With good watering practices, NO. Research with a number of species has not shown this to be a problem with good water management. However, if you over water continually and have water exiting drain holes after each irrigation, air-root-pruning would be reduced. However, once plants are removed from such a humid environment, any roots outside…
If the plants are to be in the RootBuilder® container a matter of 2 or 4 months and are not particularly tall or have a large head, it may work best to use 6 mil poly. This stops all roots from leaving the confines of the container and all are air-root-pruned on the container sides.…
A current estimate is that 50% remove the Knit Fabric container and place the trees in above ground containers for finishing. The RootBuilder® container is working well in this capacity. The other 50% are harvesting trees, allowing 3 or 4 days to “cure”, then stretch wrapping the root ball and sending it to landscape jobs.…
No. When the Knit Fabric container is installed and filled with soil, the fabric is pressed firmly against the outside wall of the augered hole. When roots grow out and contact the fabric, they are guided into the surrounding soil with no opportunity to circle. However, if the soil is so heavy and/or the soil…
At this point in time I know of no shrub, even shrubs that are often grown as small tree forms, that do not grow well in the 5-Gallon Grounder™. The only tree that I do not like in this container is Pecan and that is because the root tips are so large that they do…
Yes, Simply set the container on the surface of the soil and fill with a soilless mix. As roots grow out the holes in the ledges in the sides, they will be air-root-pruned. Yet the roots that grow through the holes in the bottom will extend into the soil below and both anchor the plant…
A good soilless mix works best. Because there is little contact between the soil outside and the mix inside, a mix should be used. This is a distinct contrast to the Knit Fabric container where there is a great deal of contact between inside and outside through the thousands of small openings. Remember that the…
Treflan and Pendulum granules are safe and effective ways to reduce lots of weed species. Spot spraying with Roundup® where Chaps® protects stems or using a shielded nozzle works well for perennial weeds and those that are not controlled by Treflan and Pendulum. (See Spring 2001 Newsletter)
Tree seedlings in RootMaker® II propagation containers are routinely taken to the field when they are 12 to 16 inches tall and 3 to 4 months old. This has been done by hundreds of nurseries across the country. Most do fall planting – September or October and some have drip irrigation and others do not.…
The white RootTrapper® conserves water, greatly slowing water exit and creating a fibrous root system which is more efficient in water absorption. Because of this, it may be necessary to reduce your watering program. For example, according to our research, 8 hours after watering, a porous sidewall black fabric container loses 64% more water than…
