RNGR.net is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Southern Regional Extension Forestry and is a colloborative effort between these two agencies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service Southern Regional Extension Forestry Southern Regional Extension Forestry

Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Home → Publications → Tree Planters' Notes → Tree Planters' Notes Issue 18 (1954) → Machine for Applying Sand or Sawdust to Seedbeds

Machine for Applying Sand or Sawdust to Seedbeds

Conifer seed germination difficulties have been experienced at both the Bogue and Russ nurseries operated by the Michigan State College. The Hillsdale fine sandly loam soil at the Bogue nursery and the Fox sandly loam at Russ both become compact and form a crust on the surface after a rain. The packed soil and surface crust creates considerable resistance to emergence of jack pine, white spruce, red pine and Scots pine seedlings. Tilling peat and sawdust in the soil has improved the physical character of the soil, but it still is necessary to sow these smaller seeds on the surface of the ground covered with a thin even layer of sand or sawdust in order to get good emergence of seedlings. White pine, Austrian pine, and Douglas fir seeds are covered with nursery soil, then mulched with 1/4-inch sawdust to prevent a surface crust from forming.


Download this file:

PDF document Download this file — PDF document, 350Kb

Details

Author(s): W. Ira Bull

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Issue 18 (1954)