170 Garcia-Chance et al.: Differential Environments Influence Initial Transplant Establishment Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2016. 42(3): 170–180 Differential Environments Influence Initial Transplant Establishment Among Tree Species Produced in Five Container Sizes Lauren M. Garcia-Chance, Michael A. Arnold, Geoffrey C. Denny, Sean T. Carver, and Andrew R. King Abstract. Effects of two post-transplant environments were tested on trees grown in five nursery container sizes to determine differences in initial post-transplant growth. Vitex agnus-castus L., Acer rubrum L. var. drummondii (Hook. & Arn. ex Nutt.) Sarg., and Taxodium disti- chum (L.) Rich. grown in 3.5 L (#1), 11.7 L (#3), 23.3 L (#7), 97.8 L (#25), and 175.0 L (#45) containers were transplanted in early summer into field plots in College Station, Texas, and Starkville, Mississippi, U.S. Height, trunk diameter, and canopy width measurements were recorded aſter nursery production and the end of the first growing season to determine initial growth during landscape establishment. Growth of A. rubrum and T. distichum were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by interactions among container sizes and environments, while V. agnus-castus did not demonstrate a difference between environments but were affected by container sizes. Across all species and locations, trees transplanted from smaller container sizes exhibited a greater percent change in growth than the larger container-size trees. Greater percent change in growth measures in the smaller container-size trees during the first growing season may indicate a more rapid establishment time compared to trees from larger containers. Where differential responses to environments occurred, predominantly the beneficial effects of smaller container sizes on post-transplant establishment were accentuated with more stressful establishment conditions. Key Words. Acer rubrum; Bald Cypress; Chaste Tree; College Station; Mississippi; Red Maple; Starkville; Taxodium distichum; Texas; Vitex agnus-castus. Nurseries have produced trees in larger container sizes to provide more immediate impacts in the landscape (Arnold 2004; Watson 2004); even large box stores (e.g., Walmart®, Lowe’s®, and The Home Depot®) now sell trees in up to 378.6 L contain- ers. While debate continues over the relative mer- its of different container sizes (Watson 2004), this could in part be due to the appreciation landscape industries and homeowners have for the instant impact large trees can provide, such as greater aes- thetic value of larger trees (Kalmbach and Kielbaso 1979; Schroeder 2006), greater biomass present to withstand environmental anomalies (Nowak et al. 2007), less potential for accidental or mali- cious mechanical damage (Missouri Botanical Garden 2015), instant shade (Kalmbach and Kiel- baso 1979; Schroeder et al. 2006), and increase in property value (Maco and McPherson 2003). How- ever, larger trees cost more to grow and occupy a ©2016 International Society of Arboriculture greater amount of nursery space, resulting in higher prices for consumers (Watson and Himelick 2013). Smaller container sizes are less expensive for consumers because nurseries expend less mate- rials and labor, save on inventory carrying costs by gaining more rapid turnover, and require less space (m2 ) to produce smaller trees. Smaller con- tainer sizes, once transplanted to the field, may exhibit reduced transplant shock (Lauderdale et al. 1995), are in a phase of growth more closely aligned with the exponential growth rate of young seedlings (Gilman and Beeson 1996), and have been in containers for shorter periods prior to transplant. Additionally, they have been sequen- tially transplanted to larger containers fewer times, potentially reducing the chances of circling root development (Gilman and Kane 1990), and their smaller size makes for easier handling and stak- ing (Watson and Himelick 2013). The benefits and
May 2016
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