Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
thereby creating a dense, rather fibrous root system that will establish well
once planted. Be aware, however, that root circling within root bags is not
uncommon. Sometimes one or two roots penetrate the bags and most of the
root system develops outside of the root bag, where it is lost when the plant
stock is lifted from the nursery.
Be sure to examine each root ball at the time of planting. You should see
an evenly distributed network of fine roots all around the outside of the root
ball. Reject those with large, circling roots that will provide poor anchorage
and possibly cause girdling later on. Also reject those with large roots that
have penetrated the bag and been cut off.
When planting containerized trees, remove plastic containers completely
before setting the trees into the ground. While this might sound absurdly
simple, my colleagues and I are often called out to examine dead or dying
plants only to discover that the plants were set into the ground pots and
all. With no way for the root systems to grow, the trees soon die. For fiber
pots, the situation is less clear. Some fiber pots quickly degrade in the soil
and allow the roots to penetrate, while others do not. I recommend removing
fiber pots completely, if at all possible. At the least, remove four wide, vertic-
al strips of the fiber pot material around the sides of the pot and make an X-
shaped cut across the bottom of the pot, penetrating into the root ball. When
planting root-bag trees, always slit the root bags on several sides and strip
away and remove all of the fabric as the trees are set into the holes. This
practice is different from that used for ball-and-burlap landscape tree plant-
ing stock, where the burlap is usually left partially or completely in place.
Tree roots can penetrate burlap to form healthy, well-distributed root sys-
tems. The roots cannot penetrate root-bag fabrics. If your trees come planted
in plastic film bags, be sure to remove all of the film before you plant. Take
care to disturb the root balls as little as possible when planting.
Ball-and-Burlap Trees
Fruit trees that are dug with the root balls intact and enclosed in burlap are
sometimes used for small plantings where large trees are wanted quickly.
