The work in our Greenhouse usually starts already in early February. Workers prepare the peat, sand, and other materials at the beginning of March, fill the containers, then sow the seeds. This year we sowed only birch seeds considering the needs of the reforestation areas we will cover this fall.
Specifics of birch seeds
There is an interesting fact about the birch seeds. They are like dust weighing about 0.1 grams each. And each grain of “dust” is a future birch tree. While sowing, our workers put a pinch of that seed dust in a number of containers. When the seeds germinate, we then have a “bunch” of trees in each container. Workers carefully remove the very young seedlings and put them one by one in each container.
Doubling the capacity
The Greenhouse has a capacity of holding 72.000 containers. Dr. Gary Assarian, who generously sponsored the establishment of our Greenhouse in 2021, made another donation this year to double our production capacity. Thanks to his contribution, we purchased a second set of 72,000 containers and 1,500 boxes. This allows us to do two sowing rotations in the greenhouse.
![Second set of containers and boxes](https://vpiwcqabtvp5hqii.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/posts/1689847678707.News-images_GA-Greenhouse-2-300x251-TvP6GMunlhVg4zQS8178RcCKdOCxXq.png)
![Moving birch seedlings to Gugark](https://vpiwcqabtvp5hqii.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/posts/1689847688528.News-images_GA-Greenhouse-3-300x251-25skPGELqHBfvrgwm2i1XbMVNBDJie.png)
Already at the end of May, in the warm and humid environment of the Greenhouse, the birch seedlings of the first rotation were ready and were growing rapidly. At the beginning of June, we took the seedlings to our Benjamin Gumuchdjian Nursery in Gugark, where they will continue to grow in the open air. The sowing of the second rotation started immediately. They will germinate at the end of June. If all goes well, we will have 144.000 birch seedlings ready for planting this fall!
Join the process
We will be able to plant the first birch seedlings grown in containers at Dr Gary and Linda Assarian Greenhouse in early October. We are grateful that Dr. Assarian has boosted our production capacity. You can also participate in helping us to plant the increased number of container seedlings. Join the planting season by becoming a monthly donor or making a one-time donation . This will be your long-term contribution to future generations.