional fibrous KS in the seedling, which will help it when transplanted to a permanent place. Thus, our dilemma was solved: how to preserve the root and use containers with a convenient volume. Air pruning works for all types of root systems, with a fibrous root system you will end up with a more developed fibrous root system as air pruning will continually stimulate new root growth.

Another interesting bonus from using holes in the pot is that with better air exchange, microorganisms develop better, and as we know, this has a good effect on plants. The downside is that in such containers the water evaporates faster than in ordinary, completely closed ones.

You can read more about the history of tree nurseries

seedlings in tree nurseries

Air root pruning containers

So, a container with air root pruning must have a lattice bottom so that the root grows to the very bottom of the container and stops its development. We have studied different kinds such containers, they are all in the picture below.

1) BagPot stands apart from plastic containers. BagPot literally translates as bag-pot. This is a container made of air-permeable fabric, which means the same air pruning will occur. The particular pot shown in the picture was taken from rootpouch.com

2) AirPot - interesting representative in its own way, where the advantages of air pruning and improved aeration are used 100%. The best way to look at information about this pot is on the website air-pot.com, where there is a video and many pictures on this topic.

3) Under this number in the picture there is a cell from a cassette for a tree nursery (they are also shown in the photographs above, where we talked about tree nurseries). The dimensions in the picture are not consistent and this cell is the smallest of those shown in the picture. Only 210ml.

4) An ordinary pot with the only difference being the “holey” bottom. The bottom can be a cross or a cobweb, the essence is the same - there are large holes where the root probably gets into.

Which to choose?

We learned about the 4th pot option relatively recently and spent a long time considering options 1,2,3, deciding which one to use in 2015 in our nursery.

For a long time they decided between BagPot and AirPot. AirPot was better from a technical point of view, because... air pruning in BagPot works worse because... The walls at least allow air to pass through. but still they do not give a sharp boundary with the air. But a 2-liter AirPot cost from 30 rubles, and a BagPot 15 rubles. With a production volume of thousands of seedlings, this difference is very significant. It turned out either very expensive but good, or expensive and normal. A solution was found when they discovered the existence of pot No. 4, the cost of which is less than 10 rubles*, and it copes well with the task of aerial pruning.

*All prices are wholesale! Multiply retail prices by 2-3 times.

What should be the volume of the pot?

It turns out that air pruning allows you to reduce the volume of the container to minimum sizes. In tree nurseries, oaks are grown in 200-400 ml cells, and such oaks then grow well (better than when transplanted with OKS). But to what extent can we reduce the size and is it necessary?

We tested option 3 (cassette for tree nursery), which we had with a volume of 400 ml. The experience of using such cassettes is very interesting. Comparing a 400 ml, a regular 2 liter container and a 45 liter container, the difference in plant development is striking. The small volume of the earthen coma imposes the following requirements. The smaller the volume, the less there nutrients and the earth dries out faster. With a lack of water and nutrients, the growth rate of the seedling slows down greatly. The picture below shows several comparative photographs of the leaf size of a seedling grown in a 45 liter container (this volume can be considered unlimited for a 1 year old seedling) and a container grown in a 2 liter volume

Approximately the same proportions come out when comparing seedlings of 400 ml and 2 liters. The visual difference is very significant and leaves no doubt about the influence of the size of the container on the rate of development of the seedling.

Thus, when using containers with air root pruning, the volume of the pot can be from several hundred milliliters to several liters without fear of deformation or damage to the root system. For walnut seedlings, we chose a volume from 0.8 to 2 liters. In this volume, seedlings feel great in the 1st year.

Bottom line

Firstly, please note that our goal is not to discredit other methods of growing seedlings. An experienced person is excellent at replanting bare-root trees. Under certain conditions, it is possible to grow a seedling in the ground so that there is practically no need to damage the seedlings. We chose the container method because... it is most suitable for our purposes..

Secondly, do not take the information literally. So, for example, in a REGULAR 2-liter pot in the first year, the root system does not curl to such an extent that it would be detrimental to the seedling. But, using pots with root pruning is still better.

When choosing a volume, take into account the type of plant, its growth rate, and your needs. If you are restoring a forest and your goal is to grow a Christmas tree or birch, then you can grow them in 500 ml containers; this is convenient and economical in many ways.

growing seedlings

If you still decide to use containers with air trim, you can make such a container with air trim yourself - cut off the bottom of the bottle and build a platform from the mesh. We will tell you how to build such a platform and the nuances of using such pots in one of the following articles.

We need to write a few more articles about growing seedlings, covering the topic from other angles. Your questions and wishes will greatly help us in this matter! Leave your questions on this page in the comments!

Aug 3, 2014 Alexei

Growing trees yourself is an entertaining and not very difficult process. You can plant a tree to improve the area or to obtain natural fruits.

In this article we will look at how to grow seedlings of various trees.

How to grow fruit tree seedlings

The first step is to purchase the seeds of the desired tree. This can be done in a specialized store, but for a greater likelihood of receiving good fruits It is recommended to collect the seeds yourself.

To select the best grains, it is necessary to select large, mature fruits from the most productive trees.

1. Cut the fruit in half and remove the seeds.
2. Then rinse the seeds under water and select the best ones.
3. Next, you need to slightly dry the grains.
4. If it is necessary to preserve the seed until planting time, the grains are placed in a jar and stored in a cool place.
5. Depending on the type of tree, seed stratification (preparation before planting) is required. This process takes from 1 to 5 months. It is necessary to mix part of the seeds with three parts of sand, then place the mixture in a small pot, water and cover with polyethylene. Place the pot in the bottom compartment of the refrigerator. Every week you need to open the pot to moisten and ventilate the seeds. To avoid molding, it is recommended to pre-soak the grains in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
6. After certain period(For example, small varieties apples are stratified for a month, cherries and cherries for six months, and plums and apricots for 4-5 months) the seedlings are placed in open ground, having previously dug and enriched the soil with fertilizers (planted in spring or autumn).
7. Caring for a future seedling involves regular watering and enriching the soil.

How to grow coniferous tree seedlings

You can buy ready-made seeds coniferous trees(spruce, thuja, juniper, cedar, fir, etc.) or collect it yourself from open cones.

Then stratification is carried out similarly to the scheme described above over several weeks.

Before planting, you need to prepare the soil and dig a small hole for the seedling. Plant a tree in spring or autumn.

The tree needs to be watered as needed (in hot weather). After about a year, you can again enrich the soil with special fertilizers

How to grow deciduous tree seedlings

Deciduous trees (willow, maple, alder, etc.) are planted in early spring or late autumn.

The general process of growing seedlings does not differ from the previous algorithm.

If grown a large number of trees at the same time, the stratification process is carried out directly in the ground. To do this, the grains are placed in the soil before the start of winter, where they are stored throughout the winter period.

Check out our other article.

Have country cottage area or Vacation home Today it is preferred by almost every city dweller. One part of the land owners are engaged in growing fruits and vegetables in their own backyard, the other part prefers to produce high-quality landscape design, plant beautiful bushes and trees and all year round experience aesthetic pleasure. And only a small part of the people who love to work on the land know how to do business. Today we will talk about how to turn growing seedlings into a profitable enterprise.

• Technology for growing seedlings for sale
• Where to start a business on ornamental trees and bushes?
• How much can you earn from seedlings?
• How much money do you need to start a business?
• What equipment to choose for growing seedlings
• Which OKVED code to indicate when registering with the tax authorities?
• What documents are needed to organize a business?
• Which tax system to choose for work?
• Do you need permits to organize the production and sale of seedlings?

As we have already mentioned, you can build a business in two directions: growing and selling fruit and berry crops or ornamental shrubs and trees. Both seedlings will be in demand. The peculiarity of business is its seasonality. Planting material is in demand mainly in spring and autumn.

Technology for growing seedlings for sale

Let's look at how to arrange the cultivation of seedlings of fruit trees and berry bushes. Fruit plants are most often propagated by grafting and regrafting. This is a process where part of one plant is transferred to another so that they grow together. The first part of the plant, which is mostly underground, is called the rootstock. The scion is always above the ground and retains the very cultural characteristics of the plant that need to be propagated. During the process of growth, they grow together so much that they turn into one single organism. Grafting is a way to get productive, long-lasting trees. Using this technique, irregular tree crowns are also corrected.

Growing seedlings berry bushes occurs through seeds or vegetatively. The first method is practically not used for ordinary gardening purposes. Vegetative propagation is a method that is based on the ability to form an independent plant from a part of an adult bush. The young offspring have all the characteristics of the mother plant. The vegetative method is divided into two more types:

1. Natural reproduction (layering, offspring);
2. Artificial propagation (cuttings, dividing the bush).

Currant and gooseberry bushes are propagated by vertical layering. A strong, healthy branch is bent to the ground and covered with a layer of soil. The mother plant is severely pruned. When propagating horizontally, the branches are completely laid in the groove and covered with soil. The soil in such nurseries needs to be regularly watered and loosened. When the cuttings take root, they are separated from the mother plant and planted in a permanent place. This produces seedlings capable of independent growth.

A popular method is cuttings. To do this, take one-year-old woody shoots of 25 cm and plant them in nurseries, preferably under film. There the seedlings take root. This method is suitable for propagating currants, gooseberries, grapes, cherry plums, and pomegranates. For sale, the root system of seedlings is packaged in a cellophane pot filled with soil. In this form, planting material lasts longer and is easily transported. Tree seedlings are usually sold with an open root system.

Where to start a business in ornamental trees and shrubs?

Among ornamental plants Today, seedlings of coniferous trees and shrubs are in great demand. It takes quite a long time to grow one unit of planting material. They use the cutting method for this, and the shoots themselves are placed in special nurseries where a special microclimate is maintained. Cuttings are taken from young healthy plants. Select branches on which a growth point has clearly been formed. Shoots take root both in a heated and in a cold greenhouse. In the first case, the process takes 3-4 months. After this, the plants can be transplanted to another place for active growth and formation. In the second case, it will take about a year to form a full-fledged root system. In general, to grow one full-fledged plant with a good root system, you need to spend 3-4 years.

How much can you earn from seedlings?

Growing seedlings of ornamental coniferous trees, despite all the complexity, is quite profitable. How older plant, the more expensive it costs. The price range for coniferous seedlings is approximately as follows. A 40-centimeter tree costs about $15, six summer plant– 80 dollars, and if an adult 10-15 year old plant is sold, then its price is based on 450-500 dollars per unit.

Before creating your own nursery, it would be useful to consult with specialists on the subject of agricultural technology and the survival rate of a particular species in the conditions of a particular region. If an entrepreneur has gained positive experience on his personal plot, then the cultivation of young trees and shrubs can be expanded to the scale of a serious business. For this you will need an area of ​​about 2 hectares. The site should have both regular beds and greenhouses.

Constant sales channels are the key to any successful business related to production. Seedlings can be sold to gardeners at markets or supplied in bulk to specialized stores. Internet advertising also works effectively. Often people themselves come to the nursery to purchase seedlings. To attract buyers in the future, you need to leave business cards with your contacts to buyers. Then novice gardeners will always be able to get advice from a specialist and make new purchases.

How much money do you need to start a business?

The purchase of various planting materials (seeds, seedlings) will cost 25-30 thousand rubles. The price range depends on the plant variety and its production methods. To build, equip and equip a small greenhouse you will need about 6-8 thousand rubles.

What equipment to choose for growing seedlings

Planting and caring for fruit and berry seedlings ornamental crops in a nursery it will require conventional soil-cultivating tools. As well as devices for fertilizing, combating diseases, pests and weeds. The equipment of the nursery for seedlings is the same as the greenhouses, where irrigation and heating are equipped.

Which OKVED code to indicate when registering with the tax authorities?

Registration of this enterprise will require code 01.3 Production of seedlings, namely group 01.30, which includes: cultivation of a variety of plant materials for planting, including: cuttings, shoots, saplings and seedlings. This applies to both ornamental and fruit crops.

What documents are needed to organize a business?

At high speed and large-scale agricultural production, when cultivating more than 1 hectare of soil, state registration of a peasant farm is required. But if there are small plots of land under cultivation, then personal subsidiary farming is allowed (within one’s own yard). In which you can grow agricultural products for sale without paying taxes.
Documents for registering a peasant farm enterprise: application, civil passport of the founder, agreements, decision on the founding of a peasant-farmer enterprise (if there are several shareholders). Then, documents confirming payment of the duty and address permanent residence founding person. When a farm is established by one person, an agreement on the establishment of a peasant farm is not required.

Which tax system to choose for work?

In relation to peasant farming, the Unified Agricultural Tax system operates, i.e. Based on the results of activities, the farmer pays a single agricultural tax for the enterprise.

Do you need permits to organize the production and sale of seedlings?

State This type of activity does not require licensing or special permits.