Proper Seedling Care & Storage Prior to Planting
Containerized Longleaf Pine
Rule 1: Plant as soon as possible. Although containerized seedlings may keep (under the correct conditions) for several weeks, survival decreases with increasing storage time.
Rule 2: Keep seedlings in lined (waxed) boxes provided by the nursery. Waxed boxes will assist in keeping seedlings from drying out. Do not store seedlings in planting bags.
Rule 3: Store trees in a shaded, cool, dry area protected from desiccating winds.
Rule 4: Keep plugs moist with a light mist of water. However, saturating seedlings may lead to mildew development.
Rule 5: Never carry seedlings in the back of an open pickup truck. This will lead to drying of the seedling plug.
Bareroot Longleaf Pine
The rules for care and storage of bareroot longleaf pine seedlings are essentially the same as for containerized. However, there are two glaring exceptions.
Exception 1: Bareroot longleaf seedlings do not keep well. Plant bareroot seedlings within 1-2 days after they are lifted from the nursery. In an ideal situation, you'd plant them the same day of lifting.
Exception 2: Unlike containerized longleaf pines that come in boxes, bareroot usually come in bundles. Never stack these bundles. Stacking bundles will decrease air flow, cause bundles to heat up, and seedlings to dry out.