ESTABLISHMENT OF RUBBER NURSERY

A. Seed Selection
Collect rubber seeds from a medium-aged rubber trees (10-29
years old);
Collect seeds that are fresh as they lose their viability after a
week.
Collect seeds at the beginning of the main seed fall and
collection must be scheduled to ensure smooth flow from
germination to nursery planting;
Only the largest, shiniest and heaviest seed must be collected;
Discard cracked seeds and small seeds

4. Seed Maintenance
Spread the seeds in the seedbed and cover with fine sand to
retain moisture. 2,000 seeds cam be accommodated in a
1.0 sq. m. seedbed.
Cover with coconut fronds.
Water the seeds in the morning and late afternoon;

B. Site Selection
Location of beds should:
Have an easy access,
Near a good water source;
Under medium density shade;
Properly drained
3. Specification of Seedbeds

1.0 meter wide, 10.0 cm deep.hte length vary on the

location and volume of seeds

Fill with fine to medium river sand;

If natural shade is not available, use artificial shade of

fronds.

5. Culling pre-germinated seeds

Excavate seeds after 3 days. Select seeds with 1-2

mm root protrusion and place it in a bucket with water to
avoid bruises. Discard seeds with 2.5 to 3mm root
protrusions with rootlets ;

Bring the pre-germinated seeds in bucket with water

to the nursery for planting in polyethylene bags;

1. Site Location
Well drained, flat to gently undulating;
Close to a clean water source which can be pump for watering
Accessible to road
2. Site Preparation:
Cultivate the area to remove stumps, weeds two to three times;
Fence the area where there is risk of animal damage;
Build access road to and around the area.

Excavate the remaining pre-germinated seeds everyday

Place the pre-germinated seed with growth protrusion of
more than 2mm in the bucket with water and bring to the
nursery for planting.
Do not leave any pre-germinated seeds in the bucket
overnight.
Polybag Nursery

This nursery is where seedlings are developed and budded. This is the
intermediate stage before field planting. The seedlings are ready for
budding after 5 to 6 months. After budding, it is allowed to develop one
hardened whorl before field planting. This will require 2 to 2 months of
development. The requirement and procedures are as follows.

3. Nursery Layout
Stake out rows to a maximum length by 1-100 meter.
A bed will have two filed polybags with 1.0 meter spacing
between beds;
Dig a 10 cm x 30 cm wide trench along the row to hold 2
polybags abreast
4. Filling of Polybags:
Use Gaseted 8 x 16 x .003 polybags;
Topsoil of good structure must be filled upright. Do not lump
or compact well so roots can develop normally.
Mix 30 grams of 0-30-0 per polybag as being filled.

Position the polybags in twos in trenches. .

5. Planting seeds in polybags

The pre-germinated seeds from seedbeds with 1.5 to 2 mm root

protrusion are selected seeds for planting.

Pre-germinated seeds are planted to a bag on a 3 cm triangle,

in the center of the polybag; (plant 3 seeds in a polybag).

Discard all broken radicles or pre-germinated seeds;

Make small holes using a sharp stick to position the pregerminated seeds and cover it with thin soil

Water the polybag after planting.

1. Steps in Budding
The seedlings are ready for budding 5 months after seed
planting. Green budding is best for these seedlings, using
budsticks as source of budeyes.

6. Maintenance of polybag nursery:

Water the plated ploybag daily. Do not watering after an
evening rain;
After one month, cull the weaker seedlings and leave only the
best (with vigorous growth).
Nursery must be clean by manual weeding. Do not spray
herbicides;

Leaf pest and disease outbreak must be controlled by

knapsack spraying of insecticides like magnum, karate and
dithane or allaite fungicide.
Any sprouts in branches in the seedling must be removed with
sharp knife.
8. Fertilizing
Apply granular fertilizer compound (16-16-16) as follows:
month after
planting (mo.)

amount of
fertilizer (gm)

1
2

6.0
10.0

distance from
the seeds
(cm.)
4.0
4.0

No further fertilization is required after two month.

Budding

Synchronize fertilization of the budwood and the seedlings.

One week before budding, defoliate the budstick to activate the
budeye.
Harvest budstick enough for the number of seedlings to be
budded in a day.
Use sharp pruning saw to harvest the budstick
choose the budsticks that grow directly from the main trunk or
main branch.

the scion (budstick) and the seedling must of both of the stage
D, where the leaves are mature green and has a dormant leaf
end.

10. Post budding and cut back care

Fertilize the budded plant with 5.0 grams Ammonium sulfate
dissolve in 1 liter of water after cutback.
Do not fertilized seedlings slated for rebudding;
Continue watering the cutback every other day or as the need
arises and continue removing side shoots.
11. Transplantability
The budded rubber seedling is ready for field planting when
the first whorl of leaves are harden, usually 2 to 21/2 months
after cutback;
Do not water the budded rubber seedling on the day of
removal from the trench or plot. Carefully remove the polybags
from the trench so not to disturb the soil core;
When transplanting over long distance ensure that the bags
are tightly position together to lessen shaking of the soil core.
Upon arrival to planting site, the seedlings should be watered
immediately after its download;

Acclimatize the seedlings for 2 to 3 days before field planting.

Water daily but do not water on the day of planting;
Seedlings that are newly flashing should not be transplanted to
the field.