The effectiveness of pine seedlings on coconut fiber substrate

Three-leaf pine, a familiar plant in the forests on the Di Linh plateau, is preparing for the planting season. And, the staff and workers of the High-Tech Nursery, Di Linh Forestry Company Limited are nurturing the young, healthy pine trees, ready to cover the forests with green.

Mr. Han Van Nam introduces the pine garden grown on coconut fiber substrate.

Mr. Han Van Nam - Deputy Director of Di Linh Forestry Company shared that, like other forestry enterprises, the company has the function of propagating and planting pine seedlings to cover the forest in the rainy season of the highlands. The quality of pine seedlings will help increase the survival rate of planted forests. A project by engineers working at the company's High-Tech Nursery has been successful and implemented over the past 10 years, helping to make forest regeneration more effective.

Mr. Han Van Nam shared that the forest planted in the area of ​​Di Linh Forestry Company is mostly three-leaf pine. Therefore, every year, the company has to plant pine seedlings in very large quantities. Like the traditional method of propagation, the planting medium for pine is mainly soil mixed with pine humus, stuffed into plastic bags. This medium causes poor quality of plants, easy to be infected with fungi, high mortality rate, and weak lignification ability of trees. At the same time, due to poor quality of trees and high mortality rate, it only meets the company's forest planting needs, not yet able to provide seedlings for forest planting units in and outside the province.

Engineers of the company's High-Tech Nursery have researched on changing the substrate for growing pine seedlings. Thinking of coconut fiber, one of the very good substrates for growing many different types of plants such as vegetables, orchids, etc.; the engineers of the nursery have evaluated and considered whether coconut fiber is suitable for growing pine seedlings. With the characteristics of creating looseness in the substrate, as well as limiting some sources of disease, coconut fiber is considered a suitable substrate for growing pine seedlings. The engineers have researched and implemented the topic of Growing pine seedlings using coconut fiber substrate.

After many experiments, the forestry staff of the High-Tech Nursery have mixed a type of coconut fiber substrate suitable for growing pine. With a ratio of 90% coconut fiber, mixed with 10% pine humus, the lignification rate of pine seedlings is quite fast, the average height of the tree is 15 - 17 cm after 6 months of sowing. At the same time, because coconut fiber is very light, it reduces the mass of the pot, and the ability to retain moisture is very good. This is extremely necessary to easily transport seedlings to the planting site and increase the survival rate when not planted in time during the day.

From the first trial in 2015 to the planting season in 2024, 10 years have passed, and coconut fiber substrate has become a familiar substrate for the staff and workers of Di Linh Forestry Company. Mr. Han Van Nam commented that instead of planting in plastic bags as in the traditional way, which is both labor-intensive and difficult to transport, the company's nursery now grows pine seedlings in plastic trays. The substrate is stuffed into the trays, the seeds are sown by machine, and watered automatically. Only in the third month of planting, the pine trees have turned into wood. And after 5-6 months of planting, the pine trees are ready to be shipped to the garden, ready for a lush rainy season.

“A great benefit of coconut fiber substrate is that it is very convenient to transport pine seedlings. Instead of stacking each bag, we stack each tray onto the means of transport. Then, the grower only needs to use a bamboo stick to gently press down into the hole, creating a hole 3 cm in diameter, 10 cm deep close to the pine seedling's substrate, remove the pine tree from the tray and place it gently down. Planting is fast, economical and has a higher survival rate than having to tear the plastic pot and plant each tree individually. At the same time, sowing pine seedlings on the substrate in plastic trays is very effective in helping to reduce costs for the unit, not releasing hundreds of plastic bags into the environment after use. Plastic trays for planting pine trees can be used for many crops, saving and protecting the environment", Mr. Han Van Nam assessed the practical effectiveness.

A very simple research topic, arising from the reality of the engineers of the High-Tech Nursery of Di Linh Forestry Company Limited, has become a familiar and effective pine seedling sowing process. Every year, Di Linh Forestry Company prepares from 150 thousand to 200 thousand pine seedlings. And, the passion and research of the workers have helped the company complete its mission excellently, contributing to preserving the green color of the highland forests.

Source: http://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202406/hieu-qua-tu-uom-giong-thong-tren-gia-the-xo-dua-d682940/