Transplanting to final growing position

3. Transplant seedlings to a wider spacing when necessary. This will result in sturdy young plants that are more likely to successfully establish in open ground when they are ultimately transplanted to their final growing position.

Ungerminated ‘failures ’

Even when every possible care has been taken to handle tree seeds carefully, store them properly, pretreat them correctly and sow and nurture them optimally, some seeds apparently fail to grow. Don ’t give up hope – they might still only be dormant. Leave any ungerminated seeds in the ground or put pots back in the corner of the garden, and keep an eye on them for another two or three years. Many of the seeds of deeply dormant species might yet respond to natural conditions and ultimately yield seedlings.

In due course, you will want to transplant your seedlings or saplings to their final growing position. Successful establishment requires as much care and attention as you have spent on pretreating the seeds and growing the seedlings, but the details are beyond the scope of this Guide. A good source of information is given in the Forestry Commission Bulletin 121 Forest tree seedlings.

Figure 10

Transplanting a sapling of a native tree to its final growing position. Perthshire, Scotland.