Bare root seedlings
a. Coordination
The supply date of the seedlings should be coordinated with the nursery – at least 48 hours in advance.
b. Planting time
A bare root seedling can be planted only in winter, between January and the end of February.
A bare root seedling should be planted only when the seedling is in the dormant phase. Do not plant a seedling that has started waking up and its leaves emerge.
A bare root seedling must be planted immediately once taken from the nursery (in other cases, see the tip concerning transportation, unloading and storage).
In the case of a bare root seedling, it is necessary to renew the incision in the primary and secondary roots, in order to trigger secondary outbreaks.
c. How to plant bare root seedlings?
Following the preparation of the field and the filling of the water holes, the seedling should be placed in the planting hole.
The hole should then be covered with soil.
The seedling should be covered with soil up to the height of two fingers below the grafting.
The "knee" that was formed as a result of the grafting, should be facing westwards, in order to serve as a lever for the winds and to prevent a curved orchard.
Finally, the seedling should be watered thoroughly
d. Pruning
When the seedling is very tall, it is possible to prune it in several stages:
First, it should be pruned to the height of 1 meter above the grafting.
Two to three weeks later, it should be pruned to the height of 70 cm. above the grafting.
Once the seedling starts waking up, it should be lastly pruned to the height of 50 cm. above the grafting.
Since the seedling is of an apical dominance, several pruning actions should be performed, in order to stimulate the seedling.
In the final pruning stage, a black or similar ointment should be applied to the incision, to prevent the drying out of the seedling.
The incision should be made facing eastwards, in parallel to the grafting "knee" to prevent the drying out of the seedling.
