200 Anella et al.: Growth of Balled-and-Burlapped vs. Bare-Root Trees Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2008. 34(3):200–203. Research Note Growth of Balled-and-Burlapped versus Bare-Root Trees in Oklahoma, U.S. Louis Anella, Thomas C. Hennessey, and Edward M. Lorenzi Bare-root planting of trees has been promoted for community forestry projects because they can easily be hand-carried by planting crews or volunteers and are typically less expensive to purchase than balled-and-burlapped (B&B) trees. Because all of the soil is removed from a bare-root tree, shipping and handling costs are lower, resulting in up to a 33% to 50% cost reduction when compared with B&B trees (Trowbridge and Bassuk 2004). The disadvantage of bare-root trees is that having lost the protective soil cover, roots are exposed and prone to desiccation. To protect bare-root harvested tree roots, Buckstrup and Bassuk (2000, 2001) devised “the bare-root method,” in which the root system is dipped in a hydrophilic gel immediately after harvest- ing and placed in a plastic bag to keep the roots moist during transport and short-term storage. Although Buckstrup and Bas- suk (2001) have shown that many species can be successfully planted in Ithaca, New York, U.S., using the bare-root method, it has been suggested that bare-root planting is not a viable option in regions that experience severe heat and drought (Buck- strup 2004). In Oklahoma, summers are typically hot and dry frequently resulting in 100% mortality if landscape plantings are not cared for properly. Irrigation is usually a critical cultural practice re- quired for survival. One objective of this study was to determine if harvesting method (bare-root versus B&B) affected survival or growth of irrigated landscape trees. The authors have observed that even if newly planted trees survive, they are often stunted and unhealthy throughout their lives if they do not receive adequate water during establishment in Oklahoma. Irrigation (preferably automated drip irrigation) during the first 1 to 3 years is important for survival, proper establishment, and health in subsequent years. Marshall and Gil- man (1998) showed that red maple (Acer rubrum) trees that were irrigated for 24 weeks after installation had two times more root mass penetrate the landscape soil than did trees irrigated for only 5 weeks. Even 5 years after transplanting, Gilman et al. (2003) found trees irrigated for 24 weeks had 50% greater root cross- sectional area than trees irrigated for only the initial 5 weeks. Although studies have investigated plant responses to fall ver- sus spring planting (Harris and Bassuk 1994; Harris et al. 1996), no studies were found that tested winter versus spring planting. In Oklahoma, most species do not enter dormancy until mid- November (average killing frost of –2°C [28.4°F] is 15 Novem- ber in central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Mesonet); therefore, har- vesting dormant plants begins in late November or December precluding fall planting. Englert et al. (1993) investigated the desiccation tolerance of bare-root red oak (Quercus rubra), Nor- ©2008 International Society of Arboriculture way maple (Acer platanoides), and Washington hawthorn (Cra- taegus phaenopyrum) harvested at monthly intervals from Sep- tember through April. Maximum desiccation tolerance occurred during January and February for all three species suggesting that winter harvesting and transplanting of bare-root trees may be advantageous where soil temperatures permit. Another objective of this study was to investigate the survival and growth of bare- root and B&B trees harvested and transplanted in January com- pared with March. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-four trees of three species, Platanus × acerifolia ‘Blood- good’ (London plane), Acer × freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ (Autumn Blaze), and Taxodium distichum (baldcypress), were obtained from Havenyield Tree Farm (Jones, OK) and randomly selected for one of four treatments: bare-root trees planted in winter, B&B trees planted in winter, bare-root trees planted in spring, and B&B trees planted in spring. Trees were planted in a city park in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Twelve trees of each species were harvested 9 January 2004 for winter planting and 12 of each species were harvested 11 March 2004 for spring planting. Trees of a species were har- vested from the same nursery block, were randomly assigned to be harvested bare-root or B&B, and were approximately 40 mm (1.6 in) in caliper (measured 15 cm [6 in] above the ground). The B&B trees were dug with a Dutchman 300(I) 75 cm (30 in) tree spade (Dutchman Industries Inc., Brougham, Ontario, Canada) mounted on a skid steer and placed in preformed wire baskets lined with burlap. The bare-root trees were dug with a Diversi- fied Products Marketing (Davenport, NE) U-blade mounted on a skid steer. Roots of the bare-root trees were then dipped in a hydro-gel (Finn A1000B, Fairfield, OH) and placed in a plastic bag as described by Buckstrup and Bassuk (2001) and referred to as the “bare-root method.” The hydro-gel concentration was 4.7 mL/L (0.6 oz/gal) of water. Mean annual rainfall for Payne County, Oklahoma, is 94.2 cm (37.7 in). Annual rainfall for Payne County, Oklahoma, in 2004 was near average (94.7 cm [37.9 in]) and in 2005 was 18% below average (77 cm [30.8 in]) (Mesonet 2007). Rainfall is not seasonally well distributed and summer droughts are common. After harvesting, bare-root and B&B trees were transported to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where they were stored in the equipment bay of a metal building for 5 days to simulate planting delays frequently encountered by a municipality such as scheduling delays, weather delays, or other obstacles. On 14 January 2004 and 16 March 2004, the trees were transported to Babcock Park,
May 2008
| Title Name |
Pages |
Delete |
Url |
| Empty |
Search Text Block
Page #page_num
#doc_title
Hi $receivername|$receiveremail,
$sendername|$senderemail wrote these comments for you:
$message
$sendername|$senderemail would like for you to view the following digital edition.
Please click on the page below to be directed to the digital edition:
$thumbnail$pagenum
$link$pagenum
Your form submission was a success. You will be contacted by Washington Gas with follow-up information regarding your request.
This process might take longer please wait
