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Choosing among nursery production/harvesting methods
To ensure greater transplant survival it is essential to choose trees grown in the nursery production system best suited for the irrigation capabilities at the planting site. The choice is simple for a well-drained site if root balls remain moist after planting - that is, trees from all production systems perform almost equally well (Table 1). For the most reliable results, professional judgment based on the following discussion should guide the selection process in less hospitable sites. There is also a documented difference in the anchorage of trees following planting from different production methods.
Table 1. Choosing among tree production methods based on weight, staking, and irrigation capabilities at the planting site. Cost comparison data | See: more information
| Production
method |
Root ball weight | Need for staking | If irrigation after planting is: | Then tree growth will be: | And survival will be: |
| See: Containers, above ground or pot-in-pot | light | frequently | frequent | very good to excellent | very good to excellent |
| infrequent | fair to good | fair | |||
| See: Fabric containers, in ground | light to moderate | usually | frequent | excellent | very good to excellent |
| infrequent | good | poor to fair | |||
| See: B&B, not root pruned | heavy | sometimes | frequent | good | fair to good |
| infrequent | fair to good | poor to fair | |||
| See: B&B, root pruned | heavy | sometimes | frequent | excellent | excellent |
| infrequent | good | good | |||
| Bare root | very light | usually | frequent | excellent | excellent |
| infrequent | good | good | |||
How was this information obtained? Table 1 based on the following 12 scientific publications: Beeson and Gilman, 1992a and 1992b; Dana and Blessing 1994; Gilman 2001; Gilman et al. 1998; Gilman and Beeson 1996; Harris and Gilman 1991 and 1993; Hensley 1994; Marshall and Gilman 1998; Gilman et al. 2002, Gilman et al. 2002 and Gilman et al. 2010.
