Care & Maintenance
Care & Maintenance
Care & Maintenance
MAINTENANCE
Care & Maintenance
1. Watering
2. Shading
3. Weeding
4. Root Pruning
5. Pricking Out
6. Thinning
7. Hardening Off
8. Prevention and Control of Pests and Diseases
WATERING
Watering
Soil type. A sandy soil loses water faster than soil with high clay
content hence needs more frequent watering. The disadvantage
of clay soil is that it becomes hard cracks when dry. Ensure that
the soil used in the nursery is collected and mixed correctly.
Watering the seedlings should be directed at the earth and not
the leaves. A watering can or a hosepipe with a nozzle should be
used to ensure uniform distribution water, and one should water
the whole bed and not just the plants in the center of the bed.
Also, you should ensure that water gets to the bottom of the
container.
Watering
Too much water can damage the plants just as much as not
enough water because of waterlogging, which makes it difficult
for the roots to ‘breath.’
Ideally, watering should be done in the morning and evening
when the sun is not intense. If this is not possible, then water
once a day in the evening.
You can water the seedlings once or not all during rainy seasons.
Just to reiterate, you should avoid under-watering and
overwatering. Use an adequate amount of water, e.g., 20 liters
for 1,000 seedlings
SHADING
Shading
Moreover, if the roots are cut when the seedling is old, the
procedure is likely to result in a weakened plant. As such,
periodic root pruning is recommended to avoid the problems
associated with seedlings developing roots beyond their beds’
height. The period and interval of root pruning tree seedlings
depend on different species and other conditions. Nevertheless,
root pruning is done when seedlings’ roots have started to
penetrate under the surface.
Root Pruning: Procedure