PLANTING PRACTICES THAT GROW SUCCESS. Erik Draper, Commercial Horticulture Educator Ohio State University Extension- Geauga County

Transcription

1 PLANTING PRACTICES THAT GROW SUCCESS Erik Draper, Commercial Horticulture Educator Ohio State University Extension- Geauga County

2 Establishing establishment Tree root morphology Draper s Doctrine: Correct tree planting principles Effects of just slammin plants in Recognizing symptoms of slammed plants Ultimate fate of these plants Critique of Web-based planting techniques

3 Plant doesn t die immediately Any plant can survive for one year Regeneration of the original root system Both in overall size & extent Able to tap into life sustaining resources

4 Sunshine Water Soil ph Available nutrients Space to grow Room for twig expansion Look up! Room for root expansion Where will they go?

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7 Settles soil around roots Displaces air pockets Available for root uptake Water controls/drives growth at cellular level Expand, tear & repair- enlarge cells & tissues Nutrients soluble/mobile in water Nutrients move up plant in waterstream

8 Depends Type of soil Sand (light): small amounts every 2-3 days Clay (heavy): full amount every 5-7 days Need at least 1 inch per week At first, mainly rootball & surrounding area Expand to throughout the root zone

9 Frequently & often Slow release system Soaker/trickle/drip irrigation hose Trickle or hose drippage Treegator watering bags, sapling soaker, Dew Right drip irrigation bag, etc 5 gal. bucket w/very small hole

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11 Depends Rule of Thumb One entire growing season per inch of tree original trunk caliper Not an in the ground & forgotten process A growing season of TLS & minimize stresses TLS = Tree Life Support

12 Photosynthesis = carbohydrate production Photosynthesis happens in leaves Leaves full of chlorophyll molecules Happy chlorophyll molecules need Sunlight, WATER, Carbon dioxide Carbohydrates basis of new cells WATER basis for cellular expansion & growth Roots need new cells to regenerate & interface with environment

13 Balance top & roots partitioning of carbs 1 st maintain shoots- roots taking most carbs If WATER is limited Then growth & expansion of new roots Will also be LIMITED!!! Don t fertilization at planting

14 Bad advice why? Clue think sunshine! Photosynthesis is key So why cut it off? Remove any damaged or broken tissue Whether trunk, roots, branches, stems, etc Leave plant untouched! Come into balance on it s own

15 Water Nutrients Warmth Oxygen Ideal [O 2 ]content ~ 25-33% of soil volume At ~5% [O 2 ], root growth stops At ~2% [O 2 ], roots decline and die

16 Good Soil Compacted Soil Water 25% Air 25% OM 1% Water 12% Air 12% OM 5% Mineral Particles 45% Mineral Particles 75%

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18 Tap roots are rarely present Most (> 90%) roots in upper 3 ft. of soil Of these, most (>80%) of the feeder roots in the upper 6-8 inches of the soil Horizontal spread is times crown spread Most roots (>60%) are outside of drip-line Dr. Nina Bassuk, Professor of Horticulture Physiology, Head of the Urban Horticulture Institute, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University.

19 AirKnife allows us to view roots without damage!

20 Trunk Flare [a.k.a. root flare, root collar] Buttress Roots [a.k.a. transport roots] Feeder Roots Soil

21 Trunk Flare ISA Certified Arborist Buttress Roots

22 Always find trunk/root flare first Hole dug 2-3x rootball width Maximum depth = root flare height & tapers to the edge New roots initiated in top 6 inches Backfill- 2/3 native soil + 1/3 volume composted organic matter Use water to settle backfill around rootball- do not pack with foot

23 Hole base = undisturbed soil Rough up sides of tree spade or auger dug planting hole Place tree & adjust in planting hole: Cut & remove twine Burlap cut away or rolled down into planting hole Remove wire down >1/3 rootball but 2/3 best If staked- keep it low & remove entirely after one growing season

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25 Remove burlap from the top of the ball Allows check for root defects Especially circling roots Including deep planting in rootball If burlap is synthetic material that will not decompose Remove all of it at planting

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29 Reduce root problems- circling, SGR s, etc. Vertical slicing tree spade through rootball 8 slices around outside of the rootball Slight reduction of circling roots How about cutting off some of the roots of the rootball Shaving the rootball is very effective Must cut at least 1 behind where root begins to bend/turn down

30 Always find & uncover flare first Don t be afraid to rough up, tease apart Research has shown circling roots will continue to circle Disturb containerized root mass Dr. Bonnie Appleton of VT suggested removing most to all of the soil from containerized plants

31 Diagram from the International Society of Arboriculture

32 International Society of Arboriculture

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44 Trunks enter the ground There is No Flare Thinning canopies Early fall coloration Shade Tree Decline Best remedy prevention

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46 Secondary Root System Soil Level Primary Root System Dies

47 Primary Root System Decays Soil Level

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50 Halo Root System Encircles Main Stem Soil Level Primary Root System Dies

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52 Stem Girdling Roots (SGR s)

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54 Disrupt vascular flow Reduce stem (trunk) growth = girth May produce a flat side on the stem = reduces stem strength High correlation with trees snapping off during wind storms

55 Stem-Girdling Root Flat-side symptom

56 A tree trunk is a series of cylinders, one within another, with decreasing diameters The circular nature of the trunk evenly distributes force

57 A stem girdling root compresses the sides of the cylinders, giving the trunk flat sides

58 The natural physical strength of the trunk is disrupted Force is now concentrated on the flattened side(s)

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62 No clear, straight forward answer Research has shown that too deep is as little as 1 for littleleaf linden, & 4 for sugar maple (Johnson). The answer and the impact depends on: Tree species Age of the tree Soil type

63 Percent Stem Encircled by Roots Related to Depth 100 Percent Encircled Ash 0 Linden Depth (Inches) (Borst and Johnson, 1999)

64 1 ¾ hackberry, 18 balls: all with 8 13 of soil over first main order roots

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