How to Grow a Tree From a Sprout

If you’ve chosen to grow a tree from a sprout, or seedling, you have many years of enjoyment ahead of you. It may help to think of your seedling as a child, for you will be nurturing the seedling, coddling it and generally watching over it for many years to come. Dogwood or birch, crab-apple or hawthorn, tree seedlings are ideal for planting in containers since you can move them from indoors to outdoors -- and from full sun exposure to none at all -- until that baby is ready to stand on its own in the outside world.

Pruning shears
Container
Spade
Mulch

Instructions

- 1
  Purchase a container with drainage that is at least four times the diameter of the seedling. The seedling, and especially the root system, should have plenty of room to grow, but you want a container that is easy to move around, too. Purchase a plant caddy, or an attachment with wheels, to make this task easier.
- 2
  Plant your seedling as soon as you get it home, as delays can dry out the root system quickly.
- 3
  Cut any long, stringy roots with pruning shears. Do not rip or tear the roots with your hands.
- 4
  Fill the container three-quarters full with a premium potting soil.
- 5
  
  Try growing an avocado tree from an avocado pit to keep your seedling company as it grows.
  
  Sprinkle the top of the potting soil with water until it is spongy-wet. Do not create puddles with the water.
- 6
  Press the seedling into the soil. Then place extra soil over the roots until they are completely covered. Press the soil firmly with your hands, and add more soil, if necessary.
- 7
  Cover the soil with 1 inch of mulch to keep the soil insulated.
- 8
  Water the seedling thoroughly.
- 9
  Keep the soil consistently moist, not soggy, during the first two years as the seedling grows. Water is vital to the development of the root system, but too much water can be harmful.
- 10
  Move your seedling away from drafts, cold air and out of temperatures that dip below 50 degrees for the first few years. After this time, the seedling should be able to withstand harsher temperatures and periods with less water.
- 11
  
  In time, that seedling will be ready to be transplanted outdoors.
  
  Watch the progress of your seedling. Depending on the species you have chosen, as well as where you live, your seedling should grow about six inches the first few years, and a great deal faster after that. Then, with a hearty and established root system, it should be ready to be planted outdoors.

Can Colorado Blue Spruce Be Pruned for Growth?

How to Cut Off the Top of a Juniper Tree

Trees