Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 32(6): November 2006 Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2006. 32(6):289–296. 289 Compost-Containing Substrates and Their Effect on Posttransplant Growth of Containerized Tree Seedlings Bruce R. Roberts Abstract. Greenhouse studies were undertaken to determine the influence of composted media on the posttransplant growth of containerized red maple, sugar maple, and green ash seedlings. Before planting, the chemical and physical properties of each substrate were measured. For media containing composted biosolids, pH was significantly higher, whereas electrical conductivity, air-filled porosity, and total pore space were significantly lower than in a composted medium without biosolids. For composted substrates containing at least some soil, bulk density, particle density, and container capacity were all significantly greater than for composts without any soil. Growth of red maple was about the same in a noncomposted soilless medium (Metro-mix 360) as it was in substrates containing biosolid compost. Height growth, total biomass, and root biomass of green ash were all significantly greater for seedlings grown in Metro-mix 360 only, and the growth of sugar maple seedlings was about the same in Metro-mix 360 or in a composted substrate without biosolids (Metro-mix 560). The results of this study suggest no particular short-term growth advantage of using composted media as backfill amendments when transplanting; however, the addition of composts could be beneficial in improving the chemical and physical properties of native soils, particularly urban soils containing very low levels of organic matter. Key Words. Acer rubrum L.; Acer saccharum Marsh.; biosolids; Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh; soil amendments; soil properties; tree establishment. There are conflicting reports regarding the potential benefits derived from incorporating soil amendments into the backfill of transplanted trees and shrubs. Schulte and Whitcomb (1975) reported seeing no benefit from using amendments in the backfill soil of silver maple, Acer saccharinum L., and Corley (1984) found no consistent, positive growth responses when several difficult-to-establish landscape trees and shrubs were transplanted in traditional backfill amendments. In stud- ies with 1-year-old red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and Wash- ington hawthorne [Crataegus phaenopyrum (L.f.) Medic.] seedlings, Kelting et al. (1998) reported that native backfill soil amended with yard waste compost at planting had no appreciable effect on height, stem diameter, or root length of either species, although shoot biomass of hawthorne was greater when seedlings were grown in composted yard waste than in native backfill only. Gilman (2004) reported that dur- ing the first and second year after transplanting into good soil, there was no apparent benefit from adding composted yard waste to the backfill soil around newly planted 5 cm (2 in) caliper live oaks (Quercus virginiana Mill.), and Ferrini et al. (2005) found that plant growth (shoot growth and leaf area) of 5-year-old balled-and-burlapped English oak (Quercus ro- bur L.) was only rarely better when transplanted in excavated soil amended with 50% yard waste versus growth in exca- vated soil only. Contrary to these findings, Gouin and Walker (1977) found that stem length in yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) and dogwood (Cornus florida L.) was greater when seedlings of both species were grown in screened compost containing digested sewage sludge and wood chips. Similarly, Banko (1984) found that the growth index of transplanted willow (Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’) was significantly greater at the end of the second growing season for plants grown in com- post-incorporated planting beds. Hodge (1995) also reported improved tree survival of English oak seedlings 3 years after transplanting in clay soils amended with manure and sewage sludge, and Smalley and Wood (1995) found that balled-and- burlapped clonal Acer rubrum trees (3 cm [1.2 in] caliper) exhibited greater fibrous root growth in a proprietary product composed of, among other things, composted poultry litter. Although controversy remains about the usefulness of add- ing organic amendments to backfill soils during planting, there is general agreement among arborists that many urban tree planting sites often lack adequate organic matter content, nutrient availability, and water-holding capacity to ensure the likelihood of establishment. Under such conditions, the ad- dition of organic amendments might prove beneficial in im- proving soil pH, increasing overall biologic activity, promot- ing better drainage and enhancing nutrient-holding capacity. Also, the addition of compost may improve physical charac- ©2006 International Society of Arboriculture
November 2006
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