Seedling care and planting guidelines

Weather Conditions & Planting
Excellent Planting Day Temperature: 3375F Humidity: 50% + Wind: < 10 MPH Soil Moisture: 75% + Marginal Planting Day Temperature: 7685F Humidity: 3050% Wind: 1015 MPH Soil Moisture: 5075% Do Not Plant Temperature: < 33F and > 85F Humidity: < 30% Wind: > 15 MPH Soil Moisture: < 50%

Spacing Options

Objectives and site need to Feet

be considered when deciding 10x10

on spacing.

8x12

Higher Planting Density

8x10

Economic objective

8x9

High site index

6x12

Results in better form

7x10

Lower Planting Density

8x8

Wildlife or

6x10

aesthetic objective

5x12

Low site index

6x9

5x10

Seedlings/Acre 436 454 545 605 605 622 680 726 726 807 871

Georgia Forestry Commission Central Office
5645 Riggins Mill Road Dry Branch, GA 31020
1-800-GA-TREES gatrees.org

Georgia Forestry Commission Flint River Nursery 9850 River Road Byromville, GA 31007 478-508-0056 gaseedlings.org

For more information contact your local forester.

Thanks to the US Forest Service, our parner in conservation and protection, for providing project funding.
The Georgia Forestry Commission is an equal opportunity employer & service provider.

Dibble Bar & Hoedad Planting

1. Insert blade straight down 8-10" and pull backward to open hole.

2. Remove dibble or hoedad and place seedling at correct depth.

3. Hold seedling in place while inserting dibble or hoedad behind seedlings then push forward closing top of planting slit.

4. Insert dibble or hoedad straight down behind last hole.

5. Pull backward then push forward packing soil firmly against root.

6. Fill in last hole with heel.

Mechanical Planting Sequence

1. Hold seedlings horizontal at top of trencher. 2. Start downward arc motion. 3. Place seedling roots at maximum depth. 4. Start an upward motion to pull any J or L-root out of the seedling
5. Hold seedling in vertical position where root collar is 12" below ground line until soil closes around roots.
Common Planting Mistakes

Proper & Improper Planting Depths Bareroot Pine
Ideal Planting Method: Hand or Machine Planting
* Seedling root collar should rest at ground level to 23" below the surface depending on soil drainage.
Bareroot Longleaf
Ideal Planting Method: Machine Planting
* Seedlings should be planted with bud resting at ground level.
Containerized Longleaf
Ideal Planting Method: Hand Planting
* Seedlings should be planted with plug 1/21" exposed above ground.
Site Considerations Planting depth should be adjusted based on drainage, slope, soil texture, and site prep.

Seedling Care and Planting Guidelines

The Right Tree For The Right Site

Loblolly Pine Pinus taeda

Piedmont: uneroded soils with deep surface and crumbly (friable) subsoil
Coastal Plain: Soils with poor surface drainage and clay layer within 20" of surface
Outperforms pines on sites with poor drainage and clay layer within 20" of surface

Longleaf Pine Pinus palustris

Performs best on moderately to well-drained sandy soils that are acidic and low in organic matter
Outperforms other pines on excessively drained sites

Shortleaf Pine Pinus echinata

Fine sandy loams, or silt loams, friable subsoil, and good internal drainage (dry uplands) and elevations above 1000 ft to 4000 ft
Plant on sites too warm, dry for eastern white pine Does not grow well in Southern Coastal Plain

Slash Pine Pinus elliottii

Sandy type soils in the Coastal Plain where depth to a clay layer is greater than 20" from surface
Can outperform loblolly on poorly drained soils without a clay layer within 40" and low inputs

Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus

Native to the Blue Ridge Grows best on coarse sandy soils located
on north or east-facing slopes or on stream terraces Grows poorly on poorly drained or heavy clay soils

Physiographic Regions of Georgia

Site Preparation
Site preparation is the process of getting your site ready for tree establishment and is one of the most important aspects of achieving a successful stand. The best tools to accomplish this vary on each site. The practices you choose can depend on resources, site conditions, and scheduling. More specific site recommendations are made in the following sections but two factors that are important on any site when considering site preparation are:
1. Soil type: Affects tree selection, herbicide usage, and rooting potential.
2. Vegetative competition: Affects available resources to trees and without control can stunt or cause mortality in stand. Grasses or hardwoods rob trees of light, moisture, and nutrients.
Site Preparation: Old Fields & Pastures
Old field sites require different site preparation compared to cutover sites. Controlling grasses like bermudagrass, johnsongrass, bahiagrass, etc. must happen before planting. Multiple chemical applications may be needed along with scalping. Scalping is the removal of the top 24 inches in the planned rows. Hardpans can develop over time and must be broken up using subsoiling down to 18"+. Allow 6090 days for adequate rainfall to settle the air pockets before planting in the rip. Longleaf seedlings should be planted to the side of the subsoil rip to ensure the bud is not buried. It is critical to scalp and subsoil along the contour.

Site Preparation: Cutover Land
After a harvest, a cutover site will often experience heavy vegetative competition and may need some debris cleanup before planting. There are many methods available to you as a landowner and are covered in more detail below.
Debris Cleanup If residual debris is heavy, cleanup should occur before competition control. Different methods to reduce debris on site are often used in conjunction with one another to achieve best results. How "clean" your site should be depends on planting methods and desired outcomes. Raking is used to move debris into piles which are then burned. Shearing is used to remove stumps on site and is used when converting natural sites to planted pines. Prescribed burning can be used alone or in conjunction to reduce competition and increase planting ease.
Competition Control Herbicides are commonly used to control competing vegetation and result in long-term growth benefits. Read and follow all labels and choose herbicide based on species present, objectives, and resources. Herbicides are usually applied from mid-summer to fall but the label will specify.
Drum Chopping lays fuels down for easier burning, breaks up root mats of waxy leaved species, and reduces debris size before burning. The benefits are short lived compared to herbicide use.
Regardless of management activities used, always follow Georgia's Best Management Practices for Forestry to prevent excessive soil movement and stream sedimentation.

Seedling Evaluation

Inspect seedlings when picking up and before planting. If seedlings show any of the below symptoms contact nursery representative before planting.

Foul smellfermentation Yellow needles Trees warm
Bark slips off easily Cambium is brown Mold developing

Poor Quality Will Die

Transporting Seedlings
Cover with light tarp. Do not stack more than two bags high. Leave 12" of space between cover & seedlings. Do not park in direct sunlight. Unload seedlings promptly. Inspect/repair torn bags.

Seedling Storage
Ideal Storage: 3338F Can be kept for 12 months. Containerized seedlings can be stored at
34F for 12 months. Storage: 3850F Bags can be kept 34 weeks. Bales with gel/slurry on roots can be kept
23 weeks. Bales with moss packing can be kept 23
weeks but will need watering two times/week. Storage: 5070F Plant within 12 days. Special Considerations: Bags should not be stacked > 2 deep unless spacers are used. With no cold storage, keep seedlings under shelter in shade and away from wind. Bareroot longleaf must be planted by three days after lifted from nursery.