I think that practice is to prevent nematodes from eating the plant off as it sprouts. They normally attack plants just below soil surface, and effectively girdle it the same way a beaver does a tree. We mixed Sevin with water to spray our peach trees right after bloom, and again when the peaches were about half grown. I'll give you three guesses who had to do all the spraying. I never grew a third arm or anything. Smoked for 35 years, and as far as I know, cancer free. Not real sure what all the worry about Sevin is about.
