Transplants do Better Than Seedlings, But ...
Transplanted conifer stock generally survives and grows better than seedling stock in the Lake States (3). Nevertheless, most species are outplanted as seedlings because the superiority of transplants is not marked enough to justify their extra cost. The major exception is white spruce which, until recently, was commonly outplanted as 2-1 or 2-2 stock. A test comparing these two classes of stock with 3-0 seedlings shows that transplanting and holding white spruce 1 year in the transplant bed materially increases its chance for survival in the field, but holding the stock for a second year after transplanting increases its chance for survival little, if at all. Seedlings that reach a height of 8.6 inches or more after 3 years in the seedbed survive nearly as well as either 2-1 or 2-2 transplants of equivalent size and grow about as fast as transplants.
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Author(s): John H. Cooley
Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 20, Number 3 (1969)
Volume: 20
Number: 3