Are you interested in planting seedlings next spring? If so, continue reading this column for helpful tips on setting your seedlings up for success! Having a successful seedling planting isn’t as easy as digging a hole in the ground and sticking a seedling in it and walking away. Below are helpful tips that can ensure you have optimal success growing your seedlings.

• Step 1: Remove all weeds (I even remove grass) around the planting area. This allows less competition for vital resources such as water, nutrients from the soil and sunlight. It also decreases invasions of pests and diseases that may harm your seedlings.

• Step 2: Know your soil. To increase the odds of your seedlings surviving you need to know if your soil and the desired tree species are compatible. You might want to purchase Colorado Blue Spruce seedlings, but if you plant them in an irrigated meadow they won’t survive. Seedling types and the soils they thrive in can be found on our website at www.sublettecd.com under the “Tree Program” tab.

• Step 3: Forking or rototilling your soil before planting. If you are planting in a rocky or hard clay area this step is especially important. This creates softer soil for the roots to be able to move through and allows for better water absorption. Another tip to do during this step is to mix compost into the soil for added nutrients to promote new root development. Mulching the top is also helps suppress weed growth while maintaining soil temperature and moisture.

• Step 4: Add a drip system. Ensuring you have an even and consistent way to water your seedlings will set you up for the most success. There are a variety of different ways to get water to your seedlings from a drip system attached to a hydrant or spigot, to using a water tank in the back of a vehicle or next to planting and using gravity to water. Of all the steps of preparation, I feel that this is the most important one to have in place and ready.

Sublette County Conservation District offers a seedling program that receives orders from November 1 through April 1, with seedlings arriving in early May. If you are interested in ordering, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have and join you in a site visit at your property to help maximize your success. You can reach us at sccd@sublettecd.com, 307-367-2364, or stop by at 217 Country Club Lane in Pinedale.