scholarly journals Effect of Eight Container Types and Root Pruning During Nursery Production on Root Architecture of Acer rubrum

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Gilman ◽  
Maria Paz ◽  
Chris Harchick

There is a general understanding that roots deflect when striking solid nursery container walls, and that on trees with good vitality this occurs within weeks of shifting into larger containers. Root architecture is poorly understood when observed in containers with walls constructed of porous plastic and of materials other than plastic. The objective of this study was to measure impacts of container type, root pruning when shifting to a larger container, and cardinal direction on root architecture in nursery containers up to the #45 size (approximately 170 L). Trunk diameter in #45 containers varied less than 5 mm among eight container types and was not impacted by root pruning. More root growth occurred in the northern than southern half of containers. Container type had a small impact on root architecture; in contrast, root pruning by shaving the periphery of the root ball at each shift had a large impact. Shaving when shifting dramatically reduced the percentage of trees graded as culls and suppressed stem-girdling root formation compared to not shaving. Shaving shifted deflected woody root mass from the interior of the root ball to the exterior, making it simple to remove peripheral roots when planting into the landscape.

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Gilman ◽  
Maria Paz ◽  
Chris Harchick

Root pruning by shaving 12 L container root balls when shifting to 51 L containers did not impact Acer rubrum L. or Quercus virginiana Mill. root architecture within the top 12 cm of planted 51 L root balls five years later, despite marked differences at planting, and had no impact on tree height or trunk diameter increase. Root pruning in the nursery did not affect bending stress required to tilt Acer trunks up to five degrees (anchorage) either one, two, or three years after landscape planting. In contrast, anchorage was greater the second year after planting Quercus that were root pruned. Rotating trees 180 degrees at planting from their orientation in the nursery had no impact on Acer or Quercus anchorage, tree height, or trunk diameter. Rotating oak (not maple) trees 180 degrees at planting increased root cross-sectional area growing from the hot (south) side of the root ball when trees were rotated at planting.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-59
Author(s):  
Michael D. Marshall ◽  
Edward F. Gilman

Abstract Trees of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) were planted into seven container types evaluated for their ability to reduce number of roots deflected by the container wall. Seedlings were grown 70 weeks (production phase) in seven container types to a mean trunk diameter of 3.9 cm (1.5 in) and were transplanted into a sandy soil and grown with frequent or periodic irrigation for 24 weeks (landscape phase). There was no effect of container type on total root mass, trunk diameter or height during the production phase. Total deflected root length was less in low-profile plastic containers, chemical root pruning containers, air root pruning containers (ARPC), and wood boxes than in standard black plastic containers (SBPC). Trees produced in the SBPC had the most horizontally-oriented deflected root length while the ARPC and SBPC had the most vertically-oriented deflected root length. Trees grown in the ARPC had less roots on the inside of the root ball than all other container types. Container type did not influence root and shoot growth, but impacted stem water potential in the first five months after transplanting to the landscape. Trees frequently irrigated during the landscape phase had greater trunk diameter, height, and generated more new root mass than those which were infrequently irrigated.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward F. Gilman ◽  
Maria Paz ◽  
Dustin Meador ◽  
Paul Fisher

Numerous propagation containers have been developed in an effort to reduce root deformities on tree and shrub nursery stock. Root attributes in containers are also impacted by retention time in the container. A popular shade tree, Acer rubrum L., was grown in 6 different propagation containers for two time periods and root pruned or not before shifting to 10 liter (3 gal) black plastic containers to evaluate root system quality. Root pruning when shifting into larger 10 liter (3 gal) containers resulted in more structural roots, adventitious roots from cuts, and woody second-order roots, growing closer to the substrate surface due to a reduced angle of departure from the trunk. Root pruning improved root system quality by increasing the number of straight, radially-oriented roots growing from all propagation containers except for Ellepots placed in contact with other Ellepots which had an equivalent high number of straight roots without pruning. By many measures, all propagation container types produced nearly equivalent root systems provided root balls were mechanically pruned by shaving off roots on the periphery when shifting to 10 liter (3 gal) containers. However, root pruning when shifting had no effect on mortality or trunk diameter growth in 10 liter (3 gal) containers. Without root pruning, the propagation container type and retention time had a large influence on root morphology in 10 liter (3 gal) containers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Watson ◽  
Angela Hewitt

Abstract Nursery production practices subject tree root systems to mechanical and environmental factors that are not imposed on plants regenerated naturally from seed. Architecture of undisturbed root systems of nine trees species commonly planted in urban landscapes was compared to root architecture of these tree species produced using common field nursery production practices. When young nursery production seedlings are root-pruned prior to replanting, the loss of the lower portion of the main root and lateral roots emerging from it, and initiation of adventitious roots from the cut end, alter the root system architecture. Nursery production plants have 7 to 48 percent fewer natural lateral roots that could develop into flare roots than undisturbed plants. New roots initiated from the cut end of the main root on nursery production plants can substitute for the loss of lateral roots, if accepted practices are followed. Root architecture of trees is established early. With minor exceptions attributed to the loss of small roots less than 1 mm diameter, there were no significant changes in the number of lateral roots over the 4 year period in both nursery production and undisturbed plants. This consistent number of roots also suggests that pruning the main root did not stimulate additional lateral roots above the pruning cut. Root architecture of liner stock produced in nurseries can be equivalent to undisturbed root systems. Index words: Structural roots, root pruning, bare root, root depth, taproot, root flare. Species used in this study: Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.); green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.); littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata L.); red maple (Acer rubrum L.); European white birch (Betula pendula Roth.); Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus L.); domestic apple (Malus spp.); red oak (Quercus rubra L.); Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila Jacq.).


2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Gilman ◽  
Maria Paz ◽  
Chris Harchick

Acer rubrum L. ‘Florida Flame’ were grown in #3 containers of eight types, then shifted to #15 containers, then finally into #45 containers. Half the trees were root pruned by removing periphery 3 cm of root ball at each shift to larger containers. In addition to and simultaneous with being shifted into successively larger containers, some trees from each container size were planted directly into soil. Type of container and root pruning had no impact on trunk diameter, tree height, or root cross-sectional area on trees planted into soil from any container size. Type of container influenced architecture of planted root systems evaluated when all trees were five-years-old with limited impact on anchorage. Container type only impacted anchorage of trees planted from #45 containers, and impact was small. In contrast, shaving root balls during production substantially reduced imprint left by all containers evaluated when trees were five-years-old. Shaving during production also improved anchorage by 20%–25% compared to not root pruning. More roots grew on north than the south side of tree in the nursery and landscape. Bending stress increased with trunk angle and its square while winching trunks to five degrees tilt.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Gilman ◽  
Maria Paz ◽  
Chris Harchick

Plants were grown in a 2 × 2 factorial combination of planting depth in nursery containers and at a landscape installation to study effects on root architecture, growth, and mechanical stability of Magnolia grandiflora L. Planting depth into containers or landscape soil had no impact on bending stress to tilt trunks 40 months after landscape planting, and impacted neither trunk diameter nor tree height growth 68 months later. Trees planted 128 mm deep into 170 L containers had more circling roots at landscape planting and 68 months later than trees planted shallow in containers. Root pruning at landscape planting reduced the container imprint rating on the root system to one-third of that absent root pruning with only a 4 mm reduction in trunk diameter growth over 68 months. Improvement in root architecture from root pruning likely outweighs the rarely encountered downside of slightly less anchorage in an extreme weather event simulated by winching trunks. Trees planted 5 cm above grade were slightly—but significantly—less stable in landscape than trees planted deeper (10 cm below grade). Root pruning at planting to remove roots on root ball periphery appeared to improve root architecture while only slightly impacting growth and anchorage.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Hewitt ◽  
Gary Watson

Abstract Typical nursery production practices, such as root pruning and transplanting, can alter tree root architecture and contribute to root systems that are too deep. In a study of field-grown liner production, root architecture was examined at each stage of the production process, from first year seedlings or rooted cuttings, through 4 to 5 year old branched liners. Depth and diameter of structural roots were recorded on ten replications each of Acer saccharum, Gleditsia triancanthos, Pyrus calleryana, and apple seedling rootstocks; Platanus ‘Columbia’ clonal rooted cuttings; and apple EMLA 111 clonal rootstock produced by mound propagation. By the time the liners reached marketable size, most natural lateral roots emerging from the primary root were lost. Simultaneously, adventitious roots were produced deeper on the root shank at the pruned end of the primary root. These changes in architecture result in the formation of an ‘adventitious root flare’ that is deeper in the soil than a natural root flare. The depth of this new root flare is dependent upon nursery production practices and may influence the ultimate depth of structural roots in the landscape.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 143-148
Author(s):  
G. W. Watson ◽  
A.M. Hewitt

Abstract The number and size of lateral roots of a tree seedling can be evaluated visually, and could potentially be used to select plants with better root systems early in nursery production. To evaluate how root architecture develops in young trees, root architecture of 37 species of trees was compared at two stages of development: as harvested seedlings, and then one year after replanting. The total number of lateral roots and the number of roots >2mm (0.08 in) diameter that were present on the portion of the taproot remaining on seedlings after standard root pruning were recorded. Neither could consistently predict the number of lateral roots on the root system one year after replanting. Development of roots (sum of diameters) regenerated from the cut end of the seedling taproot was equal or greater than lateral root development in 84 percent of evaluated species. Even when regenerated root development was significantly less than lateral root development, the regenerated roots still comprised up to 44 percent of the root system. Regenerated roots from the cut end of the taproot can become a major component of the architecture of the structural root system in nursery stock. Index words: structural roots, nursery production, root regeneration. Species used in this study: European black alder (Alnus glutinosa Gaertn.), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), European white birch. (Betula pendula Roth), river birch (Betula nigra L.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa (Warder) Warder ex Engelm.), Mazzard cherry [Prunus avium [L.) L.], chokecherry (Prunus virginiana L.), American elm (Ulmus americana L.), Siberian elm (Ulmus pumilia L.), goldenchain tree (Laburnum anagyroides Medik.), northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L.), Cockspur hawthorn (Crateagus crus-galli L.), single seed hawthorn (Crateagus monogyna Jacq.), honeylocust (Gleditsia tricanthos L.), Japanese pagodatree [Sophora japonica (L.) Schott], Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum Siebold & Zucc.), Kentucky coffee tree [Gymnocladus dioicus (L.) K. Koch], littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata Mill.), boxelder (Acer negundo L.), hedge maple (Acer campestre L.), Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall), sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), English Oak (Quercus robur L.), northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.), Siberian peashrub (Caragana arborescens Lam.), American plum (Prunus Americana Marshall ), Myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.), redbud (Cercis Canadensis L.), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifoliaI L.), tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino).


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 208-214
Author(s):  
Donna Fare

Two experiments were conducted on container-grown plants that were actively growing in spring to evaluate the effects of root pruning prior to repotting or planting in a field plot. In experiment 1, severe root pruning significantly reduced height and trunk diameter growth for both ‘Summer Red’ maple (Acer rubrum L) and overcup oak (Quercus lyrata Walt.) after repotting into a larger container. Shoot and root dry weights were less with plants severely root pruned compared to plants that were not root pruned or had been lightly root pruned. Overcup oaks that received no root pruning or were lightly root pruned did not differ in height or trunk growth 24 weeks after study initiation. However, overcup oaks severely root pruned had brown foliage within 10 days of repotting and within 2 months had extensive dieback, which resulted in negative height growth by the end of the study. In experiment 2, ‘Autumn Flame’ red maple that received no root pruning had similar growth to plants that had light root pruning, but was greater than plants that received moderate or severe root pruning during the first growing season in the field. Autumn Flame red maples severely root pruned prior to field planting had 65% less height growth than plants receiving no root pruning during year 1. After four years, shoot and trunk diameter growth was similar among treatments. The number of circling roots at the soil surface decreased as the amount of root pruning increased.


2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Gilman ◽  
Chris Harchick ◽  
Maria Paz

The purpose of this study was to evaluate growth and anchorage one year after landscape planting of red maple (Acer rubrum L. ‘Florida Flame’) from both a field and container nursery that were stabilized with above- or belowground systems. Trunk diameter increased more for trees planted from containers with soilless substrate (17 mm) than trees with a soil root ball from a field nursery (14 mm); however, there was no impact of nursery production method on tree height. Trees secured with a guying system grew less in trunk diameter than trees secured with a belowground system, with a tall wood stake system, or the non-staked control. Guyed trees were taller than trees secured with a root-ball stabilization system. More bending stress was required to winch trees transplanted from the field nursery than trees from containers immediately after releasing stakes one year after planting. There was no difference among stabilization systems in bending stress to winch to any trunk tilt angle, indicating similar anchorage across systems. Moreover, trees stabilized for one year required the same bending stress to winch as controls, indicating that stabilizing trees for one year with any of the systems tested did not reduce anchorage compared to non-stabilized trees.


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