How long do you need to protect seedlings?

[RockyGrowth]

How long do you need to protect Japanese or Trident maple seedlings from animals once they have sprouted? I've seen people having seedlings that are a month or two old getting destroyed by animals as they chase after the original seed, so I was wondering if you should wait a year or two before removing protection. Thank you for your opinion!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I plant my seeds in Anderson flats, and have found that a second Anderson flat (inverted) makes for a good protective cover until the seedlings are well-established. The screen at the bottom of the Anderson flat is open enough to allow about 50% filtered light onto the seedlings below.

To answer your question directly - I protect my seedlings until mid-summer otherwise they get munched.

 

[Shibui]

It depends what animals you have in the area. Large herbivores like deer and rabbits will continue to eat seedlings for many years. Smaller plant eaters may only be a problem for a few weeks or months. I can't see there being one answer for all situations for this question. Especially when we have no idea where in the world you are or what predators are likely to be attacking the seedlings.

The worst time here is in the first few weeks after transplant when anything that tries to eat the seedlings is likely to pull it out roots and all. I give my transplants protection for a couple of weeks then they are on their own. Losing a few seedlings is no big deal if you have plenty to start with. The less you have the more protection you're likely to give them.

 

[RockyGrowth]

It depends what animals you have in the area. Large herbivores like deer and rabbits will continue to eat seedlings for many years. Smaller plant eaters may only be a problem for a few weeks or months. I can't see there being one answer for all situations for this question. Especially when we have no idea where in the world you are or what predators are likely to be attacking the seedlings.

The worst time here is in the first few weeks after transplant when anything that tries to eat the seedlings is likely to pull it out roots and all. I give my transplants protection for a couple of weeks then they are on their own. Losing a few seedlings is no big deal if you have plenty to start with. The less you have the more protection you're likely to give them.

Probably just squirrels and birds, there’s a big black one that has disturbed the soil of one of my trees after I fertilized it so thanks for the responses!

 

[WNC Bonsai]

You can place a sheet of metal screen over the flat to protect them. Some growers in Japan even leave the screen in place for some time to force the seedlings to develop movement since they can only grow so tall before growing sideways.

 

[RockyGrowth]

You can place a sheet of metal screen over the flat to protect them. Some growers in Japan even leave the screen in place for some time to force the seedlings to develop movement since they can only grow so tall before growing sideways.

Yea I’m planning on buying like a roll of chicken wire or something similar and using it over a tray with a mixture of sand, peat moss, and soil.