Planting is the foundational step in the journey of growing any type of plant—whether it’s a vegetable, flower, herb, or tree. It involves placing seeds or young plants into soil or another growing medium with the goal of nurturing them to full growth.
Understanding the planting process is essential for anyone interested in gardening, farming, or even reforestation.
Why Planting Is Important
The act of planting goes far beyond putting a seed in the ground. It plays a crucial role in multiple areas of life:
- Agriculture: Planting is the first step in food production, supporting both small-scale farmers and large-scale crop growers. Proper planting techniques can lead to higher yields and healthier crops.
- Gardening: In home gardens, planting brings beauty, relaxation, and even fresh produce to households. It connects people to nature and promotes sustainability.
- The Environment: On a broader scale, planting helps combat climate change, prevents soil erosion, and supports biodiversity. Tree planting, in particular, is vital for absorbing carbon dioxide and restoring ecosystems.
Understanding why planting is important can motivate individuals and communities to take part in green efforts, whether it’s starting a home garden or participating in large-scale planting projects.
Planting
Planting is the operation of transferring young plant from nursery to their permanent place in landscape.
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1) Steps Involved in Planting Site Condition
The conditions of the planting site are as important as the plant. Soil type and drainage, available water and sunlight, exposure to dying winds, and other factors must be considered.
Attempting to match the requirements of the plant to the site increase the survivability, performance, and longevity of the plant selected.
i) Soil Texture
The first step in assessing the condition of the planting site is to examine the soil. Whether the soil is sandy and well drained, or is it moist with some organic material, or is it heavy dlay and therefore, wet and perhaps compacted.
Construction practices such as cutting and filling, installation of underground utilities, and backfilling against foundations can create great diversity in soil structure. This variability can change drastically with depth and between planting locations on the same property investigate each planting site.
Soil texture and drainage are closely related. Sandy soils usually are very well drained, have large pore spaces, and poor water- holding capabilities. They are usually associated with dry conditions.
Conversely, clayed soils have much smaller pore spaces, are poorly drained, and can suffocate plant roots. The pore spaces in soil are very important to plant growth because the oxygen that occupies them is essential to healthy roots. A tree planted in poorly drained soil will be slow to establish, lack vigor, and often will slowly die.
ii) Drainage
Because plant roots require both moisture and oxygen for growth, soil drainage should be checked before planting. A poorly drained soil, high in moisture but low in oxygen, prevents both proper root development and growth of beneficial soil micro-organisms that are responsible for decomposing organic matter and releasing plant nutrients.
To test for soil drainage, dig a hole 18 inches deep, fill it with water, and let it stand overnight. If the water has not drained by morning, there is a draining problem. (Do not leave the drainage in this matter after heavy rainfall or before the ground has thawed in the spring).
If soil drainage is inadequate, species that are tolerant of poorly drained soils may be planted, or soil drainage may be improved. This can be done in two ways. If a hard pan is present (a compacted, impermeable layer of soil) with an underlying layer of well – drained soil, a hole can be dug down to the permeable layer to provide drainage for the planting hole.
If the soil is poorly drained and there is no well-drained layer below, a tile system can be laid. However, this is expensive and requires the assistance of a professional for proper design. Simply adding gravel to the bottom of the planting hole will further decrease oxygen availability to the root system.
Compaction of the soil by vehicles or people can reduce pore space and restrict water infiltration, as well as cause physical damage to roots of existing trees. In compacted soil, oxygen is depleted, carbon dioxide accumulates, and root penetration is reduced. This is detrimental to root growth. Aerating the soil will help correct the problem.
Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a soil. A pH below 7 (7 is neutral) would indicate an acidic soil, and a pH above 7 indicates an alkaline soil. Many plants have an optimal range of pH. Most trees thrive on a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Soil pH is raised by calcium carbonate or lime. Plant species that will tolerate a high pH should be considered for areas with buried concrete, near foundations, or sidewalks etc.
Before a plant is planted on a particular site, a soil test should be conducted to determine possible pH problems or nutrient deficiencies.
iii) Water
The correct amount of water for plants is essential. Selected plants that are tolerant of excess water for low areas where water may be standing or very close to the surface, or where a heavy clay soil exists.
Standing water or a high water table means low oxygen content in the soil. Therefore, trees and shrubs that can tolerate excessive moisture are often better suited to these poor sites.
iv) Sunlight
Although some plants can tolerate low light conditions, most require full sun to maintain their vigor and attain their full potential. Some plants may require some protective shade to prevent leaf scorch and desiccation.
v) Location
The location of the planting site in relation to other trees and objects such as buildings, fences, etc. will have a considerable influence on temperature and moisture conditions around the tree. Prevailing westerly winds have a drying effect on non protected sites.
The south side of a building will be much warmer and drier than the north side. The warming effect of the sun on a cold winter day can cause injury to the bark and may cause the tree trunk to split.
For evergreens, this warming can cause water loss and growth activity resulting in needle damage when the temperature is again lowered Plant hardiness can be greatly affected by the amount of protection provided by individual microclimates.
vi) Planting Season
The season for planting will depend upon the following factors:
- Adequate amount of rainfall.
- Presence of moisture in the air.
- Mass planting should never be done in summer. A local level planting can be done in summer, provided proper irrigation is available.
- Plants growing in areas having composite climate should be shifted to the new site prior to the monsoon, preferably in the month of July in northern parts of India.
- When there is doubt of water logging, planting should be carried out at the end of rainy season.
- Salix babylonica, Salix monosperma, Dalbergia sissoo, Calestamon lanceolatus, Terminalia arjuna etc. can be planted in waterlogged area.
- In Punjab, planting is done in February when dormancy stage is crossed.
- Roses must be planted in the beginning of winter i.e. September.
- General planting should be carried out between February and April. March is comfortable for plants as temperature is neither of the two extremes and the soil temperature during this period is steady with adequate moisture content.
2) Planting Procedure
i) Preparation of Pit
Pit should be prepared two months prior to planting to help the soil expose to the scorching sun.
Tree pit should be 1.2mX1.2mX1.2m. The pit should be properly dug as per specification. Poor digging with improper base dimension would lead to the undernourished growth of the plant.
While excavating, remove the top soil to a depth of 6″ to 9″ and keep it aside. Topsoil undergoes change in fertility status in the span of two months (between December and February)
If the subsoil is poor in terms of water holding capacity etc., it must be treated with 3 parts of manure + 2 parts of sweet earth + 1 part of sand (3:2:1). This will improve the drainage conditions and also enhance the acquired fertility of the soil.
Manure might generate heat after water is added. Hence, precaution must be taken to protect the plants. Also one third of compost manure is added at the time of refilling.
After refilling, soil is consolidated by watering. Soil should be allowed to get dried up by exposing it to the sun.
ii) Planting the sapling
Prior to planting of the sapling, there is a need for the introduced sapling to get acclimatized to the new environment. If possible such saplings should first be procured in nursery beds.
Preparation of hole: Hole is prepared in the soil large enough to take the roots of the sapling with a layer of sand underneath.
Wrapping of roots: The roots of the sapling when lifted from nursery are wrapped with good earth, such that the evapo-transpiration is checked and the moisture content is maintained.
Damaged roots and shoots are to be cut off to prevent evapo-transpiration from shoots and roots.
iii) Staking
Staking is done to protect the tree from bending and toppling due to the wind pressure. The staking thus helps in helping the tree sapling to hold vertically and achieve the desired form.
The hole is then filled up with fine soil and firmly pressed down so that the roots are exposed. The soil is then consolidated property to avoid unnecessary settling or exposing of the roots.
iv) Watering
Watering must be done every third day for a young plant sapling to survive. The site can be divided into three zones and each zone can be watered one day. Watering done should be copious.
Surface soil should be cultivated regularly to open up the soil so that proper aeration of the soil takes place.
When subsoil drainage is poor, due to presence of clay or clay pan, it will result in damage of the roots. Hence brickbats with stone cover and dry leaves are laid in the pit to a depth of 4″ to 8″
White ants may occur if manure quantity is high. Hence, it is necessary to keep the manure quantity to the minimum.
v) Planting of Shrubs
There are two ways of shrubs plantation, either individual or group planting.
For individual plantation, the distance from centre to centre is usually 0.6m X 0.6m X 0.6m, but can very as per the requirement of the type of shrub.
6″ of topsoil is removed and kept aside before trenching is carried out.
Trenching is to be carried out in the entire area taken by the shrub bed. The depth of trench is between 25cm to 40cm.
All weeds and roots, stones etc. are removed.
10cm of well rotted sable manure should be supplied to the bed and spread and mixed with 30cm of soil.
The surface is to be roughly dressed and irrigated thoroughly. The soil is then firmly consolidated.
When subsoil drainage is poor, the soil in the pit is to be replaced with good soil with 10cm manure.