Nursery Techniques - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 40

Fig. 2.11 Irrigating nursery
beds. Flexible pipe is hooked
onto a hydrant and a
sprinkling rose is attached to
its other end
For most species, one irrigation a day—by thoroughly saturating soil in the pots—
will suffice, except in a very hot season (temperature > 40 ◦ C) when plants should be
irrigated twice a day. During winter, it is enough to irrigate once in 2-3 days. Vigour
and health of the plants should be used as a guide for determining precise frequency
of irrigation. Morning and evening times are better times for irrigating, although for
large nurseries it becomes unavoidable to irrigate throughout the day for the sheer
time it takes to cover all the beds (Fig. 2.11 ).
Seedbeds and mother beds require less stringent irrigation schedule because the
soil around the plants is not limited by a physical boundary, as in polypots. While
seedbeds should be irrigated once daily or alternately, mother beds can be irrigated
once in 3-5 days. However, it will not be possible to saturate the soil in beds as in
case of polypots, as the soil is not confined. Hence, more water will be required per
irrigation.
If the plants will face drought when outplanted in field in arid and semiarid
conditions, drought proofing (sometimes called hardening off) should be carried