One Thousand Chestnut Trees - a Whitetail Deer Project

My thoughts are get the biggest bags you can fill with growing media. If you get one large enough to carry the seedlings thru the summer in a fabric bag, you can plant in the fall. That would eliminate any heat stress on a seedling planted in May during July and August.

How many seedlings do you have? Bigger bags mean you have to have the growing media to get them filled.

If you plant them in May at their final destination, I would add moisture mizer (water absorbing crystals) to the hole. It sure makes a difference during an extended dry spell during hot days.

I don't leave a bag on a seedling when I plant. I take scissors and cut them off. If you don't want to remove the bag, take a box cutter and make the bottom holy and cut plenty of long slits down the sides.

Wayne
Right now I have 46 seedlings doing well
 
I use 1 gal grow bags for my seedlings and they make it through Oklahoma summers into fall / winter when they are planted. I would think your summer would be less intense on the seedlings than ours.
https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/root-pouch-boxer-brown-fabric-pot-longest-lifespan
The only thing I dont like about them is the roots grow into the seams and you have to use a long knife to cut them out. I wanted to be able to use them for 2-3 seasons is why I bought the thick ones. They also have them that are made of a thinner fabric for planting with the tree.
 
John

The two gallon will work great to carry them thru the fall IMO.

I have used both 2 gallon and one gallon. Seem to get better seedlings stems with the 2 gallon.

Wayne
 
I used those thick brown ones last time. They were a pain to cut off. Trying these this yr. Biodegradable and 100 bags cost $ 6.58 lol

Screenshot_20190327-200614_Chrome.jpg
 
I used those thick brown ones last time. They were a pain to cut off. Trying these this yr. Biodegradable and 100 bags cost $ 6.58 lol

Screenshot_20190327-200614_Chrome.jpg
They are hard to cut off. I do not recommend them. I can do it now without messing up the root ball but the first few I tried I didn't do a good job on. When I plant a tree I document who the nut came from and what kind of pot and size of pot it was in. Just so I can see what works best. I usually take 1/2 of my seedlings and put them in 3 gal and over winter them in a makeshift greenhouse and keep them 2 seasons before planting. Live and learn, but it sure is fun. And the trees have done well even with the mistakes I've made along the way.
 
By keeping them 2 seasons, you have a mature root system developed when you plant the tree. That is a huge advantage for the seedlings in its final location.

Wayne
 
Hey Wayne, noticed today that my trees are breaking dormancy. In a couple weeks I'll get you a 2019 picture.
 
Are two year old seedlings better than 1 year old I have the option to buy either but thought the two-year-old transplants would be more prone to shock
 
As Wayne has said a 2 year old has a better root system so the chance for survival and better over all growth is dependent on the more mature root system.
 
The rule would be a two year old seedling has a better, more mature root system, as long as the container didn't cause the roots to circle and become root bound. Most seedling grows learn to move them up in pot size so they don't become root bound.

Now if you have a chance to check the roots on the two year old seedling you can confirm if they were moved up in pot size frequent enough.

Never underestimate the importance of planting a seedling properly and protecting it so the deer don't destroy your hard work.

Five seedlings properly planted are better off than 25 exposed and not properly planted.

Good luck,

Wayne
 
The rule would be a two year old seedling has a better, more mature root system, as long as the container didn't cause the roots to circle and become root bound. Most seedling grows learn to move them up in pot size so they don't become root bound.

Now if you have a chance to check the roots on the two year old seedling you can confirm if they were moved up in pot size frequent enough.

Never underestimate the importance of planting a seedling properly and protecting it so the deer don't destroy your hard work.

Five seedlings properly planted are better off than 25 exposed and not properly planted.

Good luck,

Wayne
My apology I left out keyword bare-root. My question was pertaining to bare root grown nursery stock.these seedlings were cut back a couple of times on the top but their roots were not pruned at all so would I be right in saying the two year olds would suffer more transplant shock then one year olds..again then being bare root thank you
 
Yarg,

I would go with the 2 year old seedlings if it was me. I use a product called moisture mizer sold by the Wildlife Group in Alabama. I would put a good bit of that in water. I would dunk the transplanted seedling so it could soak at least a minute to two minutes.

Then I would plant it in a hole that is deeper than the roots / root ball. I would back fill the hole some at the bottom. I want the hole larger in circumference to get the roots room to establish into favorable soil first before stiffer soil second.

I am less concerned with shock, I want the larger roots to help feed the top growth the next 4 months.

My thoughts - good planting methods is more critical to me than shock. Shock is part of it.

Wayne
 
John,

Everything you do turns out great. Your seedlings do look super. I would mix some of the fertilizer in the attached photo. I would feed every two weeks - I am a Wednesday guy but I am retired. Stop feeding at the July 1 mark because you don't want more tender growth to occur due to cold week coming. That last sentence assumes you are planting before frost.

Growing inside and then planting after they go dormant means the spring of 2020 they have a huge head start.

Here is what I used to feed my seedlings. The key words - "all acid loving plants"
Orchid Food Single.jpg
 
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