1.4 What type of planting stock to use?

Bare-rooted seedlings are less expensive to grow and to transport. They are however, vulnerable to drying out and mechanical injuries during transport and planting. Any weak point in the chain - nursery work/distribution/planting - can result in severe loss of the plants' availability to survive. They have to be handled with care and should be stored for as short a time possible.

Containerized seedlings are less sensitive, less liable to dry out, or to get injured during transport and easier to plant without damaging the roots. They often have a higher rate of survival than bare-rooted plants. They are, however, more expensive to produce. Handling and transport will also be more expensive because of the considerable weight of the earth in the pots. If no experience or information is available on the survival rate and establishment cost for the two methods, both could be tried experimentally to clarify the choice.

The seedlings should have a root system that is between half the size to the size of the shoot. Big seedlings cost more to produce but are necessary for planting difficult sites. The seedlings may be separated according to quality and the seedlings of better quality used on the most difficult or inaccessible sites. The quality and grading of the seedlings are described in more detail in section 3.3.

Cuttings are sections of roots, stems or branches that will, when placed in moist soil, grow into new plants. Cuttings can be grown into plants in the nursery. For some species they can also be planted directly on the planting site. Stumps are a special type of cutting. They consist of a short, pruned stem and a strong pruned taproot derived from nursery stock.

Planting stock

Bare-rooted seedling

Containerized seedling

Cuttings

branch cutting

stump