Seedbed Coverings Affect Germination, Growth, and Frost Heaving in Barefoot Nurseries

At a bareroot nursery in central British Columbia, seedbed coverings- including a bedhouse and clear, white, black, or porous clear polyethylene- were evaluated on seedbeds of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud). The bedhouse treatment resulted in the most consistent germination and seedling growth improvement, and the clear polyethylene resulted in substantially reduced germination. The other treatments had small and inconsistent effects on germination; however, the porous clear bedcovering increased seedling growth. Lower frost heaving losses in bedhouse-grown spruce seedlings could be due to the greater root weight (size) of those seedlings. Tree Planters' Notes 41(4):13-16; 1990.

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Author(s): David G. Simpson

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volumes 41, Number 4 (1990)

Section: General

Volume: 41

Number: 4