Plastic Baskets in Seedspot Protection

Successful reforestation utilizing seed spotting is feasible. The advantages of this practice are well documented in the literature. The biggest problem, however, is protecting seed from rodents and various birds. Various methods of protecting seedspots using inverted plastic baskets similar to those used to market strawberries, were tried. Cost of the plastic baskets used was $13.50/M (0.0135 each). Conical hardware cloth wire cages currently recommended for protecting seedspots are $0.07 each ($70.00/M). The use of plastic baskets could provide an 81 percent reduction of cost per seedspot. The trial consisted of 80 seedspots each containing five Douglas-fir seed (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Seedspots were spaced in rows at 4 foot invervals along the contour. Forty seed spots were protected with plastic baskets and 40 were left as a control. Twenty of the plastic baskets had soil mounded on all four edges while the remaining had wire pins (one per basket) to hold the inverted baskets in place over the seedspots. Two types of wire pins were tried: a U shaped pin and a straight pin with a small hook. Each seedspot was in a 1-foot diameter circle scalped free of other vegetation. Mineral soil was used to lightly cover the seed.

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Author(s): Richard D. Zechentmayer

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 22, Number 3 (1971)

Volume: 22

Number: 3