Planting Plant Material Maintenance

Transplanting Systems Bare Root Containers Ball and Burlap Tree Spade

Bare Root Dormant plants usually planted in early spring. Advantages  Light weight.  Low cost.  Damaged roots can be pruned. Disadvantages  Time constraint/availability.  May need to be “sweated out”.

Bare Root Plants Dogwood Daylily

Sweating Plants Plants that have been in refrigerated cold storage for long periods of time can become deeply dormant. Sweating involves placing plants in a warm (70-75° F), humid location to promote bud swell.

Container Advantages  Transplant at any time.  Relatively light weight and transportable.  100% of roots stay with plant. Disadvantages  Root-bound; Pot-bound; Potential girdling roots.  Soil dries out quickly in container.

Container Grown Plants

Pot-bound Container Grown Plant

Ball and Burlap Advantages  Native soil kept with root mass.  Larger sizes available. Disadvantages  Very heavy to move.  Can only be dug during dormant season.  Difficult to keep root ball moist if there is a delay between digging and planting.

Ball & Burlap Plants

Machine Dug B&B Tree

Tree Spade Advantages  Can move very large trees. Disadvantages  Expensive equipment.  Should only be dug during spring and fall.  Root loss.  Glazing of planting hole sides.

Tree Spade

Tree Spade Holes

Correct time to transplant Dependent upon the system used. Spring and Fall are best.  Cooler temperatures and adequate moisture.  Some plants prefer to be moved in Spring. Oaks and evergreens  Fall is an excellent time to move many deciduous trees. Have long, slow spring to get established before hot summer.

Dicot Root Systems The very first structure to emerge from a germinating seed is the radicle (young root). White Oak

The radicle becomes the primary root. Secondary roots branch off the primary root. Secondary roots are also called “lateral roots”. Tertiary roots branch off secondary roots.

Adventitious Roots Develop from newly organized meristems forming in leaves, stems, trunks, and roots. Adventitious roots can develop on the trunks of trees that were planted too deep. Adventitious roots developing on the trunk of ash.

Stem Girdling Roots Sometimes adventitious roots can develop into stem girdling roots.

Planting Depth Correct planting depth is critical! Two main considerations:  the grower (nursery)  the plant installer (landscaper; grounds maintenance; homeowner)

The Grower The top of the root ball is not a reliable indication of planting depth.

Tree/Shrub Planter What are the chances all of these are being planted at the proper depth in the field?

Harvested B&B trees. The tree on the left was planted too deep in the nursery. soil ball

Lateral roots should be no more than 3 inches below the surface of the root ball.

The Landscaper; Grounds Maintenance; Homeowner Can’t assume the roots are at the correct depth in the soil ball. Probe to soil ball to locate lateral roots. Remove excess soil prior to planting.

General Planting Steps Locate lateral roots in the soil ball; remove excess soil.

Dig hole 2-3 times wider than root ball. Slope the sides of the planting hole. The hole depth should be equal to, or slightly less than, the soil ball depth. Make sure the bottom of the planting hole is firm.

Place B&B plants into the hole prior to removing burlap, wire, and string.  Remove a minimum of the top 1/3 of a wire basket.  Fold down or remove burlap.  Remove all string and twine.

Backfill part way. Check for proper alignment and depth.  Backfill with excavated soil.  Lightly tamp soil. Finish backfilling.

Create a water basin around the plant if needed.

Water  Slow and gentle trickle of water to avoid runoff, moisten soil, and eliminate air pockets.  Tree-Gator- 20 gallon bag that slowly drips water directly onto root zone.

Mulch  2”-3” of mulch.  Avoid piling mulch up against trunk.

Staking  1 year max (unless in a very windy site).  Allow some flexibility for tree movement.

Fertilizing  Wait 1 year before fertilizing? Establishment Pruning  Prune out damaged branches.  Prune out poor branch structure without removing large amounts of branches. Do not prune branches just to make up for lost root system.

Above grade planting  Install plant higher than normal. Technique used in poorly drained soils. Also used for some plants that do not like to have “wet feet” – Ex. Yews and Rhododendrons.

Special Considerations for Container Grown Plants Water plants thoroughly prior to planting. Remove the container. Apply treatment to pot-bound roots.

Boxing the Root Ball

Butterflying the Root Ball

Scoring/Teasing the Root Ball

Transplant Shock Plant continues to use water and nutrients, but uptake is hindered. Can last several years. During move most fine root hairs have been damaged. Many larger roots are lost/damaged.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Demonstration ½” Bare Root 1” Container 2” Ball and Burlap 4” Tree Spade Same cultivar of Red Maple (Acer rubrum) planted side by side; each received identical cultural care.

Bigger isn’t always better Viewed 3 years after planting with identical care the smallest had become the largest and healthiest.

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