Another great tip I learned from this forum is using Rootmaker trays and containers.I am about to order lots of 32 cell trays.

But I have an important question;

I will sow and germinate my Flying dragon seeds in this 32 cell trays.The problem is it will take more than a month to receive the trays from the company.And my seeds are ready.

Do you think I should wait for the trays and start with them or do you think I should sow the seeds to my ordinary germinating trays which are 1mt. long trays with 15cm. depth, without any cell.

I think it will take almost a month for the seeds to germinate.When they germinate and have 1inch roots I can transfer the seedlings to 32 cell rootmaker tray.This way I can have 1 month advantage.They will still make 4inch rule roots, right?

Which one is better, starting with rootmaker trays or transfering the seedlings to them later?

Best,

I ONLYuse Root Maker trays for germinating seeds, and then ONLY Root Maker containers for growing on. I would recommend you purchase 18 cell trays instead of the 32s. You could probably get by with the transplanting at a later date, only as long as the tap root is shorter than 4 inches, and that you are able to transplant into the Root Maker keeping the FD roots straight down insde the Root Maket cell tray.

Yes, I agree it would be wonderful to start with the rootmaker but they will not be here at least in a month.I just thought to have some time to let the seeds start germinating.
As I mentioned, I think the tap roots will be around 1, maybe 2 inches when the trays will arrive, so I can transplant them.

I will also have RootBuilder II Quart, so I can transplant the seedlings from the tray to rootbuilder.

We will use the trays for other plants too so we decided that the 32 cell will be the best option.I will ask them if it is possible to replace few of the 32 cell tray boxes with 18 cell tray boxes in the pallet, thanks for the advice

Btw, I will mix perlitte and peat to use in the trays to germinate the seeds.
I will also test cocopeat in some trays.Do you have any recommendations?
The seedlings will stay in the tray like 6-8 weeks, do I need to add some fertilizer to the mix?

For germinating seeds or for rooting cuttings, I use the University of Oklahoma (Dr. Carl Whitcomb) recommendations. Formulas for the growth medium are as follows. 1:1 mixture of peat moss and perlite, or 2:1:1 ground pine bark, peat and perlite, or 2:1:1 ground pine bark, peat and vermiculite. To these growth mediums add the following nutrients. Osmocote 18-6-12 should be used at a rate of 4 to 9 lbs./cubic yard with the lower rate for slow growing species in very small containers with peat and perlite or a similar growth medium, and the high rate for rapid growing species in larger containers or where bark is a component. STEM (Soluble Trace Element Mix) or similar trace element formula at the rate of 3/4 to 1-lb. per cubic yard for all species in all container sizes. Dolomite should be added ONLY if the irrigation water supplies less than 25 ppm calcium, and then only at a rate of about 2 to 3 pounds per cubic yard or less.

NOTE: ONLY the 18-6-12 formulation of Osmocote (6 - 9 Month formulation) is recommended since it has a slow INITIAL release of nutrients, which coincides well with the developing seeding and the favorable nitrogen to phosphorus ratio. Faster release fertilizer sources or even moderate levels of liquid fertilizer may inhibit seedling growth. Osmocote also has the desirable property of increasing nutrient release rate with increasing temperature.

Further, because you are using the 32 cell trays, which are smaller size germinating cells, the growth medium will need to have a higher level of aeration. The growth medium for tree seedlings in containers must be well aerated, yet have a moderate water holding capacity. Rapidly developing roots of seedlings with high respiration rates require oxygen levels greater than older plants. The above growth medium formulas will work well. Take care and the very best of luck.

Thanks a lot Millet, this helps a lot

It is really difficult (or maybe impossible ) to find osmocote here, they offer an alternative but it is 16-8-12 instead of 18-6-12;

Click here to learn about BASACOTE-9M

I will search more for Osmocote but in case I can't find it, can the product above help?

The 16-8-12 might work, but I am not sure. The reason that Osmocote 18-6-12 is recommended for tender new seedling, and for rooting cuttings, is because there is no fast initial release of nutrients. Initially, 18-6-12 nutrition is slowly released. This is exactly what the new developing root system of a seedling requires. You need to find out what the initial release rate of the 16-8-12 is. Any fertilizer that has a high nutrient release can burn the new roots, or at least delay growth. As to first planting your seeds in a nursery tray and then transplanting them into the Root Makers cells, here is what Dr. Witcomb of the Root Maker company has to say in his book Plant Production In Containers-II.

..........."As the seeds germinate, PROMPTLY transferr into 60-32-18 cell RootMaker trays. It is very important to make the transplant promptly. When the seed has just germinated, and the taproot has not yet been air-pruned at the bottom of the flat, there are no secondary branch roots to interfere and the taproot is only 0.5 to 1.5 inches long. The desirable aspect of transplanting already germinated seeds directly into each cell of a tray is the assurance that there is a viable seedling in each cell and each seedling is at the same stage of development at this point. With this procedure, a very high percentage of the resulting seedlings will grow close to the same rate. By contrast, if seed is planted directly into each cell of a tray, some seeds germinate earlier than others and there can be a substantial difference in height of the seedlings and significant shading. If taproots are allowed to grow several inches long and are then transplanted, frequently the taproot is bent, folded or deflected such that an undesirable kink or "J" root occurs. This leads to a terrible root system and worthless trees."........... Therefore Meyerlemon, be sure to transplant into your Root Maker cell trays before there is any bend or secondary root branching of the main tap root. Again good luck.

Thanks a lot Millet, I am glad you answer my questions with details.
I got the point about the slow release fertilizer.

I undertsand I need to transplant the seedlings before the taproot is bent or folded.
But beside this subject, does it work if I cut the bent or folded part of the tap root, prune it and transplant it? Will the tree grow fine with a cut tap root?

Best,

Meyer, I am not 100 percent sure about the correct answer to your question. Earlier this year I planted 500 Gambel Oak acorns in nursery flats. After they germinated and the radical root grew just a little, I transplanted they into 18 cell Root Maker trays. There were a few that the tap (radical) root did hit the bottom of the nursery tray and bent. I cut the root off immediately before the bend and then transplanted them. Unfortunately, I did not keep a record of which cell they were placed in so I can not now go back and see how they developed secondary and tertiary roots. My guess is: Yes you can root prune the main root and it should be OK. One thought is that a cut root has an open wound, that could possibly become infected. However, I think cutting is much better that planting a root with a kink.

Thanks a lot Millet

I will cut and test few of them.