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Almost any soil is suitable for a nursery. It is not advisable to create a nursery on peat (it dries out faster and gets hotter in the heat) or on soil that is too compacted (compaction makes breathing and root growth difficult). It is best if the soil is sandy loam or light loam: it is easier to cultivate, and the conditions for root growth are better. But if there is no such soil, any soil will be suitable for the nursery - in the worst case, you will need a little more effort in cultivating the soil. The properties of soil that is not very suitable for a forest nursery (too poor and dry sandy or too dense and heavy clayey) can be significantly improved by applying well-decomposed organic fertilizers.

It is best to begin soil preparation in the fall (and for fall sowing - in mid-summer). If you have such an opportunity, dig up a plot of land in the fall where you plan to create a forest nursery in the spring. Autumn digging helps loosen the soil, retain melted snow water, and most importantly, helps ensure that the rhizomes and seeds of weeds are at least partially killed. There will be fewer weeds in the area dug up in the fall, spring and summer of next year, which means you will have to spend less effort on weeding the nursery.

If you have the opportunity, please contribute before autumn digging organic fertilizers– manure, compost or peat. Do not apply too much organic fertilizer - no more than 5-10 kg per 1 sq.m. It is advisable to use not fresh manure, but rather well-rotted manure. If you do not have the opportunity to apply organic fertilizers in the fall, it is better to avoid using them altogether: applying fresh organic matter in the spring can cause a number of diseases in young trees. It is most desirable to apply organic fertilizers on poor sandy and heavy clay soils.

If you are unable to begin preparing soil for a nursery in the fall, try using an area that was dug up the previous year, such as part of your vegetable garden. It is advisable to use the part that was dug up to one degree or another in the fall, for example, the area where potatoes grew.

In the spring, as soon as the soil is free of snow and dry enough to dig, begin preparing the soil for sowing seeds and planting seedlings. Dig up the area of ​​land reserved for the nursery to a depth of one spade bayonet. At the same time, try to collect all the large rhizomes of herbs that you come across and put them outside the nursery - this will make it easier for you to further work on sowing and planting trees and weeding the nursery. When digging in spring, it is advisable to add complex granular mineral fertilizers to the soil. It is desirable that the fertilizer contains not only the so-called macroelements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, necessary for plants in large quantities), but also a set of microelements. The composition of the fertilizer is usually indicated on its packaging. The recommended amount of a particular fertilizer (calculated per unit area) is usually also indicated on the packaging; use approximately the standards indicated for vegetable crops. The approximate amount of complex fertilizer such as “nitroammofoska” should be approximately 50-70 g per 1 sq. m. m. The easiest way is to scatter the amount of mineral fertilizer required for the area of ​​your nursery more or less evenly over the surface of the soil before digging - then when digging and subsequent leveling of the ground, the fertilizers will be most evenly distributed in the soil. It is advisable to dig up the area on the same day or the day before the day when you are going to sow the tree seeds: in this case, the surface of the ridges will be sufficiently moist and you will not have to water it immediately.

After digging, level the dug up soil with a rake. It is best to carry out leveling immediately when digging: this will allow you to avoid walking over the dug-up area again and not compacting the soil. The most correct thing to do is to dig up a strip of earth 80-100 cm wide and level its surface with a rake, without stepping on what was dug up. Then do the same with the adjacent strip of land, and so on until the entire area is dug up and leveled.

After this, begin preparing the beds. There is no need to make high ridges. This will cause unnecessary drying of the soil in the summer, and you will have to spend more effort on watering. The easiest way is to mark the ridges with twine, and then carefully trample the passages between them. Try to make the beds not very wide - 50-60 cm wide, so that it is convenient to care for growing trees. The passages between the ridges should be of sufficient width so that it is convenient for you to work with the ridges themselves, and also so that they can be dug up without damaging the trees growing on the ridges. It is advisable to have passages between the ridges 40-60 cm wide. Along the entire perimeter of the nursery, it is advisable to leave a strip of free dug up earth 50-60 cm wide. This is a kind of obstacle course for rhizomatous weeds that will try to penetrate the beds with trees. It is advisable to dig up this strip and the spaces between the ridges several times during the summer.

When you have laid out all the beds in your nursery, make sure that the surface of the beds intended for sowing seeds is fairly level and without large clods of soil. If this is not the case, then further level the surface of the ridges with a rake. After this, you can begin sowing seeds or planting seedlings. But you can do it differently: sequentially dig up and sow or plant seedlings in the nursery beds one after another. This allows you to walk less on already dug soil and compact the row spacing less – resulting in a neater nursery. However, if a plot of land that is not entirely level is chosen for the nursery, sequential cultivation of the beds without digging up and leveling the entire area can lead to the appearance of small ledges or hollows inside the nursery area.

Different types of trees need several different care during the growing process. The features of caring for specific types of trees are described below; It also talks about the care that all trees need when growing their planting material in the nursery.

The main and usually most time-consuming type of care in a forest nursery is weeding and weed control in general. Weed control includes weeding beds and digging between rows (including strips of soil surrounding the nursery and specifically left as an “obstacle course” for long-rhizomatous weeds). It is advisable to carry out weeding and digging between rows so often as to constantly maintain the surface of the entire nursery in a weed-free condition. If it is not possible to constantly weed the entire nursery, then it is necessary to pay attention first of all to those parts of it that may be most affected by weeds. It is most important to maintain crops of birch, alder, poplar and willow and other trees with small seeds and seedlings in a weed-free state (at least until the time when the seedlings have their first leaves, comparable in size to the leaves of adult trees). The next most important weed control is the crops of first-year conifers, especially larch and pine, and to a slightly lesser extent spruce, fir and cedar. Of the trees of the first year of life, oaks and nuts are the least sensitive to weeds; thanks to the large reserves stored in the seeds, nutrients, sprout immediately big size. The “school” section of the nursery usually requires much less intensive and frequent weeding. But, in general, in no part of the nursery should weeds be allowed to develop so much as to outstrip the tree seedlings or saplings growing there in height.

No less important than weeding is watering. Constantly keeping the soil moist not only provides the necessary water supply to plants, but also improves the conditions for their mineral nutrition (since it increases the mobility and bioavailability of mineral nutrients in the soil). The amount of water needed for irrigation can vary greatly depending on the soil, the amount of light in the nursery, and the degree of dryness of a particular year. Under average conditions in a dry year, the optimal amount of water used for irrigation is 0.5-1 tons of water per square meter area of ​​ridges with plants per season (watering is needed in dry and warm weather). But in reality, you just need to make sure that at a depth of 3-5 centimeters the soil is constantly kept moist. Watering is primarily necessary in the sowing department of the nursery - seedlings, and especially small seedlings, can easily die in a drought in the absence of watering (since the bulk of their roots are located in the very surface horizons of the soil). Insufficient watering, even if it does not lead to noticeable damage (signs of drying out) of seedlings and seedlings, usually significantly reduces their growth and increases required time growing.

An auxiliary measure when growing seedlings and saplings can be feeding - additional application of fertilizers in the middle of the growth period. Fertilizing can be especially effective when growing seedlings of fast-growing trees—those that quickly deplete the available mineral nutrients in the upper soil layers. Larch, birch, alder, all poplars and willows are very responsive to feeding. Fertilizing can also be used if, for some reason, it was not possible to add fertilizer to the soil in the spring. Fertilizing can be carried out in two main ways: applying solid fertilizers between the rows, or watering with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers. When carrying out fertilizing, the easiest way is to follow the instructions for using fertilizers sold in stores for summer residents and gardeners (use the norms that are recommended for fertilizing vegetable crops). Fertilizing is especially important on light sandy soils with low organic matter. It is important to stop fertilizing at least one and a half to two months before the usual time of termination of active tree growth (in general, fertilizing should not be used in the second half of summer). Failure to comply with this rule can lead to prolonged growth of seedlings and, as a result, to their unpreparedness for wintering, and as a result, to severe damage in winter.

In some cases, crop thinning may be necessary. The density of sowing determines the intensity of competition of young trees with each other, and, as a result, the speed of their growth and the size they reach at the end of the year. However, it is not always possible to sow seeds in such a way as to ensure the desired density and uniform distribution of plants along the length of the row or area of ​​the bed. Therefore, it is usually necessary to sow seeds with some reserve (especially those whose germination rate can vary greatly - birch, alder, elm, poplar, willow), and thin out the seedlings. The need for thinning also depends on what is desired to be obtained - many small seedlings for transplanting into a “school”, or a smaller number of larger seedlings for complete or partial planting immediately on permanent place.

Pine, larch, cedar, spruce and fir are the most common species in Russia coniferous trees. In terms of their environmental requirements and preferences, these tree species differ greatly from each other. Pine and larch are so-called light coniferous tree species. They are the most photophilous, grow and develop well in full light conditions. In the wild, the development of pine and larch forests is most often associated with periodic exposure to forest fires (as a result, open spaces are formed that are most suitable for the growth of pine and larch). Under the forest canopy, pine regrowth, as a rule, does not form or dies as a result of shading - unless a fire occurs, which destroys at least part of the mature trees and thereby frees up access to light for young ones. Pine and larch are ideally adapted to open conditions: they are not afraid of late spring frosts and sunburn; But even not very strong shading leads to weakened growth, the formation of seedlings and saplings of an ugly shape.

Spruce and fir belong to another ecological group - the so-called dark coniferous tree species. They are much more shade-tolerant than pine or larch. Even in conditions of heavy shade under the forest canopy, the new growth of these trees can survive for decades, waiting for the moment when the death of one of the older trees opens up access to more light. In the forests of the North, spruce and fir undergrowth in the shade of old trees can live up to one hundred and even one hundred and fifty years, and after that it is still able to take its place in the upper tier of the tree stand, if such an opportunity arises. In nurseries, spruce and fir can grow in light to moderate shade (although their growth will be somewhat slower in this case); but in some years they may suffer from late spring frosts, sunburn or summer drought.

Cedar (cedars in Russia are two types of pine - Siberian and Korean) also belongs to the dark coniferous tree species, but due to its light-loving nature early age rather, it occupies an intermediate position between dark coniferous and light coniferous trees. In a nursery, it is advisable to grow cedars in good lighting conditions, without shading.

Despite all the differences, seedlings of these tree species are grown more or less the same. The seeds are sown in the spring (an exception may be made for cedar, see below). Most often, seedlings are transplanted into a “shkolka” in the spring of the third year (i.e., after two seasons of growth), and in the “shkolka” the seedlings are grown for another two years. In particularly good conditions, transplantation to the “school” can be done in the spring of the second year. Four-year-old seedlings are usually planted in a permanent place, less often - two-, three- or five-year-old ones. In forestry enterprises, two-year-old seedlings are most often used for planting in a permanent place, but this gives good results only when preliminary preparation soil.

Special pre-sowing treatment seeds of pine, larch, spruce and fir is not mandatory, but can significantly increase germination. Soak the seeds in melted ice water and keep them in a container of water in the refrigerator for two to three days. After this, drain the water, dry the seeds slightly (so that they do not stick together and can be sown) and start sowing. You can also sow seeds that have not been soaked in advance - as a rule, the result will not be much worse.

Sowing seeds should be done in the spring, as soon as the soil thaws and dries enough that it can be dug up (about the same time as most vegetable crops begin to be sown, or a little earlier). Seeds should be sown at a shallow depth (up to 2-5 mm), or even on the surface of the soil, without covering with soil. Surface sowing increases germination and accelerates germination - but requires covering the surface of the ridges with film or non-woven covering material, as well as constant monitoring of the moisture content of the soil surface and watering when it dries out. Deep sowing (to a depth of more than 5 mm) can lead to a sharp decrease in germination and slower emergence, especially in larch.

After the bed is prepared for sowing seeds, mark on it barely noticeable parallel grooves about 0.5 cm deep at a distance of 10-12 cm from each other (they can be pressed with the handle of a shovel or a special rack). Distribute the seeds along the bottom of the furrows at the rate of 100-120 cedar seeds, 150-200 pine and larch seeds and 250-300 spruce and fir seeds per 1 m of furrow length (i.e. cedar seeds should be located approximately every centimeter, pine and larch – every 5-7 mm, spruce and fir – every 3-5 mm). After this, either carefully fill the furrows with soil so that the seeds are at a depth of 2-5 mm, or cover the ridge with film or non-woven material. Covering the beds with film or non-woven material in any case accelerates seed germination, even if the seeds are not sown on the surface, but covered with soil. But the film must be removed immediately after the first shoots appear, and the covering material can be left until it begins to clearly interfere with the growth of the seedlings (usually about two weeks after the first shoots appear).

The above seeding rates are indicative and are designed to produce the largest seedlings during the first year of life and maximum seedling survival. If seeds are available in excess and it is desirable to obtain them with minimum area the maximum number of not the largest seedlings - sowing rates can be significantly increased (for pine, spruce and larch up to 1.5-2 thousand seeds per meter).

Summer care of coniferous tree crops does not require anything specific - you just need to ensure that the crops are weeded and clean from weeds and watered in hot and dry weather.

In the fall, make sure that the beds with seedlings go under the snow as free of weeds as possible, and under no circumstances cover them with any covering material - this can cause a very strong development of fungal infections. All of the listed tree species, within their natural range, tolerate winter well and do not suffer from any frost under the snow.

If the seedlings have reached a height of 10-12 cm or more in the first year, then in the spring of the second year they can be transplanted into a “school”. You can replant in the fall, but no later than a month before the onset of frost (it is necessary that the seedlings have time to take root well, and in winter they are not “squeezed out” as a result of periodic freezing and thawing of the soil surface). Spring replanting usually gives better results. If the seedlings have not reached a height of 10-12 cm, then it is better to leave them without transplanting for another year. Try to avoid transplanting after the buds have broken and the seedlings have begun to grow - this may lead to the death of some of them or, at least, to a weakening of growth. You need to be especially careful when transplanting larch - its buds open earlier than all other conifers, and it tolerates transplantation after they bloom worse than all other conifers (i.e., spring transplantation of larch must be done as early as possible).

Perform the transplant within one day, trying to ensure that each seedling is exposed to the air as little as possible - this will allow maximum degree keep its roots from drying out. In warm weather, the roots of a seedling, not protected from the sun and wind, can dry out and die within a few minutes. Try to damage the root systems of seedlings as little as possible: the more of them are preserved during transplantation, the better the seedlings will develop in subsequent years.

Of all our conifers, when grown in open ground, only larch, and even then, only with the best care, fertile soil and warm summers, is capable of producing in the first year of cultivation a large number of seedlings suitable for planting in a permanent place (sometimes up to 40 cm in height ). IN ideal conditions you can obtain a certain number of pine seedlings that are limitedly suitable for transplanting to a permanent location. The rest of our conifers require cultivation in a nursery for at least two years.

For planting in a “school”, you can also purchase pine, spruce or cedar seedlings from the forest nursery at the forestry enterprise. As a rule, in such nurseries, two-year-old seedlings of these trees are grown to restore forests in cleared areas. Spruce seedlings are grown in most forest nurseries in the taiga zone, and they are the easiest to purchase. Pine seedlings are grown in fewer nurseries, but not only in the taiga zone, but also in the more southern regions of European Russia and Western Siberia. Cedar and larch seedlings are grown in a small number of nurseries in certain regions of Russia, and fir is currently practically not grown in state forest nurseries.

In the “school”, place the rows of seedlings at a distance of 15-25 cm from each other, and the seedlings in the rows - at 5-15 cm (the less often the seedlings are planted, the larger the seedlings you can get). To plant seedlings, you can press a hole in the soil, 15-20 cm deep, with a special stake or the handle of a shovel. In order to facilitate the entry of the root system of seedlings into a narrow hole, you can dip the roots in liquid clay before planting (this is especially useful when transplanting annual seedlings with very thin roots). Make sure that the depth of planting seedlings in the “school” is approximately the same as in the original bed: deep planting slows down growth, and if planted too shallow, the seedlings will simply fall. As with the seed bed, keep the beds free of weeds. The school section is not as afraid of drying out as the seed section, but still, in severe drought, try to provide watering (especially if the drought occurs soon after transplanting the seedlings into the school section).

Seedlings that are large and suitable for permanent planting are usually obtained two years after the seedlings are planted in the school. However, some of the largest seedlings can be selected for transplantation to a permanent place within a year. This is especially true for larch, which tolerates transplantation more easily than others, and with good care can grow very quickly.

Oak is one of the longest-living trees in Russia. Within its range (area of ​​natural growth), it is capable of growing in a variety of soil conditions, but develops well only if the soil is sufficiently rich. In some conditions, it is possible to sow oak trees with acorns in a permanent place. In a forest nursery, growing large seedlings takes one to two years, sometimes three.

Oak acorns, unlike the seeds of the vast majority of our other trees, do not remain viable when dried and long-term storage at room temperature. Therefore, it is necessary either to sow them in the fall before snow falls and the soil freezes, or to provide them special conditions storage Autumn sowing is the simplest, but there is a serious risk of damage to some of the acorns by rodents.

For spring sowing, acorns must be properly preserved. Better conditions storage is created at low (about 0° or slightly higher) temperature, high humidity and moderate ventilation. Acorns can be stored in the basement, which preserves potatoes well in winter; You can also bury them in the fall into the soil to a depth of at least 20 cm, covering the top with a sheet of waterproof material, leaving a layer of air between this sheet and the acorns and providing protection from mice. In any case, lay it on winter storage You need healthy acorns without external damage, preferably collected in dry weather and dried at room temperature for a week. But even if all these conditions are met, most of the acorns may die over the winter. Any special preparation of seeds that have survived the winter before sowing is not required.

Before sowing, evaluate the quality of the acorns by opening several of them (to make sure that at least not all of the acorns died during storage). Living acorns have yellow cotyledons, and at the point where they connect to each other there is a living (yellow or red-yellow) embryo. Dead acorns are black or gray inside. By external signs It is not always possible to distinguish living acorns from dead ones. Soaking acorns in a container of water gives good results - dead acorns mostly float, live ones mostly sink (if there are a lot of acorns, then this method of separating the dead from the living can be recommended, but a small part of the living acorns will be lost).

If you were unable to stock up on acorns in the fall, then in some years (after big harvest acorns and if there is a “failure” of mice, and if the winter was not very frosty), you can collect live and germinating acorns in the nearest forest or park in the spring. It is necessary to collect sprouting acorns early in the spring, almost immediately after the snow melts, otherwise you will find damaged roots in many acorns. The collected acorns must either be sown immediately, or stored until sowing in such a way that the roots do not dry out (for example, mixed with wet leaves in a plastic box placed in the refrigerator or cold basement). Even during short-term storage, care must be taken to ensure that germinating acorns do not become moldy (throw away damaged ones immediately), and ensure their ventilation. The faster you can sow the acorns collected in the spring, the more of them will be able to develop into seedlings.

In general, since oak acorns are difficult to keep alive during the winter at home, and when sowing in the fall, acorns are often eaten by mice, it is best to sow some of the acorns in the fall, and try to save some until spring - to reduce the likelihood of them all dying.

When sowing acorns, mark parallel furrows on the bed at a distance of 15-25 cm from each other. Place acorns in the furrows at the rate of 15-60 pieces. per 1 m of furrow length, depending on the quality and size (if the acorns are large and almost all are alive, then they should be laid out less frequently; if they are small and have a large proportion of dead and doubtful ones, they should be placed more densely). If you plan to plant annual oak seedlings in a permanent place, then live acorns should be sown even less often - at a distance of 5-10 cm from each other (this will ensure maximum growth of each tree). Press the acorns into the bottom of the furrow so that they are at a depth of 2-3 cm relative to the soil surface when planting in spring and 3-6 cm when planting in autumn. After this, level the furrow by covering the acorns with soil.

Acorns take a very long time to germinate. First, they develop a powerful root, reaching a length of several tens of centimeters, and only after that the stem begins to grow. Therefore, oak sprouts can appear on the soil surface only a month and a half after the start of germination - even if sowing is done in the spring with acorns that have begun to sprout. Do not rush to conclude that your oak trees are dead and dig up the bed with crops (as the experience of novice amateur foresters shows, this happens). If in doubt, try digging up a few acorns. If their roots have grown, then the acorns are alive.

Oak seedlings suffer significantly less from weeds and soil drying out than coniferous tree seedlings (thanks to the supply of nutrients in the acorn, large roots and leaves immediately develop). However, try to always keep the crops free of weeds and provide water during severe drought, especially if you want to produce large seedlings in one year. Stop all additional watering about a month and a half before the time when massive leaf fall begins in your area - this will allow oak seedlings to better prepare for wintering (oak growth that is too late often freezes in winter). In summer, oak seedlings are often affected by powdery mildew, a fungal disease. Powdery mildew is not capable of killing oak seedlings, but can significantly reduce their growth. With strong development of powdery mildew (if white coating will cover more than half the area of ​​all leaves), the seedlings can be treated with any fungicide used to combat fungal diseases of garden plants.

Oak seedlings can be grown for two years in one place without transplanting, or they can be transplanted into a “school” in the second year. The second method is preferable because it allows you to form a more compact and branched root system, which suffers less when transplanted to a permanent place (in two-year-old seedlings grown without transplantation, the length of the main root can be more than a meter, and it is almost impossible to replant them without damaging the root).

Transplanting seedlings into a “school” should be done in the spring, preferably as early as possible, so that the root system damaged during transplantation has time to partially recover before the leaves bloom (it is also important that the soil is still moist during transplantation). When replanting, cut the main root of each seedling at a distance of 12-20 cm from the place where the acorn was located (in most seedlings, the remains of the acorn are still visible in the second year). This will allow the formation of a more compact root system (the shorter the remainder of the main root, the more compact the root system will be, but the greater the delay in seedling growth and the lower the survival rate). You can not cut off the main root, but in this case it will be very difficult to dig up two-year-old seedlings without seriously damaging their root system.

In the “school”, place rows of seedlings at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, and seedlings in a row - at 12-15 cm intervals. When planting under each seedling, make a hole 20-25 cm deep with a stake or the handle of a shovel (the depth of the hole should be as follows so that when planting a seedling, the place where the acorn is attached is 1-3 cm below the soil surface). Insert the seedlings into the holes (the main root of oak seedlings, unlike the roots of conifers, is hard and straight and is inserted into the holes without problems). Then fill the holes with soil and compact it with your hands so that the soil fits more tightly to the roots of the seedlings.

In the first weeks after transplantation, transplanted seedlings suffer greatly from root damage - the leaves bloom quite slowly, and the growth of shoots is relatively small. However, by mid-summer the normal development of seedlings is restored, and by autumn, as a rule, large seedlings (30-50 cm high) are obtained that are quite suitable for planting in a permanent place. If the size of the seedlings by autumn leaves much to be desired, then only the largest ones can be selected for transplantation, and the rest left in the “school” for another year.

If you are transplanting annual oak seedlings to a permanent location (this is quite possible if planting is done in areas with low grass cover or on plowed soil), then do not cut the main roots of the seedlings - try to preserve as much of their length as possible. The root system of an annual oak seedling is represented mainly by a long and straight taproot with weak and short lateral roots, so for replanting it is enough to make a narrow hole of appropriate depth using a stake or a shovel handle.

In Russia, Manchurian and ailantula nuts are found wild only in the south Far East. Nuts are very demanding of heat, as well as soil richness and moisture. Therefore, even within their natural habitats, it is advisable to choose flat areas with moist and fertile soil for planting nuts. In open areas, the nut is easily damaged by late spring frosts, as well as winter frosts. Within a suitable area, the nut is grown very easily. Large seedlings in nurseries are grown in one year; it is also possible to sow nuts in a permanent place.

In many cases, nuts can be propagated by direct sowing in a permanent place. But you can also grow seedlings in nurseries, especially if you plan to plant nuts in areas with tall grass.

It is advisable to sow nuts before winter. They have a much stronger skin than oak acorns, and therefore do not suffer as much from rodents. If you did not sow nuts before winter, then they need to be stored in approximately the same conditions as acorns (see above). You can also collect nuts in the spring that have overwintered naturally under mature trees and sow them immediately (sometimes after frosty and snow-free winters, most of the nuts that overwintered on the surface of the soil turn out to be dead). When sowing in autumn, there is no need to peel the nuts from their soft peel (it will rot on its own in the ground). When storing nuts in winter, the soft peel must be removed, otherwise it may cause the nuts themselves to rot. If the nuts were stored all winter in a dry room at room temperature, then when sown they germinate poorly, and some of the sown nuts may not germinate at all until the next year.

Nut seedlings are grown in the nursery within one year, without being transplanted into a “school”. Rows of nuts in a garden bed should be placed at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, and the nuts themselves in the row should be placed at a distance of 7-12 cm. Nuts should be embedded in the soil to a depth of about 5 cm. Germination of nuts occurs slowly. Like oak, walnut first grows a long main root and only then begins to develop aboveground part. Therefore, do not rush to dig up a bed of nuts if it seems to you that they have died (sometimes nuts can only germinate in mid-summer). If there is any doubt that the nuts are alive, dig up a few of them and see if there are roots. If there is, it means that sooner or later the above-ground part will also grow.

Already in the first year, nut seedlings reach such a size that they can be planted in a permanent place. They have a very powerful root system, consisting of a long and straight main root and fairly well-developed lateral roots. When replanting, you should strive to damage the root system as little as possible, since the nut suffers quite a lot from such damage. Due to the rapid growth and powerful root system, transplanting walnut seedlings into a “school” for further growing is impractical.

Elms are one of the fastest growing trees in Russia, especially at an early age. They are very picky about soil richness and moisture. Large seedlings are easily grown in one, less often in two years.

A peculiarity of smooth elm and other types of elms (elms) found in Russia is that their seeds ripen in the summer and must be sown within a few days after ripening: further germination will sharply decrease (the seeds will not survive until next spring). However, even with relatively late sowing, elm seedlings by the fall surpass in height the seedlings of the vast majority of other trees, and even in subsequent years in suitable conditions a very high growth rate is maintained. Due to the ability of elms to grow rapidly and close their crowns, in the 19th century they were widely used to create protective forests in the forest-steppe regions of European Russia. In general, in terms of the simplicity and speed of growing planting material, few trees can compete with elms.

The main disadvantage of elms is their vulnerability to the so-called Dutch disease - fungal disease, in which the conductivity of blood vessels in the trunk and branches of the tree is disrupted. Dutch disease primarily affects large trees - usually over 15-20 years old; She is not scary in the nursery. The disease is transmitted mainly by bark beetles, but can also be transmitted when the roots of neighboring elms come into contact with each other. The likelihood of mass spread of the disease decreases sharply with increasing distances between separate trees. Therefore, elms should mainly be used for single plantings or for plantings as a rare (with distances between trees of at least 20 m) admixture with other tree species. It is especially advisable to plant elms in the floodplains of rivers in the forest-steppe zone, where thick grass cover can create serious problems for other tree species.

Elm seeds do not require any special pre-sowing preparation– it is only important to sow them quickly after collection (ideally, within one week, after which germination will decrease every day), and from the moment of collection until the moment of sowing, store them in conditions of very good ventilation in a dry place (for example, scattered on a sheet of newspaper). thin layer).

Elm seeds should be sown in rows spaced 20-30 cm apart. The number of elm seeds in a row can vary between 100-500 per 1 m of row length. The seedling growth rate largely depends on the sowing density: if you want to get large seedlings in one season without transplanting, then you need to sow less often and after the emergence of seedlings, weed them to a distance of 3-5 cm between plants. With thickened sowing (up to 500 seeds per 1 m), the height of seedlings by autumn will be significantly less, and large seedlings can be grown in two years with transplantation into a “school”. The seeds should be covered with only a very thin layer of soil - no more than a few millimeters; in persistently humid weather you may not need to cover it at all. Elm is very sensitive to the richness and moisture of the soil, so it is advisable to apply mineral fertilizers before sowing. After sowing elm, it is very important to ensure high soil moisture, especially in the first few weeks. During drought, it is advisable to cover elm crops with film or non-woven covering material until the first shoots appear (shoots usually appear within a week).

Elm seedlings differ from mature trees. The arrangement of their leaves is opposite (i.e., the leaves on the shoot are arranged in pairs opposite each other), and not alternate, as in mature trees; The shape of the leaves is also slightly different. Plants of the second year of life no longer differ from adults either in shape or in the arrangement of leaves. The normal height of elm seedlings at the end of the first year of life is 15-50 cm, depending on conditions.

In the spring of the next year after sowing, the elm seedlings can either be transplanted all into the “shkolka”, or sorted and the largest ones planted in a permanent place, and the rest - in the “shkolka”. In a “school”, rows of seedlings should be placed at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, and seedlings within a row should be placed at a distance of 7-10 cm. The root system of annual elm seedlings is quite compact, and replanting is not difficult (seedlings tolerate very well transplant). By the autumn of the second year, fairly large seedlings grow - in good conditions, up to 1 m high, and sometimes more, and they can all be transplanted to a permanent place. The root system of two-year-old seedlings is powerful, but quite compact, so their replanting usually takes place without any problems.

Norway maple and common ash are not related trees, but have many general properties in terms of their cultivation. Both trees are very demanding on soil fertility, and in fertile soils they can grow very quickly from the very first year of life; both require autumn sowing or complex artificial preparation of seeds for sowing - stratification; Seedlings of both can be easily grown from wild seedlings collected in the spring. Other types of maples and ash trees found in our country are similar in their cultivation characteristics to Norway maple and common ash.

The difference between ash and maple from a growing point of view is that ash seeds require a longer period of preparation for germination - if they are sown in late autumn, they can sprout only in the second spring after sowing. One of possible ways To prevent this, it is necessary to collect and sow ash seeds at the stage of “wax ripeness” - when the seeds themselves have not yet had time to completely harden and dry, but their wings have already turned yellow (there is some risk associated with this - if you collect the seeds too early, they may turn out to be underdeveloped and therefore also do not ascend). In general, growing common ash from seeds is more difficult than growing maple, precisely because the germination of even definitely living ash seeds is not always predictable.

On fertile soil and with good care, maple and ash seedlings large enough for planting in a permanent place (40-50 cm high) can be grown in one year. If especially large seedlings are needed (for example, for landscaping or for planting in areas with tall grass), then they can be grown in two years, with one-year-old seedlings being transplanted into a “school”. Poverty and dry soil or shading greatly affect the growth of ash and maple seedlings and saplings - in the worst conditions, their cultivation before planting in a permanent place can take 3-4 years.

For amateur forest nurseries, we can recommend two main ways of sowing maple and ash seeds: sowing either in the fall, so that the seeds are naturally prepared for germination, or in the spring with germinating seeds that have naturally overwintered on the soil surface (it is especially easy to collect germinating maple seeds in the spring - they are usually found in abundance under any mature tree). When using seeds that germinate in spring for sowing, it is important to ensure that the roots do not dry out (for example, collect them in a jar of water and sow as quickly as possible). It is very difficult to artificially prepare maple or ash seeds for germination at home. You can also use small (only with cotyledons, still without true leaves) wild seedlings - they can easily tolerate transplantation if it is carried out in damp, cool weather and is accompanied by good watering in the first days after transplantation.

Sowing seeds or planting wild seedlings should be carried out in rows located at a distance of 15-25 cm from each other, with a distance between seedlings or germinating seeds of 7-15 cm (the denser the seedlings are, the smaller the size of the seedlings will be by the end of the first year life). During autumn sowing, seeds should be placed more densely, taking into account the possible low germination rate - at a distance of no more than 2-3 cm from each other, and if the actual germination rate turns out to be high, then the excess seedlings should either be pulled out or planted.

When sowing in autumn, the seeds can either be simply spread on the surface of the soil, lightly pressing them into the ground with your fingers so as not to be washed away by the next rain, or you can stick the seeds into the ground so that the lionfish stick out entirely outside. Seed seeding with soil is not required. When sowing germinating seeds in spring, special care is needed - the tips of the roots easily break off, which can lead to the death of the seedlings. Germinating seeds should be sown in furrows in moist soil and, after sowing, covered with a layer of soil of several millimeters - just enough to cover the roots from drying out.

During the growing season, maple and ash seedlings need watering, especially during hot, dry weather. Maples and ash trees are more sensitive to lack of moisture than the vast majority of our other trees.

Warty birch (as well as several other common and widespread species of birch - downy, whitebark) and gray alder are among the pioneer tree species - those that are able to quickly take over new open spaces by large quantity small seeds and the ease of their dispersal by wind over long distances, and grow quickly in full conditions solar lighting in the absence of competition with other plants. These properties of birch and alder largely determine the characteristics of their cultivation (note: growing other types of birch and alder may have their own small characteristics, which are not discussed in this manual). Warty birch is the most common birch species in Russia, and gray alder is the most common alder species.

Gray alder is unfairly considered by many foresters to be a weedy, waste tree that should be eliminated rather than cultivated - mainly because its wood is considered to be of very little value. But gray alder, thanks to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (with the help of bacteria living in nodules on its roots), is able to grow on the most depleted and degraded soils, gradually restoring the fertility of these soils. Alder is a very fast-growing and tenacious tree, so it is quite suitable for growing new forests (especially for use as an admixture to plantings of other trees). Another common type of alder, black alder, is more demanding of soil richness and moisture and is much more difficult to grow; This type of alder can hardly be recommended for cultivation in amateur forest nurseries. Birch, unlike alder, does not have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. However, it is also capable of growing successfully on the most depleted soils and is well suited for afforestation in a wide variety of conditions in most regions of Russia.

Seeds of warty birch and gray alder do not need stratification, so they can be stored dry at room temperature or in the refrigerator before sowing (storing in the refrigerator ensures better preservation and higher germination of seeds when sowing). Seeds of some other types of birch may need stratification - so it is better to check their germination in the fall, immediately after collection. If they sprout, it means you can safely store them dry in a room or refrigerator until spring. If they do not sprout, but there is an assumption that they are alive, then it is better to sow before winter. When sowing in autumn, birch seeds - for example, downy birch - should be sown on carefully dug and leveled soil only after the onset of stable frosts - otherwise a significant part of the seeds may be washed away or mixed with the soil by rains.

Since the seeds of birch and alder are very small, the seedlings formed from them are also small and grow rather slowly in the first weeks of life. Monthly seedlings of birch and alder under average conditions reach a height of only 1-2 cm, and only then a period of fairly rapid growth begins. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that the bed where birch and alder are sown is clean from weeds: the area allocated for sowing these trees should first be thoroughly cleared of rhizomes of weeds and large plant residues(making subsequent weeding difficult). In the first few weeks of their life, it is advisable to weed birch and alder crops weekly, and if there are a lot of weeds, then more often.

Sowing birch and alder seeds should be carried out in rows with a distance between them of 15-25 cm. The seeds should be placed densely in the row (the germination rate of birch and alder seeds is usually not too high, and, in addition, a significant part of the seedlings dies due to mechanical damage when weeding). When sowing birch with a mixture of seeds and seed scales - such a mixture is formed after the seed catkins are scattered - approximately 30 ml of seeds (1/6 of a regular glass) should be used per 1 meter of the length of the seed row. Alder seeds, unlike birch seeds, are usually collected clean, without any admixture of seed scales, and they can be sown based on the approximate amount. Per meter of seed row length, 200-500 seeds should be used (i.e., the seeds are placed, on average, 2-5 mm apart - although, of course, it is usually not possible to sow them evenly).

Birch and alder seeds germinate best on the soil surface - firstly, because their seedlings are very weak and cannot break through even from a shallow depth, and secondly, because sunlight stimulates their germination. Therefore, the seeds of these trees should be sown superficially - without burying them in the ground at all. To reduce the risk of the sown seeds being washed away by rain, the surface of the soil with the sown seeds can be lightly compacted with your fingers or a piece of wood. To speed up seed germination and prevent seedlings from drying out, crops can be covered with film (which must be removed immediately after the first shoots appear) or non-woven covering material. The soil surface must be kept moist all the time until the seedlings appear - otherwise, either the seeds will not germinate, or the emerging seedlings will dry out and die. Since the seeds and seedlings are very small and can be washed out of the soil or mixed with soil when watering - until the seedlings reach a height of at least 1 cm, it is best to use a spray bottle or watering can with a very fine strainer for watering.

The rate of emergence of seedlings greatly depends on weather conditions, soil temperature and other conditions. As a rule, shoots appear within two weeks. At first, they are very small - no larger than a match head, so when weeding, extreme caution must be exercised (seedlings are easily accidentally pulled out along with the weeds). The same caution is needed when watering. The relatively rapid growth of young trees begins only in the second half of summer, and under favorable conditions by autumn they can reach a height of 20-40 centimeters, and in ideal conditions - more than half a meter.

Large annual seedlings can be used for planting in a permanent place in the second spring. If the seedlings vary greatly in size (as most often happens), then in the spring of the second year after sowing they can be sorted, and the largest ones can be selected for planting in a permanent place, and the rest can be planted in a “school”. It is undesirable to grow birch and alder seedlings in one place without replanting for two years - these trees grow too quickly, and planting material it will be difficult to dig up without severely damaging the roots. Gray alder tolerates replanting with large seedlings worse than birch, so when growing it you can do without a “school” altogether - that is, plant all annual seedlings in a permanent place.

Linden is one of the most flexible, able to adapt to different conditions life, trees (especially small-leaved linden, widespread in the European part of Russia). It can exist in the form of large tree, and in the form of a bush (in conditions of oppression under the forest canopy). Linden is capable of vegetative propagation with the help of special underground shoots, due to which it itself “spreads” under the forest canopy. Within its natural range, it can grow in almost any soil conditions, although it certainly prefers fertile and well-moistened soils. Growing large seedlings in a nursery takes one to two years.

Linden seeds need autumn sowing or stratification. Since it is not always easy for an amateur forester to create optimal conditions for stratification of linden seeds, autumn sowing of linden is optimal, ensuring their best germination in the spring. Linden seeds sown in the spring without prior stratification do not germinate in the year of sowing - but usually they retain their germination quite well and germinate well the next spring.

In general, linden is not the easiest tree to grow in amateur nurseries. In addition to the need for pre-sowing preparation, linden is characterized by sensitivity to late spring frosts - seedlings that appeared before such frosts can easily die. Small linden seedlings are quite difficult to tolerate transplantation (one-year-old seedlings should only be transplanted into a “school” in the spring; autumn transplantation is much less tolerated by them).

In addition to sowing seeds, you can use transplantation of linden seedlings that appear under the crowns of old trees after bountiful harvest seeds Linden seedlings have cotyledons with a very characteristic lobed shape, so they are easy to find. Small seedlings (not yet having true leaves, but only cotyledons) can easily tolerate transplantation if done in cool and humid weather. Under favorable conditions, “wild” seedlings can easily be dug up to fill a whole bed. Since germination of linden seeds occurs rather late and unfriendly, seedlings should be looked for after the first leaves begin to bloom on adult linden trees.

Sowing seeds should be done in rows at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other, sowing 100-300 seeds per 1 m of row length. Cover the furrows with sown linden seeds with a layer of soil of 5-7 mm. Linden is vulnerable to late frosts, so in the spring - after the first shoots appear - it is very useful to cover the crops (or plantings of “wild” seedlings) with a temporary greenhouse made of film or non-woven covering material, but in such a way as to maintain ventilation of the greenhouse. After the threat of frost has passed, the greenhouse must be removed.

Linden is very sensitive to soil moisture. Therefore, in dry weather, crops need to be watered. In good conditions, the height of seedlings by autumn can reach 15-50 cm (depending on weather conditions, soil and type of linden). In the spring of next year, the linden trees should be transplanted into a “school” (the largest seedlings can be selected and transplanted to a permanent place). In the “school”, rows of seedlings should be placed at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, and seedlings within a row should be placed at a distance of 7-10 cm. By the autumn of the second year, the seedlings will reach a size at which they can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Most types of poplars and willows are easily propagated vegetatively (by cuttings, root suckers), but they can also be propagated by seeds. This makes sense for species that do not reproduce vegetatively very well (goat willow is an example), or vegetative propagation which requires too much effort (for example, aspen propagates well only by root cuttings, but it is not always possible to prepare such cuttings in large quantities). Propagation by seeds makes sense if the available planting material of vegetative origin is too heavily affected by wood-decaying fungi, but there is a desire to obtain healthy planting material. In general, growing poplars and willows from seeds is too labor-intensive and can hardly be recommended for novice amateur arborists.

The seeds of most willow and poplar species ripen in late spring or early summer, depending on the species, region and growing conditions. By appearance the seeds are the well-known “poplar fluff” - the seeds themselves are very small, and each is equipped with long hairs, which allows them to fly over long distances. Seeds remain viable for a very short time - from several days to a few weeks, and over time, germination significantly decreases. Therefore, sowing seeds must be done immediately after collecting them (it is best to collect catkins with already opening seed pods, and directly shake out or pull out the seeds from them to the ground). You can also use poplar fluff lying on the ground, but in this case you will most likely end up with a mixture of different types and hybrids of poplars. When sowing, you should spread the seeds on the surface of the ground and sprinkle them with water - then the hairs will stick together and the seeds will end up on the surface of the soil. There is no need to cover the seeds with soil - they should lie on the surface. In dry weather, it is advisable to cover the crops with film or non-woven covering material until the first shoots appear.

It is difficult to give uniform recommendations on the amount of fluff sown per unit row length: seed germination varies too much depending on the type, weather, degree of ripeness and many other factors. In any case, the row should be a continuous strip of fluff, i.e. there should be several dozen seeds per 1 cm of row length. Make the distance between the rows 10-15 cm. To begin with, it makes sense to try to sow some willows or poplars, since growing them from seeds is not always successful.

Most species of willows and poplars growing in Russia can be propagated from stem cuttings. Trees that do not reproduce well by stem cuttings include aspen and white poplar, and goat willow (aspen and white poplar can be propagated by root cuttings or root suckers, or use special substances that stimulate the formation of roots on stem cuttings, and goat willow - mainly by seeds).

From cuttings, within one year you can grow very large seedlings of willows and poplars - about a meter high, and sometimes more. To grow seedlings, you can use both lignified cuttings (cut in the spring from young parts of branches - last year's growths) and green ones (cut in summer from the current year's growing shoots with leaves). It is much easier to use lignified cuttings: they take root more easily and allow you to obtain seedlings of the required quality and size in the first year.

Lignified cuttings for planting should be prepared in the spring, before the leaves begin to bloom (note that poplars and willows are among the first to bloom leaves, and try not to be late with the preparation of cuttings). Cuttings that have already begun to leaf out root less well, and as a result the seedlings are smaller in size and of poorer quality. To cut cuttings, use only growth from the previous year (they can be easily recognized by the presence of buds). Cut the growths of the previous year into pieces 15-20 cm long. If you want to get a larger number of seedlings, then you can use shorter cuttings - 10-12 cm or even less, the main thing is that each cutting has at least two three buds (shorter cuttings usually produce smaller seedlings).

Aspen and white poplar cuttings require special treatment before planting. If cuttings of these species are simply planted in the ground in the spring, the vast majority of cuttings will simply die - they will dry out even before the first rudiments of roots appear. There are two ways to achieve the formation of roots on lignified cuttings of these species. Firstly, the cuttings can be treated with special root formation stimulants. Most often, heteroauxin, or beta-indoleacetic acid, which is a natural plant hormone, is used for these purposes (it can be bought in one form or another in many stores for summer residents and gardeners). Sometimes other root formation stimulants are used that act similarly. Typically, commercial root stimulants come with instructions for their use, including for rooting lignified cuttings - and they must be followed.

Secondly, cuttings can be kept until roots appear at a temperature that is not yet sufficient for buds to open, but is already sufficient for roots to begin to grow (root growth in most of our trees can occur at a lower temperature than the growth of shoots and leaves). To do this, chopped cuttings can be placed in a jar partially filled with water, closed with a lid and placed, for example, in a refrigerator, which maintains a temperature of approximately 8-12 degrees, or in a cellar. But if the cuttings are in water at a lower temperature (6-8 degrees and below), this will practically not help the formation of roots.

Try to plant the cuttings as early as possible: the sooner you do this, the better the cuttings will have time to take root before the buds begin to open, and the better the young shoots will grow. Plant cuttings in rows at a fairly large distance from each other - 40-60 cm between rows and 7-10 cm between cuttings in a row: with denser planting, the seedlings will be smaller. Bury the cuttings into the soil to such a depth that 2-3 buds remain above the soil surface (1-2 buds if the cuttings are short). If the soil is loose and the cuttings are thick, they can simply be pressed into the ground; if the soil is compacted, it is better to first make holes with a special peg. Make sure that the upper end of the cutting is directed upward (this is easy to determine by the direction of the buds: their sharp ends are always directed towards the top of the shoot). After planting, water - this will promote rapid rooting, and the formation of a crust on the surface of the soil is not as bad for cuttings as it is for seeds. Water the cuttings fairly regularly until the young shoots reach a height of 10-15 cm; After this, it will be enough to water only in severe drought.

You can grow a small number of tree seedlings not only in the garden, but also at home, along with indoor plants. However, tree species growing in our climate, unlike most indoor plants have a seasonal development cycle and need not only summer period growth, but also in winter dormancy. Disruption of the seasonal rhythm of life of tree species growing in temperate climates inevitably leads to their death or serious disruption of development. Therefore, the development phases of the trees in the room should more or less coincide with the development phases of the trees outside. For example, an oak acorn can germinate in the fall, and by spring a small seedling will grow on your windowsill (although some developmental problems may appear due to the fact that the acorn itself has escaped the winter dormant period). But if you plant this seedling in open ground Most likely, he will die within the first year of life. If you plant an acorn in the spring, then by autumn the seedling grown on the windowsill will be suitable for planting in open ground, able to survive the winter outside and develop further normally.

Thus, you can try growing tree seedlings at home in one summer season(which is not always possible) or ensure that your “home” seedlings overwinter outside, under the snow. If you try to grow tree seedlings at home for several years and do not provide them with a normal winter, they will most likely die after being planted outside.

Overwintering of “domestic” seedlings should take place under the snow: it is warmer there and the root systems of the seedlings will not be damaged. The seedlings of only a few trees (for example, larch or cedar) are able to withstand a harsh winter without covering with snow, and then only in relatively mild winters. Preparing “domestic” seedlings for wintering is not an easy task: if the seedling is immediately exposed to the cold from the heat, it will also die. The seedlings need to be hardened off, i.e. you need to put them outside in September, before it gets too cold. All this is quite complicated, so it is best to plant seedlings grown in a room in a permanent place in the fall.

Another important condition success - good lighting. Tree seedlings usually need significantly better lighting than the vast majority of houseplants. In partial shade conditions (for example, if your windows face north or are shaded for a significant part of the day), it will be almost impossible to grow high-quality tree seedlings at home without additional lighting. Even for such shade-tolerant trees, like maple or linden, lack of lighting at home can be critical.

You can grow seedlings of tree species at home either from seeds or from annual shoots found under mature trees. Tree seedlings take root even better at home than outside, since it is easier to provide the humidity and shading they need in the first days after transplantation at home.

It is advisable that each seedling grows in a separate pot or glass. Otherwise, it will be quite difficult to separate one seedling from another without damaging their root systems.

To grow seedlings of tree species, it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of land for their development throughout the season. There is one general rule: the larger the volume of soil, the better the seedling grows, the easier it is to constantly keep the soil moist and provide the necessary mineral nutrition. For growing annual seedlings of tree species, the following minimum volumes of soil can be recommended: for conifers - 150-200 ml, for deciduous trees (except oak) - 500-700 ml, for oak - 700-1000 ml.

For the successful cultivation of seedlings, not only the volume of land is important, but also its quality. You can use almost any soil mixture sold in stores for growing vegetable or flower seedlings, or prepare such a mixture yourself. You will get the best results if you use loose and breathable peat-based earthen mixtures. It is not advisable to use, especially for coniferous trees, dense mixtures (for example, composts prepared using California worms).

Throughout the season, make sure that the soil in the pots with seedlings is constantly moist. In addition, regular fertilizing with any complex mineral fertilizer for house plants or vegetable seedlings is necessary ( detailed instructions instructions for using such fertilizers are usually given on their packaging). Lack of moisture or mineral nutrition will inevitably weaken the growth of your seedlings.

It is best to plant seedlings grown at home in the ground in August-September, before the onset of serious frosts, so that the trees have time to acclimatize and properly prepare for the winter dormancy period.

Planting seedlings of “wild” trees in a permanent place is not much different from planting seedlings fruit trees and bushes, and you can use any of methodological manuals, telling how to plant fruit trees. In most cases, you can limit yourself to even simpler preparation of planting sites than for fruit trees - without deep tillage of the soil and digging up a large landing pit. When planting coniferous trees, you should not apply fresh organic fertilizers (except peat).

When planting, it is important to maintain the correct distance between trees and not plant them too densely. Too sparse planting is also bad: it does not ensure the formation of a specific forest microclimate under the canopy of grown trees; Moreover, when planted very sparsely, many trees grow low and crooked. When planting a continuous forest, 1-1.5 thousand seedlings should be planted per 1 hectare (this corresponds to planting trees 2.5-3 m apart from each other). Trees of the most light-loving species can be planted somewhat less often (birch or larch - 3.5-4 m from each other). When planting trees in 1-2 rows along a road, the edge of a ravine or a river bank (that is, when each tree will be illuminated not only from above, but also from the side), the distance between trees should be reduced to 1.5-2 m.

At industrial plantings In forests, trees are usually located much closer to each other, so that 3-6 thousand seedlings can be placed on 1 hectare. This is done in order to ensure faster growth of trees in height and clearing of the trunk from lower branches (it turns out best quality wood). When creating protective forests, such dense planting is not necessary; it will most likely interfere, since in 15-20 years with such a dense planting it will be necessary to carry out special thinning of the grown forest.

The technique of planting trees depends on the size of the seedlings and their root systems.

Seedlings with a small root system or seedlings with a “closed” root system (grown in containers with soil or pots and removed from there along with a lump of soil) do not require deep tillage and preparation of a special planting hole. The technology for planting these seedlings is very simple.

1. Dig up a plot of soil measuring 40 by 40 - 60 by 60 cm (i.e., 2-3 bayonets wide with a regular shovel). Try to turn the pieces of turf so that its surface is strictly below - this will make germination more difficult. herbaceous plants in the first weeks after planting the seedling. After digging, cut the inverted clods of earth with the bayonet of a shovel so that the earth becomes softer and the main voids formed during digging disappear. In some cases - in areas with light soil and short grass - it is enough to remove and turn over a very small section of turf - the length and width of one spade (about 20 by 20 cm). In this case, your seedlings will quickly face competition from herbaceous plants, so in heavily turfed areas it is still better to prepare a planting area measuring 40 by 40 cm or more.

2. Stick the bayonet of the shovel into the center of the dug area and, rocking it from side to side, make a hole as deep as the bayonet of the shovel. Carefully remove the shovel, avoiding soil falling into the hole you made.

3. Insert the root system of the seedling into the hole. Straighten the roots with your hands so that the largest (skeletal) roots are not tangled and do not bend upward or all in one direction. Holding the seedling so that its root collar is level with the soil surface, carefully fill the hole with loose soil. After this, carefully press the soil with your hands to compact it (so that the voids around the roots of the seedling disappear - this will make it easier for the roots to absorb water and speed up the growth of new roots). While pressing the soil, continue to hold the seedling so that its root collar does not fall below the surface of the earth.

The root system is superficial, located mainly in the upper soil layer (10-20 cm). The roots contain nodule growths containing microorganisms that can absorb nitrogen from the air. Forms numerous root suckers and stump shoots.

Here are the main features of Alder:

No other species forms such dense, dark and even unsafe for people plantings. It is not easy to admire the beauty of alder here.

Entirely overgrown with thick tall grass, among which there are also evil nettles and seed-shooting impatiens, the gloomy alder forest conceals treacherous areas of deep quagmire. Here, just watch your step and have time to fight off the annoying mosquitoes.

And the alder raised a slender trunk-column high, almost 30 meters, which is crowned by a small greenish shiny crown, barely audibly rustling at the distant peak.

Only in late autumn does the alder shed its plumage, and what is remarkable is that the leaves fall completely green. In an alder forest, birch or spruce are only an occasional guest, and bird cherry and viburnum always remain at the edge.

In general, the picture is very gloomy for a person not too familiar with the forest.

The forester is more optimistic. Impenetrable thicket? But a hectare of it yields up to 500 cubic meters of very valuable wood.

In addition, alder is a rare soil enricher: it forms nodules on the roots with bacteria that absorb nitrogen from the air.

Alder Leaves- alternate, petiolate, simple. It is recommended to use alder leaves in the fall to feed livestock, especially sheep.

Flowers- monoecious, they are collected in catkins and in most species bloom in early spring. Alder is wind pollinated. Flowering occurs before or at the same time as the leaves bloom, which improves the transfer of pollen by the wind. The seeds usually ripen by October.

Fetus- a nut with one seed. Seeds begin to fly out in the fall and continue to fly out until spring. Seed dispersal occurs by wind as well as water.

Reproduction. Alder reproduces by seeds, root suckers and shoots from the stump.

Alder reproduces quickly. Its stumps produce whole bouquets of fast-growing shoots, capable of growing 1.5-2 meters in the first year, and over time reaching the size of their predecessors.

However, seed reproduction predominates in alder. In early spring, the brownish-brown, birch-like catkins lengthen, swell and release clouds of yellow pollen.

Picked up and scattered by the wind, it pollinates the small red inflorescences of female flowers on neighboring trees. This period is also used by bees, energetically collecting alder pollen to feed their babies.

Fertilized flowers form small cones, which in the spring of next year are scattered into hundreds of thousands of seeds-nuts about 2 millimeters in size.

The opening of the cones coincides with the spring flood. The spill contributes to the dispersal of alder seeds over long distances. Holding well on the water, they float on it for a long time until they settle on the shore, where they sprout.

Soils. Alder prefers rich, moist soils with good drainage. Alder grows on the banks of rivers and streams, in grassy swamps, and also at the base of hills. Alder improves the soil as it has the ability to fix nitrogen.

In Russia, the following two types are of particular importance: Black alder- a large, widespread tree with wide, shiny dark green leaves; Gray alder- a small tree, or more often a large shrub with bluish-green or grayish-green leaves.

Thickets alders are called by the people alder forests And alders.

Alder is a wood that is not very durable, but is easy to work with and has a beautiful reddish color.

Since alder wood is preserved under water for a long time, it can be used for small underwater structures. The bulk of alder wood is used for firewood, but it is valued less than birch firewood.

I will try to find alder in the nearest forests and copses in order, firstly, to replant several young trees in and, secondly, to prepare some alder wood for underwater structures such as dams and dams, and also to prepare some alder firewood for cleaning chimneys, because It is alder firewood that is best for cleaning chimneys.

Since alder also reproduces by root shoots, I hope to find several alder seedlings near mature alder trees and transplant them into the ecopark. When replanting alder trees, I will definitely transport a couple of buckets of the soil in which the seedlings grew to provide them with moisture.

It is alder firewood, and not aspen, that is recommended for burning soot in chimneys!

Considering the high growth rate of Alder and the value of its wood, it makes sense to specifically grow and harvest Alder wood.

It goes without saying that it makes sense to harvest Alder wood in winter: the leaves have already fallen to the soil and entered the biological cycle, and the wood has the lowest moisture content.

Having a woodworking machine, you can make boards yourself, dry them to use for interior decoration home and furniture making. It makes sense to use only branches and all kinds of trimmings for firewood.

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What could be more trivial than alder? Most of us perceive it as an ordinary plant, unlikely to decorate the site. However, its golden and split-leaved forms are decorative and unpretentious: they are resistant to bad weather, pests and diseases.

Gray alder "Laciniata"has been present for a long time, often under other names (‘ Acutiloba', 'Pinnatifida'’), but in fact they are the same form. In our climate, the plant grows up to 5-6 meters, which allows it to be used in areas small size. This tree looks especially impressive up close, when the heavily dissected dark green leaves are clearly visible.

And if you want to admire the openwork alder from a distance, it is better to plant black alder ‘Imperialis’. It's funny, but some catalogs present it as a new product, although it has been in culture since the end of the 19th century. Even more dissected than gray alder "Laciniata"", the leaves make its crown unusually openwork. It looks amazing in the sun - take this into account when choosing a planting site. Young multi-stemmed specimens or bouquet planting black alder ‘Imperialis’’ resemble bamboo, which can be used in gardens of the appropriate style. True, their size will have to be limited by regular planting on a stump, which means that only rooted specimens are suitable for these purposes.

If the openwork of dissected forms of alder does not appeal to you, pay attention to cultivars with yellow leaves. They are like gray alder, so do black, and in both cases they are called " Aurea". Their leaves have a rather pleasant color - not lemon, like many other yellow-leaved plants, but a fresh yellow-light green hue. The plants do not exceed 3-5 m in height, which is also a plus for small areas. In addition, the yellow-leaved forms are distinguished by their bright yellowish-orange young growing shoots and orange-red catkins appearing in early spring, before the leaves bloom.

Relatively recently it went on sale weeping form of gray alder "Pendula". Its cascading branches form a much more natural silhouette - unlike many other weeping forms, which often appear artificial.

All alders grow quite quickly and, alas, that is why they are short-lived. However, the time allotted to them is quite comparable to the duration of human life.

Shade-tolerant.

Not particularly demanding on soils, but prefers moist loams and tolerates light waterlogging.

It has great soil and water conservation significance.

Alder (Alnus) – deciduous tree and bushes with alternate, uncomplicated, entire rounded leaves. Alder flowers male and female develop on one shoot. The male inflorescence is in the shape of an earring, the female inflorescence is in the shape of a spikelet, located at the top of the crown. The fruit has one seed, a flattened, small nut, located in a small, woody cone, in which it turns into a female inflorescence.

Alder loves moisture, but not much, but the plant is not very durable. Alders can be classified as tree species that fertilize the soil. Alder is popular for gardens and parks in the form of a coastal tree. They decorate the shores of a large reservoir, alone and in groups in valley areas, in a landscape park with normal freshness and humidity from loved ones groundwater soil. It grows quickly and retains green leaves for a long time in the autumn season, which are valuable characteristics in view of green construction.

The mole cricket does not tolerate Alder, and its branches stick into the soil where this insect is spotted. Where wild Alder grows, it is a sure sign of the presence of underground reservoirs.

Alder - care:

Lighting:

Alder is a light-loving plant and needs open, bright sunlight.

Temperature:

The Alder plant is frost-resistant, but for normal development the temperature should be – 18°C ​​– 20°C.

Watering:

With normal precipitation, Alder does not need additional watering. In dry seasons, depending on the level of soil aridity, watering is carried out abundantly and often: up to thirty liters are required for one tree. During the dry season, a young tree needs more moisture and abundant watering.

Humidity:

Alder is moisture-loving, so for normal development it requires sufficient air humidity ranging from 60% and above. Planting alder needs regular and good moisture.

Feeding:

Alder feeding is carried out only at planting. Fertilized mineral fertilizers and humus.

Transfer:

Alder replanting is a standard procedure; it is carried out during the growing season and no difficulties arise.

Reproduction:

Alder propagation occurs through seeds and root cuttings. If you do not specifically plant a tree, then the seeds are quite adapted to sowing themselves. In the first year spring period On the tree, earring-shaped inflorescences form, which swell and release pollen, which is carried by wind and insects. This is how so-called pollination occurs. By the end of the same year, cones will appear on the branches, which will open in the spring and seeds will fly out of them, which will be carried away by wind and water. Actually, this is how reproduction occurs. You can also propagate the Alder tree using shoots or cuttings.

Some features:

Different types of Alder have their own differences in growth, therefore, when purposeful cultivation is carried out, you need to consult with knowledgeable person. Diseases and pests of Alder occur only when all the rules for growing the plant are not followed. Errors such as excessively swampy soil or, conversely, excessively dry soil.

Alder - diseases and pests:

The most dangerous pests are the May beetle. Rarely, Alder is affected by the blue alder leaf beetle, mole cricket, different types scoops. Rarely affected by fungal diseases: Alder polypore, beech cancer.