Planting of Shade Trees
Pre-planting Treatment
Well grown, healthy saplings which have attained a minimum stem diameter of 2.5 cm at a height of 1.35 m from the ground should be selected for planting in the field. About 7-10 days before transplanting, the top of the selected saplings should be cut at a height of 1.50 m - 1.80 m and the cut ends are sealed by a lump of raw cow dung and wet soil. Simultaneously, the foliage is removed by cutting the compound leaves flushed to the stem. This is required to reduce transpiration loss from the sapling at the time of planting in the field. As soon as the axillary buds on the stems swell the saplings will be ready for planting in the field.
Time and method of Transplanting
March to June is the ideal time for transplanting shade tree saplings in the field.
Bheti Planting
The shade tree saplings should be lifted from the nursery beds with a block of earth (bheti) which is 60 cm long and 30 cm in diameter for planting in the field in already prepared pits. The "bhetis" should be carried to the field very carefully so that the earth is not disintegrated. While lifting the "bhetis" or sleeve grown plants, the extra length of the tap root which is below 60 cm should be cut flushed to the ground.
Stump Planting
The stumps should be given the pre-planting treatment as described above. The stumps should be lifted without block of earth with a 60 cm long tap root. Additional length should be trimmed or cut below 60 cm and planted in already prepared planting pits. The time gap between lifting of stumps and planting them in the field should be minimum.While carrying the stumps from the nursery to field, they should be wrapped in a moist hessian cloth so that they do not dry out.
Planting Pit
The size of the planting pit is 90 cm deep and 60 cm wide. The excavated soil is mixed with 10 kg dry well decomposed cattle manure, 0.5 kg SSP, 0.5 kg wood ash and 1 kg dolomite. At the time of planting hard ramming should be ensured and the collar areas should made elevated to avoid localized water logging.
Spacing
The spacing used for planting the permanent shade trees is 10.86 -12.6 m. While planting the seedlings, the positions of the shade trees should be in the rows of tea and for that one tea plant has to be sacrificed.
Shade Mixture
To avoid the damage of epidemic pests and diseases, it is necessary to plant a mixture of different species of shade trees. The ideal mixture, called intimate mixture is one where no two trees of a single species are adjacent to each other. To get an intimate mixture a minimum of four species are required as shown in the figure below:
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A |
B |
C |
D
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B |
C |
D |
A
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C |
D |
A |
B
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D |
A |
B |
C
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A, B, C and D are the different species of shade trees.
Intimate Mixture of Shade Trees
When species are not available to get an intimate mixture, dispersion with less than four species can be achieved by interplanting temporary shade trees. Such mixture is called non intimate mixture.
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A |
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B |
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A |
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B
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X |
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X |
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X |
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B |
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A |
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B |
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A
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X |
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X |
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X |
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A |
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B |
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A |
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B
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X |
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X |
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X |
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B |
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A |
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B |
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A
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A and B are permanent species and X is the temporary species
Non intimate Mixture of Shade Trees
