A pine tree seedling is a young tree, typically one to three years old, grown from seed in a nursery setting. People purchase these small trees for various reasons, including large-scale reforestation, creating windbreaks, establishing privacy screens, or simply for landscaping and conservation purposes. Seedlings are known for their resilience and ability to grow in diverse conditions, making them a practical choice for long-term projects. This guide covers acquiring young trees, from finding the right vendor to ensuring their survival before planting.
Understanding Your Purchase Options
You have several options when deciding where to purchase pine tree seedlings, each offering a different balance of cost, selection, and convenience.
Local and retail nurseries provide immediate availability, allowing you to inspect the stock for quality and health before purchase. These sources often offer expert advice tailored to your specific local growing conditions, though their selection of pine species might be limited.
Specialized mail-order or online nurseries offer a wider variety of species, including those suited for specific climates or purposes. These companies often cater to bulk ordering needs, which can result in a lower price per unit. The trade-off is that you cannot physically inspect the seedlings before they arrive, and you must rely on the vendor’s reputation for quality control.
Conservation districts or state forestry programs frequently offer native species at subsidized prices. These programs are often geared toward reforestation and conservation efforts, meaning they usually require minimum bulk orders. The quality of the stock is usually high, but the selection is generally focused on regional, native trees.
Key Factors for Seedling Selection
Once you have chosen a vendor, you must select the type of planting stock that best suits your needs and site conditions. The primary decision is between bare-root and containerized seedlings, a choice that impacts cost, handling, and survival rate.
Bare-root seedlings are grown in open fields and harvested without soil around their roots, making them the most cost-effective and easiest to ship. However, they are more fragile and require planting during a narrow dormant window to achieve the best survival rates, which typically range from 85–90% under good conditions.
Containerized seedlings are grown with the soil intact in small plugs or containers, which protects the root system from damage during handling. This stock is more expensive—sometimes three to four times the cost of bare-root—but offers a higher survival rate, potentially exceeding 95% in challenging or drought-prone soils. Containerized trees also allow for a longer planting season, extending into earlier fall or later spring.
The age and size of the stock are also important, often noted using a two-number code such as “1-0” or “2-0”. The first number indicates the years in the seedbed, and the second indicates years spent in a transplant bed. While older stock like a “2-0” is larger, a younger “1-0” seedling may sometimes establish better. Physiological condition and root-to-shoot balance are more important than size alone. Selecting a species appropriate for your local hardiness zone and soil type is paramount, as a mismatch will prevent long-term success.
Timing Your Order and Delivery
The logistics of purchasing pine seedlings are heavily influenced by the growing cycle of the trees themselves. Most nurseries and forestry programs operate on a seasonal schedule that requires ordering months in advance. For spring planting, which is the most common time for bare-root stock, orders are often placed during the preceding fall or winter to reserve the inventory.
Seedlings must be received and planted while they are still dormant, which typically occurs in the late fall or early spring, before the buds begin to swell. This timing ensures the tree’s energy is focused on root establishment rather than new top growth, maximizing the chance of survival. When ordering, you should confirm the vendor’s lifting and shipping dates to align with your local window of dormancy, which can vary widely based on climate.
Shipping is managed to minimize transit stress, but the moment of delivery is still a delicate one for the plants. For bulk orders, minimum quantities are often required, and the cost of specialized, refrigerated shipping is factored into the price. Tracking the delivery is important so that the seedlings are not left exposed or neglected upon arrival, which can quickly compromise their viability.
Short-Term Care Before Planting
The time between receiving your pine seedlings and planting them in the ground is a high-risk period that requires immediate, specific care to ensure survival. Upon delivery, you should open the packaging and immediately inspect the seedlings for any signs of physical damage or mold. The roots, especially those of bare-root stock, must be kept moist, but not soaking wet, to prevent desiccation.
If you cannot plant immediately, bare-root seedlings must be stored in a cool, dark environment to maintain dormancy, ideally between 34 and 44 degrees Fahrenheit. For short delays of up to a week, you can store them in their original packaging in an unheated basement or refrigerator, ensuring the packing material around the roots stays damp. Stacking bundles loosely will allow for air circulation and help prevent the growth of mold.
For delays longer than a week, a method called “heeling-in” is necessary, which involves temporarily burying the roots in a shallow trench of loose, moist soil outdoors. You must protect the seedlings from severe environmental factors, such as direct sunlight, drying winds, and temperatures that could cause the roots to freeze. Under no circumstances should the roots be exposed to air or direct sun for more than a few minutes, as this can cause irreversible damage.