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Download the Planting Fruit Tree Seedlings Chapter
The Planting Fruit Tree Seedlings chapter of the Facilitators Manual provides the detailed instructions (and support materials) you need to implement the mobilization meeting. Download the chapter here.
Summary
Goal Using the tools provided, farmers will plant suckers and/or fruit seedlings using proper spacing and best practices. Learning Objectives- Learn the proper timing for planting and outplanting a variety of fruit trees.
- Learn how to properly space and orient fruit trees on their field.
- Learn where and how to prepare planting holes and plant selected fruit tree seedlings and/or suckers.
- Learn best practices for fruit tree care and maintenance after outplanting.
- Chapter 5: Seedling Propagation (Caring for Your Seedlings in the Nursery section)
- Chapter 6: Fruit Trees (Rearing Fruit Trees section)
- Chapter 7: Outplanting Seedlings
- Inspect the host farmer’s nursery to ensure seedlings are ready for outplanting, at least 5 seedlings per participant. Remind the host farmer to harden off the seedlings.
- Understand the planting and care requirements for all species selected.
- Identify a section of the Forest Garden to use for the pruning and harvesting practical.
- Prepare plantain and/or banana suckers, where relevant. If possible, identify a nearby location where suckers can be harvested so farmers can practice during the training.
- Invite host farmer’s family to the workshop.
- Measuring tape
- 5 sharpened machetes for pruning and harvesting
- Knives or razor blades for pruning roots and removing sacks
- 2 wheelbarrows for transporting seedlings
- 5 round shovels or appropriate digging tools
- 3 watering cans with water
- ½ wheelbarrow of wood ash
- ½ wheelbarrow of charcoal dust
- 1 wheelbarrow of compost or decomposed manure
- Soil for filling tree sacks
- Plantain and banana suckers, if relevant
- Sticks for marking planting rows
- String
- Host farmer’s Forest Garden design
- Tree Spacing Diagram
Agenda
Opener: Review Forest Garden design (20 minutes)- Review host farmer Forest Garden design
- Discuss plants to intercrop with fruit trees
- Agroforestry technologies, protection, and care
- Mark where to plant the trees in the field
- Demonstrate preparing holes
- Farmers practice preparing planting holes
- Teach a small group of 5 farmers how to extract and plant seedlings in the prepared holes
- The first group of 5 farmers teaches 5 new farmers how to extract, transport, and plant the seedlings
- Continue small group Learn and Teach until all farmers have practiced removing, transporting, and planting the seedlings
- Discuss seedling/sucker care with large group
- Debrief the workshop activities
- Farmers plant suckers and outplant seedlings from nursery to field
- Follow-up
What you need to know
Whether you intend to sit the FG Pro certification exam, or lead Seedling Propagation module extension activities, you must be able to answer the following questions to succeed.Building your nursery, planting seeds, and seedling care
Caring for Seedlings in the Nursery
Watering
- How much water should you use to water your seedlings?
- If a watering can is available, what is proper watering technique? What other materials can you use instead of a watering can?
- What times of day should you water your nursery? If it rains and the soil is still very wet at watering time, should you still water your nursery?
- How do you know if you’re watering too much? What should you do? How do you know if you’re not watering enough? What should you do?
Weeding
Thinning
- What do you do when more than one seedling germinates in a sack?
- Why do you thin seedlings?
- Should you thin in the sun or in the shade?
- How tall should seedlings be when thinned?
- How many seedlings should remain in tree sacks after thinning?
- How do you decide which seedlings to thin out, and which to replant?
- When thinning seedlings – what method do you use to extract the seedling?
- After transplanting, why should disturbed soil be repacked?
- Should replanted seedlings be watered? When?
- How do you determine which bareroot seedlings to thin? Where do you replant these seedlings?
Hardening Off
Popular Fruit Trees: Propagation and Care
Read the Popular Fruit Trees article to familiarize yourself with some of the more common species of fruit trees.Soil types, amendments, compost & mulch
Soil Amendments and their Benefits
Permagardening: Year round vegetable garden
Convenient Spacing Tools
Outplanting seedlings
Timing of Tree Planting
Prepare Your Planting Holes
Extracting and Transporting your Seedlings
Outplanting your Seedlings
- Why is it important to massage the rootball after removing the seedling from the sack?
- What are J-roots and how do you prevent them?
- How and why should you prune the bareroot seedling after planting it?
- Where should the root collar of the seedling be placed when planting the seedling?
- How should soil be packed into the hole around the seedling? How tightly?
- How much water do you need for each outplanted seedling or sucker? How often?