How to manipulate the seedlings

1. Decide on the technology of seedlings you will use – either bare-root seedlings or air-prune seedlings. You also have to plan the whole afforestation process, starting with the transport of seedlings, outplanting and finishing with the protection of seedlings so that it doesn’t get injured because of wrong manipulation.
   
   
2. For transportation it is necessary to ensure a suitable vehicle. Either a closed car or a car with a cover. The cover must not touch the seedlings. We transport planting material stacked up to a maximum of 60 cm.
   
   
3. Offload seedlings from the vehicle carefully and store them in an air-conditioned storage/room, snow hole or field so that roots do not dry up at a sunny or windy place. If you plan to store bare-root seedlings longer than one week, it is necessary to unpack them.
   
   
4. Provide workers with suitable spades and containers for carrying seedlings when planting, to minimize the time the seedling has uncovered roots.
   
   
5. Stick to the specified rules regarding the planting technology – mainly the depth of planting, direction of plants, correct direction of roots and compaction of the soil around plants so that air bubbles don´t appear at roots.
   
   
6. The treatment of plants with chemicals should be done in the shade and the roots should be protected to avoid contact with insecticides.