- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- A recent study in Thailand finds that raising native tree seedlings inside repurposed bottle crates improves performance compared to standard methods in community-run nurseries.
- Saplings grown in bottle crates had better root formation and superior growth when planted out in a deforested site, thanks to better air circulation for the roots.
- Crating the saplings also saved on labor costs, which more than offset the cost of purchasing the crates.
- Adoption of the new method could improve the quality of saplings grown in community nurseries, a benefit for reforestation projects where sapling survival is key to success.
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Is this really a new discovery? People I know have been using old plastic crates in the nursery to air-prune the roots for as long as I can remember. If I had known that people elsewhere hadn’t figured it out, I would have posted about it sooner…