Seedlings: Well Begun Is Half Done!
Farmer's Weekly|July 03, 2020
Seedlings are the start of a new crop, so the better their condition, the more likely you are to benefit at harvest time. Most experienced farmers will confirm that when seedlings grow rapidly into a uniform stand, the crop usually ends up well.
Seedlings: Well Begun Is Half Done!

Human nature also plays a part. If a crop does not start off properly, one tends not to give it the same attention as a crop that starts off beautifully. This may sound illogical, but in my experience, it happens. Once, on a trip to the US, I visited a very large seedling nursery, where the manager told me that his clients dictated the size and hardness of the seedlings that they wanted grown. This does not happen much in South Africa, but it should.

I have seen seedlings arriving from a warm area transplanted in a cold area just before a cold front. Unsurprisingly, all the plants were burnt to death by the low temperature.

If plants require hardening, this should be done at the nursery, not in the land after transplanting where there is less control.

MATCH THE CONDITIONS

This story is from the July 03, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.

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This story is from the July 03, 2020 edition of Farmer's Weekly.

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