Nursery Establishment
For Tree Fruits &
Plantation Crops
INTRODUCTION
3
STEPS OF CONSTRUCTING
THE NURSERY
4
Agenda DIFFERENT NURSERY
LAYOUTS
18
TYPES OF NURSERY BEDS
25
3 2023
Introduction
•The difficulty of procuring Tree
Fruit seeds and their rising cost
makes it necessary to find means to
increase seedling survival and
growth. Nurseries provide the
necessary control of moisture, light,
soil and predators and allow
production of healthy and hardy
seedlings.
Nursery Establishment For Tree Fruits
STEPS OF CONSTRUCTING THE
NURSERY
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1. Select a good
site.
• An ideal location would be a place
near the house (so that the nursery is
often and well taken cared of), with
good soil, near a reliable source of
water and where water does not
stagnate. Avoid placing the nursery
or raising species in an area where
existing species of the same family
have pest and disease problems.
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2. CLEAR THE
SITE
•Remove stumps,
roots, rhizomes and
stones in the area.
Leaves and other non-
wood debris can be
separated and made
into compost.
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3. Layout the
area
• Generally a good nursery should
consist of water tank/pond,
water pump/pump house, seed
and fertilizer store room,
implement shed,
germination/mother bed area;
potting/container filling area,
seedling raising area, worker
mess/hall, office room,
propagation structures, compost
area, etc.
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4. Build the nursery
structure.
•Some vegetation surrounding the nursery can provide
shade but the following shade structures can also be
constructed:
• Hish-shade construction for community nursery.
• Fully enclosed structure of one bed for individual
farmer.
• A low shade roof easily lifted off or rolled back
when working on bed.
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4.1 Construct a shade roof to
provide partial shade.
• It should be loosely woven and
easily removed when the
seedlings need to be hardened off.
Examples: Banana leaves or cogon
grass can be added to any of these
to provide more shade if needed.
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5. Prepare the
germination
beds.
•If many seedlings are to be raised for
fruit or plantation crops, it is generally
easier and cheaper to raise them in a
seedbed and transplant the bare-root
seedlings (uprooted seedlings without
soil). This technique works best for
hardy species with strong taproot
seedlings that are easier to transport
and plant than potted seedlings.
However, survival is lower. Small or
delicate seeds are those with low or
unknown germination percentage, are
best sown in a seedbed or seedbox and
then
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SEEDBED
• Dig the soil, break lumps of earth and remove remaining roots and rhizomes.
• Loosen the soil and make a raised bed, narrow enough to allow for weeding without
stepping on it.
• Add compost and river sand. Mix well. Sand loosens the soil for better drainage and easy
uprooting of the seedlings.
• Level the bed. Using a bolo or a stick, make shallow furrow
• Sow the seeds (treated with protectants necessary) in the furrows. Allow sufficient room for
the seedlings to grow if they are to be directly out planted. If the seedlings will be
transplanted to pots when they are still small, the seed may be sown more densely.
• Cover the furrows thinly with soil no more than 2-3 times the thickness of the seeds.
• Scatter wood ash all over the seedbed if ants and snails are a problem.
• Water the seedbed carefully.
• Use mulch (or plastic) like rice straw, grass, compost and partly decomposed forest litter to
protect the seed and soil from heavy rains and weeds and to keep the soil constantly moist.
• Make sure to allow enough time for the seeds to germinate. Some tree seeds may take a full
month to germinate.
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SEEDBOX
• Use a seedbox for very small seeds
• Build a wooden seedbox with 10 cm deep sidings and with holes in the
bottom for drainage. An old wash basin can also be used if holes are
punched in the bottom. Elevate the seedbox to allow drainage.
• Place the seedbox in a shelter or under a protective roof. Also, set the
legs of the seedbox in cans with water to prevent the seeds or seedlings
from being attacked by ants.
• Prepare the medium of equal parts soil, sand and compost. If possible,
screen the soil through fine wire mesh to break up any clods or lumps.
• Cover the bottom with 3 cm layer of pebbles or gravel, then fill the
seedbox with the medium.
• Pour boiling water over the seedbox to sterilize it and to prevent
damping off.
• Broadcast the seeds, then cover them with fine sand or soil. Another
method is by mixing the seeds with the medium before broadcasting.
• Watering should be done in the morning and in the afternoon with the
use of a sprinkler with a fine mist.
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6. TRANSPLANT SEEDLINGS
INTO INDIVIDUAL POTS.
•If only a few large seedlings are to be raised, it is better
to pot them. Fruit tree seedlings are almost always
potted, as rootstocks for budding and grafting.
•Large seeds of good viability may be sown directly into
pots. The point on the seed where it is attached to the
fruit is called the hilum. This is where the root will
emerge, so plant the seed with this point downwards.
•Prepare the seedling pots as the seeds start to
germinate.
•Mix equal parts of sand, soil and compost. Pulverize
soil to break up clods and lumps
•If seedling bags are to be used, perforate the bags and
fill them with the medium up to the brim, firm enough
to stand. Push inwards the two pointed ends of the bags
to flatten the bottoms. Arrange neatly in the nursery 13
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6. TRANSPLANT SEEDLINGS INTO
INDIVIDUAL POTS.
1.Use small (4"x6") plastic bags for fruit trees and others which will be out planted in 4 to 6
months. Use large (6"x8" or larger), sturdy bags for large seeds, for rootstocks and other trees
kept in the nursery more than 6 months.
2.Bamboo pots can be made by sawing sections to length and cutting a hole in the node for
drainage. These should be presplit and tied back together again to make removal easier at
planting time. Tamp soil in the base to form a bottom. Tin cans can likewise be used by
removing both ends and filling with soil. Folded banana leaf sheaths may also be filled with
soil and used to pot seedlings, but these must be replaced while the seedling is in the nursery as
they quickly rot.
3.Dig the soil, break lumps of earth and remove remaining roots and rhizomes.
4.Loosen the soil and make a raised bed, narrow enough to allow for weeding without stepping
on it.
5.Add compost and river sand. Mix well. Sand loosens the soil for better drainage and easy
uprooting of the seedlings.
6.Level the bed. Using a bolo or a stick, make shallow furrows.
7.Seedlings are ready to be transferred to individual pots when they have developed at least two
true leaves and when the stem is already sturdy
8.Water the seedlings and the seedling pots. After about two hours, start transferring the
seedlings.
9.Thrust a pointed stick in a seedling pot to make a hole. Plant one seedling per pot taking extra
care not to break the roots or bend the tap root. Press the seedling base firmly but gently with
the fingers to make sure seedling is stable
10.Water the seedlings daily. Weed as needed.
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7. Prune tap root to develop a
stronger and more compact
root system.
• If the tap roots have penetrated the
bottoms of the plastic bags or other
pots, lift the seedlings off the ground
or slide a bolo under the pots to prune
the tap roots.
• Prune bare-root seedlings with a bolo
or a sharp spade thrust in the bed
diagonally. Cut the roots at about 20
cm length.
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8. Harden off the seedlings
a month before field
planting.
• Gradually remove the roof over the
seedlings until they grow in full sun.
• Reduce frequency of watering to
every other day.
• If seedlings are overgrown, the shoots
and leaves need to be trimmed back.
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9. Sort or grade the
seedlings according to
quality.
• Separate vigorous, healthy
seedlings and utilize them for
field planting.
• Remove or cull out sickly or
very poor seedlings.
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THE DIFFERENT NURSERY LAYOUTS
Rectangular
• In this system, the plot is
divided into rectangles instead
of squares and trees are planted
at the four corners of the
rectangle in straight rows
running at right angles. Like
square system, this system also
facilitates the inter-culture in
two directions.
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Square
• It is the most commonly used
method and easy to lay out in
the field.In this system, plant
to plant and row to row
distance is the same. The
plants are at the right angle
to each other, every unit of
four plants forming a square.
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Hexagonal
• In hexagonal system,
the trees are planted in
the corners of
equilateral
triangles.Six trees thus
form a hexagon with
another tree at its
center accommodates
15 percent more
plants.
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Contour
• This system is usually
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followed in the hilly areas
with high slopes, but it is
very much similar to the
square/rectangular system.
Bench terraces are used
where the slope is greater
than 10 per cent.
Quincunx
• This system is exactly like the
square system, but one
additional tree is planted in
the center of each square. The
number of plants per acre by
this system is almost doubled
than the square system. Fruit
trees like papaya, kinnow,
phalsa, guava, peach, plum
etc. can be planted as fillers.
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Triangular
• In this system, trees are
planted as in the square
system but the plants in the
2nd, 4th, 6th and such other
alternate rows are planted
midway between the 1st, 3rd,
5th and such other alternative
rows. This system provides
more open space for the trees
and for inter crop.
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THE TYPES OF NURSERY BEDS
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3 Types of
Nursery Beds
• There are three main types of nursery
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beds: flat, raised or sunken. These beds
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can be in an open, under a screen shade
or in a greenhouse. Potted seedlings can
be raised on a flat bed or can be set into
a sunken bed. In the case of a sunken
bed, the basin-like excavation is about 1
m by 1 m and about 10 cm deep. Such a
structure holds seedlings together, and
helps to conserve water especially in
dry areas.
REFERENCES
agrilearner.com. (2018, December 6). All About Nursery Layout - Agri learner. Agri
Learner. http://www.agrilearner.com/all-about-nursery-layout/
Tree nursery: Establishment and management. (n.d.-b). https://www.nzdl.org/cgi-bin/library?
e=d-00000-00---off-0hdl--00-0----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-help---
00-0-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL1.16&d=HASHce93a3c93de25c95ecb8fe.13>=1
Peris, B. (2018, February 22). Laying Out Nursery Structures - LATIA AGRIBUSINESS SOLUTIONS.
LATIA AGRIBUSINESS
SOLUTIONS. https://www.latiaagribusinesssolutions.com/2018/02/22/laying-nursery-structures/
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