NURSERY PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED SHADE-TREE SPECIES GROWN IN "FIELD-GROW" FABRIC CONTAINERS
Performance of bare-root stock of Patmore green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.), Dropmore basswood (Tilia × flavescens A. Br.) and silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) growing in two sizes of "Field-grow" in-the-ground fabric containers (46-cm and 56-cm diameter) was compared with uncontainerized controls over a 4-yr period. Root systems of Field-grow plants examined were more fibrous; feeder roots penetrating the container wall were swollen adjacent to it. Large roots, especially of silver maple, also penetrated the seam between the side walls and plastic bottom. Field-grow silver maple and ash grew progressively less than control plants on or after the first growing season, indicating diminutive effect of the containers. Basswood, which was slower to establish, showed no such response until the fourth growing season.Key words: Fraxinus pennsylvanica ’Patmore’, Tilia flavescens ’Dropmore’, Acer saccharinum, nursery production, "Field-grow" containers