Seedling quilting

In the production of pear and apple tree rootstocks, seedling quilting is still used quite often. When using this treatment, the date of sowing seeds for inspection or for beds must be adapted to the expected date of picking. On 1 m2 is sown in rows or in a plan of approx 250 grams of pome fruit seeds. These seeds are covered with a layer of clean sand or earth about 1 cm thick 1,5 cm. The depth of the stone fruit seeds cover is greater and ranges from 2,5 do 3,0 cm. After sowing is finished, the soil should be thoroughly watered with water. When young seedlings develop cotyledons, usually after 2-3 weeks from the date of sowing, transplanting begins, in practice called quilting. A dozen or so hours before removing the seedlings, the beds are poured with plenty of water. During quilting, the main root is shortened by 1 /3 its length from the root collar. Quilted rootstocks usually form a more branched root system.
A field intended for quilting or sowing seeds should not be deep loosened in spring. Before quilting or sowing, the soil is rolled and rolled. The seedlings are quilted into single rows or with the row-belt system. The distances between the rows of quilted seedlings should be 25-30 cm for hand weeding and 50-70 cm with mechanized cultivation. In the rows of apple seedlings, pear and sweet cherries are picked up at 5-7 cm, and the other species co 3-4 cm. Dense planting of seedlings of alech and antipyse is dictated by the need to obtain non-overgrown rootstocks.
Quilting is a very laborious procedure. During one working day, one employee may seat 2-3 thousands of seedlings. After a few days of work and training, the workers plant 4, and even 5 thousand seedlings.
Nursing nursery seedlings mainly consists in keeping the soil clean and in a structure conducive to good plant growth.. Loosening and destroying weeds between the rows is done mechanically, and only in the rows do you have to destroy them by hand. If the seeds were sown directly into the ground, the emergence is sometimes too dense. It is then necessary to interrupt the seedlings. Young seedlings in the cotyledon stage can then be used to thicken rows with rare emergence or planted in a specially prepared place. The enormous labor demand for quilting seedlings forces nurserymen to look for cheaper production methods..
It is cut with special knives, or, ultimately, szpadlem. Thoroughly tread the soil around the cut plants, then water it. Otherwise, a large number of the seedlings will dry up.
During the growing season, young apple and pear seedlings usually require additional nitrogen fertilization in the amount of approx 30 kg of pure ingredient at one time per 1 ha. The number and size of doses should depend primarily on the growth strength of the rootstock, and the fertility of the soil. With weaker seedling growth, we usually use more doses. Irrigation gives very good results during the growing season of seedlings.