146 Broschat and Moore: Fertilization Rates and Placement Effects Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2012. 38(4): 146–150 Fertilization Rate and Placement Effects on Areca Palms Transplanted from Containers or a Field Nursery Timothy K. Broschat and Kimberly A. Moore Abstract. Areca palms (Dypsis lutescens [(H. Wendl.) Beentje and J. Dransf.]) were transplanted from containers or a field nursery and were treated with fertilizer placed at the bottom of the planting hole, incorporated into the backfill, or on the surface of the root ball to determine the effects of fertilizer placement at planting on palm growth and quality. Fertilizer was applied at 0, 250 g (20 g N), or 500 g (40 g N) per tree for each placement method to determine fertilization rate effects. Areca palms transplanted from containers grew best when fertilizer was incorpo- rated into the backfill, but any fertilizer placement or rate was better than no fertilizer. When areca palms were transplanted from a field nursery, there was no consistently best fertilizer placement method. However, fertilized plants grew better and had less severe nitrogen and potassium de- ficiency symptoms than unfertilized palms. There was no benefit to higher fertilization rate for either container- or field-grown areca palms. Key Words. Areca; Dypsis lutescens; Nitrogen Deficiency; Plant Establishment; Potassium Deficiency; Root Growth. Fertilization at the time of transplanting trees is a common practice with practitioners who believe that enhanced nu- trient availability will accelerate the rate of establishment. However, studies have shown that responses to fertilization at the time of transplanting vary considerably according to spe- cies, native soil fertility, type of fertilizer used, and whether the trees were bare root, balled and burlapped, or container- grown. Where soils have adequate fertility, newly transplant- ed trees may not respond to fertilization (Shoup et al. 1981; Perry and Hickman 1992). Day and Harris (2007) and Har- ris et al. (2008) similarly found no response to fertilization in several tree species in infertile soil and compacted soils. Positive growth responses to fertilization at planting were noted by Broschat and Moore (2010), Gilman (1987), Gilman et al. (2000), Hensley et al. (1988), and Jacobs et al. (2005). Response to fertilization at the time of planting may be affected by fertilizer placement. Hensley et al. (1988) found no differenc- es in the growth response of transplanted container-grown Mag- nolia grandiflora when fertilizer was surface-applied, placed in the bottom of the planting hole, or incorporated into the backfill, but any fertilization was superior to no fertilization. Container- grown and field-grown trees may also respond differently due to the effects of organic potting substrate components, such as pine bark on nitrogen (N) requirements (Schulte and Whitcomb 1975). Although Broschat and Moore (2010) examined the ef- fects of N fertilization on transplanted container-grown palms, there are no published research studies on fertilizer placement effects for transplanted palms. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of fertilizer placement and rate at the time of transplanting on the growth and quality of transplanted con- tainer-grown and field-grown areca palms (Dypsis lutescens). MATERIALS AND METHODS Areca palms were transplanted into a Margate fine sand soil in Davie, Florida, U.S. (26°5’1.7”N latitude, 80°14’15.2”W longi- tude). This soil had a mean pH of 5.1, cation exchange capacity of 7.5 cmol/kg, and contained about 5% organic matter (A & L Southern Labs, Deerfield Beach, Florida, U.S.). On September 29, 2009 (Experiment 1), 42 areca palms ca. 250 cm tall were transplanted from 23 L containers into 61 cm diameter holes spaced 4.5 m apart on centers. On October 2, 2009, 42 field- grown areca palms ca. 240 cm tall with 46 cm diameter root balls were similarly transplanted. Palms were fertilized at the time of transplanting with one of the following application methods: 1) incorporation into the backfill, 2) layering on the bottom of the planting hole, or 3) surface application by uniformly spreading the fertilizer over the root ball and backfilled area. For each ap- plication method employed, fertilizer was applied at three rates: 1) no fertilizer, 2) 250 g (=20 g N) per tree, or 3) 500 g (=40 g N) per tree. The fertilizer used had a three-month release rate and an analysis of 8N-0.9P-10K-4Mg plus micronutrients with controlled released N from sulfur-coated urea, controlled release K from sulfur-coated potassium sulfate, and controlled release Mg from kieserite (Nurserymen’s Sure Gro, Vero Beach, Florida, U.S.). As is standard maintenance practice for palms transplanted into field nurseries or landscapes in Florida (Broschat 2011), all palms, including those receiving no fertilizer at transplant, were fertilized by broadcasting this same 8N-0.9P-10K-4Mg fertil- izer uniformly over the 1 m2 rate of 250 kg/1000 m2 (=20 kg N/1000 m2 area surrounding each palm at a ) every three months for one year beginning at three months after transplanting. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three blocks of two replicate palms per treatment and block. Blocks of field-grown and container-grown palms were alternated ©2012 International Society of Arboriculture
July 2012
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