Tree Nursery and Seedling Production

About this module

A tree seedling is a small, living thing that must survive the move to its field. A good nursery gives it strong roots, clean soil and the right care, so it grows when it is planted.

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate, including school leavers, women's groups, youth groups and persons with disabilities. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework.

Why a tree nursery

Tree nurseries need little money to start. A nursery can be small and temporary, in a backyard, and still sell.
Demand is real but seasonal. A 2026 study of seedling businesses in Ghana found that demand peaks from March to June and from September to November. That study looked at horticultural (vegetable-type) seedlings, so use it as a guide, not as a promise for tree seedlings.
Quality is your selling point. In the same study, farmers who raise their own seedlings said these "die a lot because of disease or heat", and more than 80 percent of farmers raise their own. A nursery that sells strong, healthy, labelled seedlings gives farmers a reason to buy.
The hardest part is finding buyers. A group of women with disabilities in Ahafo who run a tree nursery says its main problem is "no buyers". Unit 7 teaches you to plan for this from day one.
The Forestry Commission has also given away free seedlings of common species in tree-planting programmes. That pushes prices down for common species, so a private nursery does better with quality, special species and good service.

CTVET status. No CTVET tree-nursery curriculum was found. This module is not a CTVET curriculum. It follows CTVET's format.

A legal gate for some trees. Six tree crops come under the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA): cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea. TCDA announced that from 3 July 2026 nobody may distribute planting material of these crops unless it comes from TCDA-approved sources and has been inspected and certified, and suppliers must keep records of source and approval. Nurseries for these crops are covered by the Tree Crops Regulations 2023 (L.I. 2471). The exact forms and fees were not verified. So: do not sell seedlings of these six crops until you have registered with TCDA and been told what you must do. In this module you practise on other trees. Cocoa and oil-palm nurseries have their own courses.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace.

How to read this manual

Steps are numbered. Do them in order. A line that ends with a source name in brackets comes from the sources list at the back. A step with no source is standard safe practice or the author's teaching advice, not a measured figure.
Any number marked example is made up to practise sums. Replace it with your own local prices. Local prices of polybags, soil, sand and seedlings were not verified; ask two or three agro-input shops in Takoradi, Tarkwa or your nearest town.
Local names of tools and materials change from town to town. Where we give a local name it is the one used in the Ghana sources. Otherwise, show the shopkeeper the item or a photo.
Every unit ends with a Check yourself of three questions. Answers are in the Teacher Copy.

The seven units in one picture

Unit 1: Stay safe, choose a site
Unit 2: Lay out the nursery, put up shade, plan water
Unit 3: Mix soil, fill polybags, sow
Unit 4: Collect seed, treat it, test it
Unit 5: Water, prick out, space, harden off, protect
Unit 6: Count, record, sell, send seedlings out and plant them
Unit 7: Choose a location, cost your seedlings, market yourself

Unit 1 · Staying safe, and choosing your site

A nursery is a safe, quiet place only if you work safely and choose the right ground. Both choices are made on day one.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
1.1 Work safely	uses tools correctly, wears the right clothes, and knows the main dangers
1.2 Choose a site	judges a site against a checklist and picks the best one
1.3 Prepare the site	clears, levels and marks out the ground

Range. The training nursery and two other sites near it. Evidence. Safety checklist; site scoring sheet; oral questions.

The main dangers in a nursery

These dangers are standard work-safety points. They are the author's teaching advice, not figures from a survey.

Cutting tools. Cutlasses, knives and secateurs cut hands and legs. Keep them sharp (a blunt tool slips) and cut away from your body.
Sun and heat. Work early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Wear a hat. Drink water.
Snakes, insects and rough ground. Wear rain boots when you clear bush. Look before you reach into long grass or under leaves.
Lifting. A wheelbarrow of wet soil is heavy. Fill it half full, bend your knees, or ask for help.
Water and wet floors. Wet paths are slippery. Keep paths clear.
Chemicals. In this module you do not spray any chemical. If your trainer later shows you a product, it must be registered and used by the label (see Unit 5).
Cuts and dirt. Cover cuts with a plaster. Soil can carry germs. Wash your hands before eating.

The Ghana agroforestry guide lists gloves, an apron and rain boots as protective gear for nursery work.

Hat, long shirt or apron, gloves and rain boots on before you start
Tools sharp, handles tight, stored safely after use
Clean drinking water on site
First-aid kit and a phone number to call
Children and visitors kept away from tools and deep holes

What makes a good nursery site

The Ghana agroforestry guide gives these points:

near the place where the seedlings will be planted or sold;
near water, and near a road a vehicle can use;
fairly level, with a gentle slope so water drains away and does not flood the beds;
fertile, well-drained soil;
labour and a market nearby;
room for windbreaks.

Avoid hilly sites: levelling and getting water there are hard. If the slope is more than 10 degrees, terraces at least 5 m wide are needed. A large tree in a corner gives shade for workers.

Water and soil carry diseases. Stream water and garden or forest soil can carry nursery germs such as Cylindrocladium. That is why Unit 3 uses a clean mix and Unit 5 stresses clean beds.

Score two sites

Tools and materials: a notebook, a measuring tape, a pen, a camera or phone. Allow 90 minutes.

Walk two possible sites with a partner.
For each of the six points above (near planting area, near water and road, level with gentle slope, fertile well-drained soil, labour and market nearby, room for windbreak), score 0 (no), 1 (partly) or 2 (yes).
Add up the scores and also note any flooding marks, termite mounds or trees that fall easily.
Add one sentence: "I would choose Site A / B because…"
Check: does the site have water within carrying distance in the dry season? If not, you may need a tank or a borehole (cost not verified).

Common mistakes and fixes:

Choosing a very shady, damp place. Shade is easy to add, hard to take away, and damp places grow fungus. Choose open ground.
Choosing a low spot that floods. Choose slightly higher ground, or raise your beds.
Choosing a site far from water. Carrying water doubles your work.

Preparing the site

The Ghana guide lists these steps:

Clear the bush, stump and remove debris.
Level the ground.
Draw a plan and mark it out (Unit 2).
Fence the site.
Put up the shade shed.
Raise the seedbeds.
Pot the soil into polybags.
Plant windbreaks.

Clear and mark a plot

Tools: cutlass, hoe, rake, pegs, string, tape. Allow 3 hours.

Put on boots, hat and gloves. Look for snakes and ants.
Cut the grass and small bush with a cutlass. Dig out stumps.
Rake the cleared plant matter to one side for the compost heap (Unit 3).
Level the ground with a hoe and rake. Fill hollows.
Put a peg at each corner of a 10 m by 10 m plot (an example size for training).
Check: do diagonals measure the same? Equal diagonals mean the corners are square.

Look at a local nursery

Visit a nursery or a farm that raises seedlings near you. Write down: how far is water, how is the ground, what shade do they use, what trees do they sell and for how much. Bring your notes to class.

Check yourself: Unit 1

Name three points that make a good nursery site.
Why is a place near water and a road better than a place far from both?
Give two ways to protect yourself from the sun and from cuts.

Unit 2 · Nursery layout, shade and water

A good layout means you can reach every seedling, count them quickly and water them without trampling. Shade protects young seedlings, but too much shade makes them weak.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
2.1 Plan the layout	calculates the space needed and draws a plan
2.2 Build beds and paths	marks out beds of the right width with paths between
2.3 Put up shade	builds shade at the right height and opens it up when needed
2.4 Plan water	chooses a water source and watering times

Range. One bed block of 500 or 1,000 seedlings. Evidence. Plan drawing; finished bed block; oral questions.

How much space

(All from Source: Ghana-Agroforestry-Guide unless marked.)

About 5 m² of bed area per 1,000 seedlings. Double it to allow walkways, sheds and poles, so plan 10 m² per 1,000 seedlings.
Example from the guide: 5,000 seedlings need 10 m² × 5 = 50 m². If you use large pots, double again (100 m²).
Beds are 80 to 100 cm wide, so you can reach the middle from both sides.
Walkways are at least 60 cm wide. Paths around the fence are 1 to 3 m wide.
Arrange seedlings in blocks of 500 or 1,000 so counting is easy.
If you can, lay the long side east to west.

How much land? (example figures)

A group wants to raise 3,000 seedlings in small polybags. (1) How much bed area do they need? (2) How much total area, with walkways and sheds? (3) If they decide to use large pots later, how much more would they need?

Raised bed or ground bed

The guide describes a seedbed raised 15 to 20 cm, with three layers of about 5 cm each: drainage gravel at the bottom, soil in the middle, and a soft fertile layer on top. Polybags can stand on levelled, cleared ground or on a bed of gravel or sand so water drains away. Do not let polybags stand in puddles.

Draw the plan and mark the beds

Tools: tape, string, pegs, notebook. Allow 3 hours.

Decide how many seedlings you will raise (use 1,000 for training).
Work out the area: 1,000 seedlings need 10 m² with paths and shed space.
Draw a sketch showing seedbeds or germination area, space for potted seedlings, a compost heap, paths, a store and the water point.
On the ground, peg out a bed 1 m wide by 5 m long with string.
Peg a path 60 cm wide beside it.
Check: can you reach the middle of the bed from the path without stepping on it? If not, make the bed narrower.
Dig drainage furrows along the bed edge if the soil is heavy.

Common mistakes and fixes:

Beds too wide. People step on the beds. Keep to 80 to 100 cm.
No path for the wheelbarrow. Keep one wide path.
Seedlings mixed in one heap. Separate blocks by species and date so you can count.

Shade: only when needed

Shade only where heat would scorch tender seedlings. Avoid heavy shade. Permanent shade makes seedlings tall, weak and yellow.
A shed about 2 to 3 m high is usual.
Over freshly pricked-out seedlings put shade about 30 cm above them; over older seedlings about 75 cm above.
Open slats: leave gaps about the width of the slat, or half. Make sections about 2 m long so one person can lift them.
Materials used in southern Ghana: palm branches, cassia leaves, nylon shade net; banana leaves, grass, wood or bamboo strips and netting also work. Teak does not need shade.
Put waterproof shade over seed trays and beds so drops do not uncover the seed.

Build a shade shed

Tools: poles, spade, cutlass, nails or wire, hammer, shade material (palm branches, bamboo strips, or shade net). Allow 4 to 6 hours with a partner.

Dig holes 50 cm deep at the corners and every 2 m along the sides.
Stand the poles and firm the soil around them. Check the poles are upright.
Fix a cross-piece along the top at 2 to 2.5 m high.
Lay slats or shade net over the top. Leave the gaps as described above, or use a shade net.
Make the shade removable in sections or on one side so you can open it during hardening (Unit 5).
Check: stand under the shed at midday. Is the light dappled, not dark?

Common mistakes and fixes:

Shade too dense. Seedlings turn tall and pale. Open the slats.
Shade too low. Air and people cannot pass. Raise it to 2 to 3 m.
Poles rot. Choose hard, durable wood and ask your trainer about a safe way to protect the bottom of each pole.

Water

Water twice a day: early in the morning (6 to 8 am) and late in the afternoon (4 to 7 pm). Avoid overwatering because it causes damping off. Reduce water when you harden seedlings.
Use clean water. Stream water can carry germs.
How many litres per seedling you will need was not verified. Measure it yourself: fill a bucket, count how many seedlings you water with it, and write it in your logbook.
A borehole or tank costs money (not verified). Start with drums and a watering can.

Measure your water use

Tools: a bucket, a watering can with a rose, a measuring jug.

Fill the can with 10 litres.
Water the seedlings in one block until the can is empty. Count the polybags you watered.
Divide 10 litres by the number of bags to get litres per bag (example: 10 L ÷ 50 bags = 0.2 L per bag).
Check: is the soil damp but not swimming? Press a finger 2 cm into a bag.
Write the result in your logbook and the daily water need for 1,000 seedlings (example: 0.2 L × 1,000 = 200 L).

Draw your dream nursery

Draw a plan for a nursery of 2,000 seedlings. Show the beds, paths, shed, water point, compost heap and store. Write the total area you need.

Check yourself: Unit 2

How much area do 1,000 seedlings need, with space for paths?
How wide should a bed be, and why?
What goes wrong if shade is left on for too long?

Unit 3 · Soil mix, polybags and sowing

Seedlings live in a small bag of soil for months. The mix must hold water, let extra water out and carry no disease.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
3.1 Test and mix soil	tests soil texture and mixes topsoil, sand and compost
3.2 Fill polybags	fills and arranges polybags correctly
3.3 Sow seed	sows the right number of seeds at the right depth

Range. At least 200 polybags of one species. Evidence. Soil test notes; filled bags; sowing record.

The soil mix

Default recipe for this course (Ghana guide): three parts good topsoil, one part compost, one part sand by volume, written 3 : 1 : 1.

FAO adds these rules:

For sandy or poor soil, mix 1 part sieved compost with 3 to 4 parts soil.
For clay that is fertile, add 1 to 2 parts clean sieved sand to 3 or 4 parts soil.
Pile soil, sand and compost in layers and turn the pile 3 or 4 times. Store it under shelter.
Dig topsoil in the dry season, up to 30 cm deep, and sieve through 1 to 2 cm holes.
Wash river sand 3 to 4 times.

Do not use compost in seed trays. It can cause damping off. Use washed sieved sand, or half sand and half topsoil.

Modern nurseries use washed river sand and composted organic matter because ordinary soil can carry disease.

Test your soil by feel. Wet a handful and roll it into a pencil-sized roll. If it crumbles, it is too sandy. If it bends into a semicircle without breaking, it is too clayey. Good soil forms a roll that breaks when bent.

Where to get the materials. Local names and prices were not verified. Topsoil: dig from a clean, fertile site (not near a rubbish dump). River sand: from sand sellers or a river bank, then wash it. Compost: make your own (below) or buy from a farm. Black polybags: agro-input shops and market traders in Takoradi, Tarkwa or your town; ask for black, UV-protected, with drainage holes.

Make simple compost

FAO's recipe:

Chop plant material to pieces 10 to 15 cm long.
Pile it in layers. After about every 30 cm of height add a 2 to 3 cm layer of topsoil.
Cover the heap with plastic.
Turn it when it becomes warm.
In warm weather it is ready in about 2 to 3 months. It should be dark, crumbly and smell of earth.

Test and mix soil

Tools: spade, sieve (1 to 2 cm), head pans, wheelbarrow, a bucket as a measure, tape. Allow 3 hours.

Take a handful of your topsoil. Do the pencil-roll test and write the result.
Sieve the topsoil to remove stones and roots.
Wash the river sand in a bucket 3 to 4 times, until the water runs clear. Let it drain.
Measure with one bucket: 3 buckets of topsoil, 1 bucket of compost, 1 bucket of sand.
Pile them in layers on a plastic sheet and turn the pile 3 or 4 times with a shovel.
Check: squeeze a handful. It should hold together loosely and fall apart when you poke it.
Store under a shelter until you fill bags.

Common mistakes and fixes:

Using wet clay. Bags set hard. Add washed sand.
Using forest or garden soil without checking. It may carry disease. Use a clean source.
Fresh, hot compost. It can burn roots. Use compost that is dark and cool.

Polybags

Black polythene lasts longer and does not rot in the sun.
Larger polypots of 100 × 175 mm (4 × 7 inch) give bigger seedlings that survive transplanting better.
Southern Ghana clients preferred polythene bags.
Fill pots at least a week before sowing.
Potted seedlings are good for dry areas and long travel, but roots can coil if the plant stays too long in the bag.

How much mix do you need? A bag of 100 × 175 mm lay-flat holds about 0.55 litre when it is round (example calculation, not a source). So 1,000 bags need about 550 litres, or about 0.55 m³, of mix. At 3 : 1 : 1 that is roughly 330 litres of topsoil, 110 litres of compost and 110 litres of sand. Add a little extra because soil settles.

How much mix? (example figures)

A bag holds about 0.5 litre. You want to fill 600 bags with a 3 : 1 : 1 mix. (1) How many litres of mix do you need? (2) How many litres of topsoil, compost and sand? (3) If your bucket holds 10 litres, how many bucketfuls of each?

Fill polybags

Tools: polybags, filled mix, small spade or cup, a bucket of water, a flat board or bed. Allow 3 hours for 200 bags.

Check each bag has drainage holes (small holes near the bottom). If not, punch three or four holes.
Hold the bag open and fill it with mix until it is full. Tap it on the ground to settle the soil.
Add more until the mix is about 1 to 2 cm below the rim.
Stand the bags upright, close together, in rows of 10 on your bed. Make blocks of 500 or 1,000 so counting is easy.
Water the bags well the day before you sow.
Check: lift one bag. It should not fall apart, and water should drain out of the bottom.

Common mistakes and fixes:

Half-filled bags that fold over. Fill to the rim and tap down.
No drainage holes. Water sits and roots rot. Punch holes.
Bags too tightly packed in the sun. Leave air space between rows.

Sowing

Rules from the Ghana guide and FAO:

Sow seed at a depth about twice the seed's thickness. For very small seed do not sow deeper than 0.5 cm.
Sow 2 to 4 seeds per pot, depending on how well the seed germinates (the germination rate, Unit 4). FAO's rule: if more than 8 in 10 seeds germinate, sow 1 seed in half the pots and 2 in the other half. If fewer than 6 in 10, sow 3 seeds. Otherwise sow 2.
Water the pots the day before.
Cover seed lightly with washed sand and then mulch. Keep the bag damp but not soaking.
Thin to one seedling per pot as soon as you can. Cut the extra seedlings at soil level with scissors rather than pulling, so you do not pull the roots of the one you keep.
For difficult legume seed, sow in soil from under the mother tree.

How many seeds? (example figures)

You will fill 200 polybags. Your germination test on 50 seeds gave 35 sprouted. (1) What is the germination rate? (2) How many seeds per pot, by FAO's rule? (3) How many seeds do you need in total?

Sow one batch

Tools: filled bags, seed of one species, sand, a marker, labels, a can with a fine rose. Allow 2 hours.

Choose seed of one species that has been treated as in Unit 4.
Water the bags lightly the day before.
Make a hole in each bag with a pencil or finger at the right depth (about twice the seed thickness).
Drop in the number of seeds you worked out.
Cover with a little washed sand.
Label the block: species, date sown, number of bags, seed source.
Put the label where it will not wash away. Write the same in your logbook.
Check: do you know how many seeds you used, and what the germination rate was after three weeks? Keep these records.

Compost at home

Start a small compost heap at home using the layers in this unit. Write the date you started and what you put in. Bring a photo.

Check yourself: Unit 3

What is the soil mix we use as a default, and what do the numbers mean?
How deep do you sow a seed?
If 9 out of every 10 seeds sprout, how many seeds do you put in each pot?

Unit 4 · Seed collection and pre-treatment

Good seed from good trees gives good seedlings. The best nursery in the world cannot fix bad seed.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
4.1 Choose and collect seed	picks mother trees and collects ripe seed safely
4.2 Clean and store seed	extracts, cleans and stores seed correctly
4.3 Treat seed	applies a safe pre-treatment and tests germination

Range. Seed of three species. Evidence. Seed collection record; germination test; stored seed.

Why seed source matters

In a survey of 240 tree-nursery producers in southern Ghana, 64 percent collected seed from the wild, 34 percent from plantations and the rest from seed orchards. Only about 3 percent used seed from CSIR-FORIG, which is better quality. When choosing trees to collect from, producers looked for a straight trunk (45 percent), good shape (19 percent) and no disease (18 percent). Many nurseries do not follow the national code of practice for seed collection.

Improved seed from FORIG orchards is recommended, but the supply is limited; a 2020s news report says the National Tree Seed Centre could not meet orders for mahogany seed because illegal mining has damaged seed sources. Prices and ordering steps for FORIG or Forestry Commission seed were not verified; ask the Forestry Commission district office.

Picking the mother tree and collecting

Choose a healthy tree with a straight trunk, a good shape and no disease.
Collect from several trees, not just one, so the seedlings are not all closely related (course advice).
Collect ripe fruit or seed. Many people collect from the tree top, which is dangerous: 48 percent of the producers in the survey did so. Do not climb alone, and do not climb a weak tree. Use a long pole with a hook, or collect fresh fruit that has just fallen and is clean.
Carry fruits in hessian sacks or baskets.
Write down the tree, place and date.
Do not collect seed in a forest reserve or protected area without permission from the Forestry Commission (course advice; the permit steps were not verified).

Extracting and cleaning seed

Sun-open pods that split open (dehiscent pods), remove husks by hand and crack hard shells.
Clean seed by soaking it and throwing away the seeds that float; they are usually empty or bad. Winnow (blow away chaff) and sort by hand.
Store seed in a clean bag in a cool dry place, away from rats and insects.

Teak seed is mostly soaked, extracted and air-dried, or dehusked. Cedrela and mahogany fruits are sun-dried so they open.

Neem seed loses its ability to sprout quickly (in 4 to 12 weeks), so sow neem as soon as it is ripe: fresh seed germinated about 85 percent against 15 percent for stored seed in one manual.

Breaking dormancy: pre-treatment

Some seed will not sprout until its hard coat is softened. This sleep is called dormancy. General methods from the Ghana guide:

Cold-water soak. Soak for up to a few days. Change the water daily.
Hot water. For hard-coated legumes such as Acacia auriculiformis, use water at 80 °C at most, for up to a few hours. Never use boiling water on all seed; it can kill it.
Nick or scarify. Cut a small notch in the seed coat with a sharp blade (not at the root end), rub with sandpaper, or pound lightly in sand.

Species notes. These come from reports, not from a single Ghana protocol. Treat them as starting points, and always test a small batch first.

Species	What was reported	Source
Teak	Slow, uneven germination (0 to 96 percent in nursery beds). One reference method is alternate soaking in water for 24 hours and drying in the sun. Southern Ghana nurseries soaked seed for "a few days". Teak needs no shade.	Teak-Search; Apetorgbor-Siaw-2013
Khaya (mahogany)	No Ghana protocol found. In trials elsewhere a 24-hour soak in tap water at room temperature worked best and hot water failed; sow 1 to 3 cm deep.	Teak-Search
Leucaena	Hot water or nicking breaks dormancy, but studies disagree on temperature and time; boiling killed seed in one study. Run a small trial.	Leucaena-Gliricidia-Search
Gliricidia	No pre-treatment needed; germinates in 7 to 10 days. Hot water at 80 °C blocked germination in one trial.	Leucaena-Gliricidia-Search
Neem	Sow fresh. Soak in cold water for 24 hours and remove the outer shell, or nick the coat at the round end. Sow 2.5 cm deep. Sprouts in 1 to 2 weeks.	Moringa-Neem-Search
Moringa	Sow 2 to 3 seeds per bag about 1.5 to 2 cm deep. Soaking overnight or removing shells speeds germination. Sprouts in 5 to 12 days; transplant after about 35 to 40 days.	Moringa-Neem-Search

Seed treatment for cashew, citrus, mango, avocado and coconut in Ghana was not verified. Those need a trainer's advice, and cashew, mango and coconut also need TCDA registration before you sell them (see the legal gate in "About this module").

Names used in Ghana (Twi) in the Ghana guide: Gliricidia "Nsoko", neem "Gyadua", coconut "Kube", avocado "Paya".

Test your seed: the germination test

Do this before you sow a whole batch. It tells you how much seed to sow (Unit 3).

Germination test

Tools: 50 seeds of one species, a tray or box with clean washed sand, a label, a notebook. Allow 30 minutes to set up, then 10 minutes a day.

Count out 50 seeds. Treat them as you plan to treat the whole batch.
Fill a tray with clean washed sand, about 5 cm deep. Water it.
Sow the 50 seeds in rows at the right depth.
Label the tray with species, date and treatment.
Water lightly each day and keep out of strong sun.
Count the sprouted seeds each day for 3 weeks or until nothing new sprouts.
Work out the germination rate: sprouted ÷ 50 × 100. Example: 35 ÷ 50 × 100 = 70 percent.
Check: write the rate in your seed record and choose how many seeds per pot (Unit 3).

Common mistakes and fixes:

Seed rots in the tray. Too wet or compost used. Use clean sand, drain well.
Nothing sprouts. Seed is old or dormant. Try nicking or a soak and test again.
Seed eaten. Rats or ants. Cover the tray with mesh.

Collect, clean and treat seed

Tools: sacks, a long hooked pole, a bucket, a sieve, a sharp knife, labels. Allow half a day.

With your trainer, pick two mother trees using the checklist above.
Collect fallen ripe fruit or use the pole. Do not climb.
Take it to the nursery in a sack. Write the tree, place and date.
Open or crack the fruit as needed, clean the seed and float out bad seed.
Dry the seed in the shade (not in a hot sun) and store it in a labelled bag in a cool dry place.
Apply a pre-treatment to a small batch, then do the germination test above.

Find a mother tree

Find a healthy tree of a species used in nurseries near you. Take a photo and list: the species, the local name, how straight it is, whether it is healthy, and when it fruits.

Check yourself: Unit 4

Name two things to look for in a good mother tree.
Why do you throw away seeds that float when you soak them?
Why run a germination test before sowing a big batch?

Unit 5 · Care, pricking out and hardening off

The weeks after sowing decide which seedlings live. Water well, protect from sun and disease, and then slowly get the seedlings ready for the open field.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
5.1 Water and weed	waters at the right times and keeps beds clean
5.2 Prick out and space	transfers seedlings carefully and spaces them
5.3 Protect seedlings	spots and fixes damping off, pests and other problems
5.4 Harden off	reduces shade and water in steps and culls weak plants

Range. One batch of seedlings from sowing to hardening. Evidence. Care log; healthy seedlings; oral questions.

Daily care

Water early morning (6 to 8 am) and late afternoon (4 to 7 pm). Use a fine rose so the water does not wash out seed or flatten seedlings.
Weed by hand. Weeds steal water and hide pests.
Check every day: dried or flopped seedlings, yellow leaves, insect damage, fallen shade.
Add organic manure if leaves turn yellow.
Write in your care log: date, water given, problems, action.

Seed trays: stand them in 2 to 5 cm of water for 10 to 20 minutes twice a day to avoid spray damage.

Pricking out

Use this when you sow many seeds in a tray or bed first and move the seedlings to bags later. FAO's steps:

Prick out when seedlings are 2 to 4 cm tall with 3 or 4 true leaves. Do it on a cloudy day or late in the afternoon.
Water the bags the day before and put up the shade.
Lever the seedling out with a small flat stick. Hold it by a leaf only, never the stem.
Lift only as many as you can plant in about 15 minutes. Keep the rest in a shaded tray of water.
Make a hole in the bag about the width of a pencil, slightly deeper than the roots. Do not bend the roots.
Put the seedling in and push the stick in 1 cm from the seedling and lever back and forth to firm the soil.
Shade about 30 cm above. Water lightly 2 to 3 times a day.
After 3 to 4 days replace any that died.

Prick out seedlings

Tools: a tray of seedlings with 3 or 4 true leaves, filled bags, pencil, flat sticks, a bucket of water, shade. Allow 2 hours.

Water the seedling tray and the bags.
Work in the shade or at the end of the day.
Lever up one seedling at a time as described above.
Plant, firm, label and water.
Check after 3 to 4 days: how many died? Replace them and record the number.

Common mistakes and fixes:

Holding the stem. It bruises and the seedling dies. Hold the leaf.
Roots bent upwards ("J-roots"). Make the hole deep enough.
Doing it in hot sun. Wait for cloud or evening.

Spacing and culling

When leaves begin to overlap, space the seedlings out. Sort big from small, remove empty pots and very poor seedlings, and put the big ones where they have more room.
Roots that grow through the bottom holes into the soil should be cut. Do this when roots grow out, and shade for about two days afterwards. Repeat every 3 to 4 weeks. Do it by lifting the bag and slicing the roots with a sharp knife, or by sliding a spade under the bags.
Cull: remove dead, dying and very odd-looking seedlings so only uniform healthy ones go out.

Common nursery problems

Common problems in southern Ghana nurseries are damping off, leaf spot, shoot dieback and wilting, with crickets, termites and squirrels as pests. They link to overwatering, too much shade, poor air flow, garden or forest soil and stream water. Leaf spot of Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra) caused heavy loss in Ghana nurseries. Teak and Cedrela were mostly free of serious pests.

Problem	What you see	What to do (no chemicals needed at this level)
Damping off	Seedlings fall over at soil level; stem is thin and wet	Water less; open the shade; use clean sand and clean bags; remove sick seedlings and do not reuse that soil for seedbeds without cleaning
Ants and termites	Seedlings eaten at the base; tunnels	Keep beds clean; wood ash around the bed has been used
Beetles, cutworms	Chewed leaves, cut stems	Hand-pick beetles; dig out cutworms near the cut plant
Crickets, squirrels	Seed dug up or eaten	Cover trays with mesh; fence the site
Leaf spots	Brown spots on leaves	Remove spotted leaves and sick seedlings; space plants for air
Yellow leaves	Pale or yellow leaves	Check shade (too much?), water (too much?), then add organic manure

Wash knives and tools between batches to stop disease spreading. For cutting tools, a sterilizer of spirit, or household bleach 1 part to 9 parts water, is used in grafting; ask your trainer before using it.

No chemical sprays in this module. In Ghana the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registers all pesticides, including so-called natural ones (biopesticides), under Act 490. A product without an EPA registration number is not approved. Always read the label. We give no spray rates here. If a problem needs a spray, ask your trainer or the district agriculture officer (MoFA) and use only a product registered for that use, with gloves, mask and boots. Neem powder has helped against termites in one trial, but the rate was local and is not given here.

Hardening off

Hardening makes the seedling tough enough for the open field. The Ghana guide says to start one month before planting out: reduce watering (how often and how much) and reduce shade.

FAO's hardening after pricking out: once new leaves grow, remove the shade for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the late afternoon, lengthen that over a week, so that by day 7 the seedlings are unshaded all day.

Harden a batch

Tools: shade you can open or remove, a calendar, the care log. Allow 1 hour a week over a month.

Four weeks before the planting date, write the date in your logbook and on a sign.
Week 1: open the shade for 1 to 2 hours in the cooler parts of the day. Water as normal.
Week 2: open it for half of the day. Water a little less often.
Week 3: leave the seedlings in full light except in the hottest hours. Water only when the surface is dry.
Week 4: full sun, less water. Cull weak and odd seedlings.
Check: are the leaves firm, dark green and not scorched? Is the stem woody at the base?
Do not let the seedlings wilt badly. If many wilt, give shade and water and slow down.

Care log

Keep a daily care log for one seedling batch for two weeks: date, water, weather, problems, what you did. Bring it to class.

Check yourself: Unit 5

When should you water in the day, and why not at midday?
How do you hold a seedling when you prick it out?
What do you do with seedlings that fall over from damping off?

Unit 6 · Sale, records and planting out

A seedling is only worth something when it is sold alive, and it only counts as a success if it grows in the field. Counting, records and good advice at sale build your name.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
6.1 Keep nursery records	keeps stock, sowing, germination and sales records
6.2 Judge quality	grades seedlings and rejects poor ones
6.3 Sell and send out	counts, labels, packs and delivers seedlings
6.4 Plant out	plants seedlings correctly and gives planting advice

Range. One batch from sale to planting. Evidence. Records; graded batch; planting demonstration.

Records that make money

Lay the nursery out so classes of trees are easy to count. Record planting dates, quantities planted, quantities sold, names and prices.
Record sowing dates, germination and growth for every species, so you find the best sowing time.
Sow so that seedlings reach good planting size when the rains start: count back from the planting date.

A simple card for each batch:

Item	Example entry (example)
Species	Moringa
Seed source and date	Tree behind the school, collected 4 Oct
Treatment	Soaked overnight
Sown on, number of bags	20 Oct, 200 bags
Germination after 3 weeks	70 percent
Pricked out or thinned	12 Nov
Culled	18
Hardening started	1 Dec
Sold, to whom, price	100 on 20 Dec, GH¢2 each

Judging seedling quality

Sturdiness quotient: height in cm divided by the thickness of the stem at the soil in mm. A good seedling is about 6. Example: a 30 cm seedling with a 5 mm stem gives 30 ÷ 5 = 6. A tall, thin seedling (for example 40 cm and 4 mm gives 10) is weak.
Look for: firm dark green leaves, a woody base, a straight stem, a damp bag with roots holding the soil, no pest damage, no roots escaping from the bottom.
Reject: yellow, tall thin, damaged, bent, diseased, or seedlings with roots growing out and coiled.
A national grading standard for sale of each species in Ghana was not verified. Ghana has no national nursery accreditation as of January 2026, so your own honest grading is your reputation.

Which seedling is better? (example figures)

Seedling A is 28 cm tall with a stem of 4 mm. Seedling B is 24 cm tall with a stem of 4 mm. (1) Work out the sturdiness quotient of each. (2) Which is closer to 6? (3) Which one would you sell first?

Packing and sending seedlings

Water the seedlings well the evening before.
Grade and count them. Add a few extra for deaths on the way.
Pack bags upright in crates, baskets, or the back of a pickup. Do not pile them.
Cover them with a net or cloth against sun and wind on the road.
Label each species and give a delivery note with count and date.
Take the seedlings straight to a shady place on arrival and water them.
Give the buyer written advice (below).

Planting out: advice to give every buyer

Plant at the start of the rains. Potted seedlings do better in dry areas.
Plant the seedling after hardening for about a month. Mango seedlings, for example, are hardened 6 to 8 weeks before planting.
Handle the roots with care.
Planting matters a lot: in one mangrove project in Mexico, only 3.4 percent died in the nursery but 38.3 percent died in the field. In Ghana a Green Ghana Day report said more than 72 percent of seedlings survived. So teach buyers how to plant.
Spacing for each species was not verified. Ask the buyer's purpose (shade, timber, fruit, hedge) and give spacing from a reliable local source (Forestry Commission or MoFA).

Plant a seedling

Tools: a hoe or spade, a cutlass, a bucket of water, seedlings, a sharp knife, mulch. Allow 2 hours.

Choose a day when rain is coming or the soil is damp. Plant in the morning or late afternoon.
Dig a hole about twice as wide as the bag and as deep as the bag. Break up the soil at the bottom.
Water the bag well. Cut the bag from the bottom to the top with the knife and remove it. Do not let the root ball fall apart.
If roots are coiled, loosen or cut the long ones.
Stand the seedling upright in the hole so its collar (where the stem meets the soil) is level with the ground.
Fill the hole with soil in layers. Press firmly with your hands. Do not cover the leaves.
Water slowly. Put mulch around the stem, not touching it.
Stake and label if needed. Check weekly and replace dead ones.
Check: does the seedling stand upright and not wobble?

Remove the polybag before planting. A bag left on will choke the roots.

Selling and avoiding big risks

Be careful with big contracts. Ashanti Region seedling contractors for Green Ghana Day 2021 and 2022 said they had not been paid in full; one report said GH¢28 million and another GH¢2.3 billion, a huge difference, so treat both numbers with care. Lesson: get a written contract, agree how and when you will be paid, and do not borrow heavily to supply a big order.
Free competition. The Forestry Commission gives out free seedlings in some programmes. Sell what the giveaways do not: quality, special species, fruit and shade trees, good service.
Selling the TCDA six crops. Do not sell cashew, coconut, mango, oil palm, rubber or shea planting material until you are registered and certified.

A stock-take and a sale

Tools: record cards, a pencil, crates, labels. Allow 3 hours.

Count the seedlings in each block. Write the count on the card.
Grade them: A (ready), B (needs more time), C (reject).
Record the numbers and the percent in each grade.
Practise a sale: a classmate plays a buyer. Quote a price, explain how to plant, write a receipt with date, species, number, price and total.
Check: does the money and stock record match? Subtract sold from stock and see what remains.

Write a planting advice sheet

Write a one-page advice sheet for a buyer of 20 shade-tree seedlings: when to plant, how deep, how to water, and what to do if a seedling dies. Use plain words.

Check yourself: Unit 6

Name three things you should write in a batch record.
What does a sturdiness quotient of 6 tell you?
When is the best time to plant seedlings, and why?

Unit 7 · Your location, small business ideas and marketing

A nursery business works when you grow what people will buy, near the people who will buy it, at a price that covers your costs.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
7.1 Cost and price	works out the cost of one seedling and sets a price
7.2 Choose a location	judges where to site and sell
7.3 Choose a business idea	compares simple nursery business models
7.4 Market yourself	plans a name, a pitch and a way to reach buyers

Range. The trainee's own plan. Evidence. Costing sheet; one-page plan.

Cost and price

The cost items of a nursery are: polybags, topsoil, sand, compost, seed, shade materials, water, tools, labour. Prices were not verified in the Western Region, so use your own local prices.

What buyers pay in other markets: a 2026 study found farmers were willing to pay about GH¢0.80 to 1.00 each for professionally raised horticultural seedlings, not tree seedlings. Coconut seedling adverts on Jiji ranged from GH₵8 to over GH₵40. These adverts are not from the Western Region and are unverified. Coconut is a TCDA crop, so this is only to show that prices vary a lot. The Forestry Commission's own seedlings have been free in programmes. So set your price from your own cost, from what local buyers say, and from quality.

Cost one seedling (all figures are examples)

For 1,000 seedlings: polybags GH¢70, topsoil GH¢60, sand GH¢40, compost GH¢50, seed GH¢100, labour GH¢250, water GH¢40, labels GH¢20. 200 seedlings die or are culled. (1) What is the total cost? (2) What is the cost per seedling raised (1,000)? (3) What is the cost per seedling sold (800)? (4) What price gives a profit of 50 percent on cost per seedling sold? (5) What profit would you make if you sold all 800 at GH¢2?

Choosing where to put your nursery

Close to the farms, estates or towns where buyers are (fewer trips, fresher seedlings)
Near water all year, and near a road
Clean land you may use (check ownership with the chief or family; do not build without agreement)
Near schools, churches, Assemblies and NGOs who plant trees
Away from floods and from a rubbish dump or a road with heavy dust

For Akwidaa and Takoradi area buyers, think of cocoa, oil-palm, coconut and rubber farms and tree-planting programmes. Do not raise cocoa or oil-palm seedlings here without taking the cocoa and oil-palm nursery courses first (they have their own rules).

Small business ideas

Compare these. Each has strengths and risks.

Idea	What it is	Risk or note
Backyard nursery	Start small at home; sell to neighbours, schools and churches	Low cost; slow start; needs water
Special species or fruit trees	Fruit, shade, moringa, neem, timber and ornamental trees that the free programmes do not give	Needs better seed and care; ask what people want
Contract seedlings for a school, church, NGO or Assembly	A buyer orders by number and date	Ask for a written contract and deposit
Government or Green Ghana supply	Large volumes for national tree planting	Payment risk (Unit 6); do not borrow heavily
Group or community nursery	Women or youth groups raise seedlings together	Needs agreed rules on work and income
Mangrove or restoration nursery	Raise mangrove and other restoration seedlings for projects	Needs permission to collect propagules and a buyer first

Facts to guide you:

In Greater Amanzule Wetlands, Western Region, Hen Mpoano planned to raise 200,000 mangrove seedlings over five years for 50 hectares of damaged mangrove, with three nurseries aiming at 80,000 seedlings in year one. Mangrove propagules at Afiadenyigba were collected by women and youth under Wildlife Division guidance, soaked overnight and planted in black polybags. The permit rules for collecting propagules were not verified; ask the Wildlife Division or Forestry Commission.
Tree Aid supports women-run community nurseries in northern Ghana. CSIR-CRI and iNovaland trained youth in Bono East in nursery work in 2026.
Green Ghana: 22,671,696 seedlings were distributed in 2022 and 13,875,286 in 2024. Not all came from private nurseries.

Market yourself

Make a name and write it on a board and on labels.
Show quality: bring a sample of your seedlings, show the label and the germination record. Tell buyers the seed source.
Offer delivery and planting advice, and a simple promise: "I will replace dead seedlings within two weeks if you planted them as advised" (an idea, set your own terms).
Sell before the rains. Demand peaks March to June and September to November, so sow 2 to 3 months earlier.
Visit schools, churches, Assemblies, NGOs and farmer groups; the Ahafo women's nursery urges these buyers.
Use WhatsApp to send photos and take orders (a teaching idea, not from a source).
Keep records so you can show how many seedlings you have raised and sold.

Accessibility and inclusion

Women and persons with disabilities already run tree nurseries in Ghana. Noble Women with Disabilities in Asunafo North, Ahafo, are 50 women with disabilities and single parents raising about 200 seedlings at three sites (mahogany, emire, mango, orange); their message was "We can work". A Green Champion project trained women with disabilities in climate-smart agribusiness, including seedling production. Women and youth collect mangrove propagules in AROCHA's work.
No source gave nursery layouts for disabilities. The following are course suggestions, not from a source:

Task	Who can do it	Adjustment
Pricking out, filling bags, labelling, tying	Many people sitting down, including wheelchair users and people with limited walking	Raised benches or tables at a comfortable height; a stool; a tray on the lap
Reaching bed middles	People with limited reach	Beds of 80 to 100 cm (from the guide) allow reaching from one side; put the work at the edge
Record keeping, phone orders, sales, social media	People with many kinds of disability	A seated desk; large print or voice notes; a helper for travel
Heavy lifting: soil mixing, carrying water and bags	May not suit everyone	Share the work in pairs; use a wheelbarrow or a trolley; a partner takes the heavy tasks
Spotting seedlings that need care	People with low vision	Colour or tactile labels (a ribbon or rope), good lighting, texture markers on stakes
Hearing or speech difference	Most tasks	Written or picture instructions; hand signals; a notebook for orders

Your nursery plan

Allow 3 hours.

Write the species you would raise and why (who will buy them?).
Cost one seedling using your local prices and set a selling price.
Choose a location and explain why.
Pick one business idea from the table and list one risk and how you would handle it.
Write a name, a one-sentence pitch and three places where you will find buyers.
If your plan includes mango, cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber or shea, add one line saying you will register with TCDA first.
Present your plan to the class in two minutes.

Talk to a buyer

Talk to a farmer, a school head or a church leader. Ask: what trees do you plant, when, how many, where do you get seedlings now, and what price do you pay? Write down the answers and bring them to class.

Check yourself: Unit 7

Name three costs of raising seedlings.
Why must you not sell cashew or mango seedlings without checking with TCDA?
Name two ways to find buyers.

Glossary

Term	Meaning
Bed	A raised or marked flat area where bags or seed stand, 80 to 100 cm wide
Compost	Rotted plant matter that feeds soil
Cull	To remove weak, dead or odd seedlings
Damping off	A disease that makes seedlings fall over at soil level
Dormancy	When seed will not sprout until its hard coat or sleep is broken
Germination	When a seed sprouts
Germination rate	The percent of seeds that sprout
Hardening off	Slowly giving a seedling more sun and less water so it is tough for the field
Mother tree	The tree you collect seed from
Polybag	A black polythene bag used as a pot
Pricking out	Moving a young seedling from a tray or bed into a bag
Pre-treatment	Soaking, nicking or hot water that wakes up hard seed
Propagule	A mangrove seedling that starts growing on the tree
Scarify	To nick or rub a hard seed coat so water can enter
Sturdiness quotient	Height in cm divided by stem thickness in mm; about 6 is good
TCDA	Tree Crops Development Authority; covers cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea
Topsoil	The dark top layer of soil, rich in plant food
Winnow	To blow or toss seed so light chaff blows away

Logbook

Unit 1: safety checklist; site scoring sheet; plot marked out
Unit 2: nursery plan; shade shed notes; water measurement
Unit 3: soil test; mix quantities; bag filling; sowing record
Unit 4: seed collection record; seed treatment; germination test
Unit 5: care log; pricking-out record; hardening record; problems and fixes
Unit 6: batch records; grading sheet; stock-take; planting out
Unit 7: costing; one-page nursery plan; buyer interview
Every homework, dated

Self-check quiz

Name three points of a good nursery site.
How much space do 1,000 seedlings need, and how wide should beds be?
Why is too much shade bad?
What is the default polybag soil mix?
How deep do you sow seed?
Why must you test seed for germination?
How do you treat hard-coated seed with hot water, and what is the maximum temperature?
At what size and leaf stage do you prick out seedlings?
How do you harden off seedlings, and when do you start?
Why do you need records, and name three things to record.
What is the sturdiness quotient and what number is good?
Why check with TCDA before selling cashew, coconut, mango, oil palm, rubber or shea seedlings?