A nursery bed being the temporary garden for the young seedlings it is very important for coffee farmers to learn about the establishment and management of coffee seedlings.
Good seeds for planting should have big beans from high yielding parents, they should also be approved, however transplanting should be done when plants have a height of 20- 40cm additionally mulching materials should be dry as green mulch develop heat that affects the seedlings, farmers should also watering seedlings either in the morning or evening to allow water remain in the ground and not to over burry the plant in soil as this might cause them to rot.
Establishment steps
Select a flat gentle site, plough to break the clods for water retaining during rain and to provide a fine seed bed for proper seed sprouting then water the bed 1 day before planting well as properly spacing during planting seeds to avoid the spread of fungal diseases. Additionally cover seeds with thin soil layer to avoid seeds from suffocating. Mulching should be done immediately not to leave the seeds naked and to keep the soil wet while watering until seeds germinate.
After germination build a shade 2 feet above the bed to avoid suppressing the seedlings but watering must be done from above to reduce the impact of water on newly germinated seedlings, furthermore at 2-3 months transplant during morning or evening this should be done but after watering to loosen the soil so that roots are not damaged during uprooting.
Also plant seedlings when leaves are at butterfly level in pots with fertile soil for better growth and arrange them well to help during watering and weeding.
Management practices
First water pots before transplanting seedlings to easily make holes in which seedlings will be planted and cut off long tap roots when planting to prevent development of bent stems to add on that control weeds, look for insects and kill them, remove diseased seedlings.
