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Planting Small Tree vs. Large Tree

RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)

8 years ago

I planted a container Colorado Spruce about 3 years ago. It was about 2-3' tall in 10 gallon container. Here is photo taken today:

The front is the tree planted 3 years ago. In the back, it is the tree planted about 10 years ago by the builder. Clearly the new tree is catching up to the old tree very quickly. The area is not irrigated.

Another one. The one in the back is the same 10 year old tree, but transplanted once. It is taller, but has about the same canopy as the new one.

Growth of the new tree, about 5-7 clumps of new growth.

Old tree, about 3-5 clumps of new growth.

Also, during Hurricane Sandy, I lost a couple of the old trees. I'm very certain that the old trees were planted large, as wire-and-burlap trees.

This is the reason for evergreen trees, I always prefer container growth trees vs burlap trees. So more roots are retained. This is particularly for area without regular irrigation.

Featured Answer

Embothrium

8 years ago

The reason big specimen trees are slower at first is because they come away with a proportionally smaller root area. Otherwise the results you are getting with only a few, not radically differently sized examples being compared could just as well be due to other factors like the general condition of each specimen at planting, genetic differences between seedlings and so on. Balled in burlap stock is often displayed at garden centers stuffed into pots so the presence of the container is no guarantee of superior results. And if the roots of the container grown plant are deformed (a pandemic problem) then those should be messed with at planting time anyway. Although balled in burlap stock certainly does typically lose most of the roots at digging, that is for sure.

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Comments (6)

RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
Original Author
8 years ago
You can tell if the tree is truly container grown, or at least for the more recent. The canopy and the root ball should match.

I actually planted two such trees and I have about 20 original trees. The results are pretty consistent.

I've just planted two more such trees, even smaller. They are less than 2' tall and in 5 gallon containers. They've already put on so much growth. I'll only water them when it gets too dry, about once a month. So they can develop deep roots.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
they are conifers.. i just did a post on foo foo picea pungens.. in the conifer forum ...

i would suggest.. no conifer ... over 3 foot tall was grown to size in a pot ... they are field grown.. and then dug and potted.. or BB ...

try to imagine a grower with half a million small trees in pots... i would just kill myself .. lol ..

soooo ... once you get to digging up any tree over say 3 feet.. you can probably assume.. 90 % of the root mass is cut off at digging ... so it just sits in its new spots for years.. trying to regrow that lost root mass ...

a smaller tree.. that has grown in pots.. its whole life.. repeatedly up potting.. has an intact root mass.. though usually winding in circles.. its own problem ....

so your observation is spot on in that.. a smaller tree has less stresses.. and can get re-established.. and growing to standard .. much faster than the larger.. instant gratification plant ...

someone is probably going to argue with my fancy word choice.. i am sure you get the jist ...

ken
RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
Original Author
8 years ago
I can't say if the trees were 100% container grown. They can certainly grow the trees in the field for two years, then dug when still small, planted in pot for next year or two. I can't tell. But a 2-3' in a large 10 gallon pot is still good. The root system was good and it was not root bound, at least not noticeable.

Even a root bound small tree can be correctly much easier than large trees. BB trees go through so much stress. This area receives no regular irrigation, very poor soil and on a berm. It is easy to lose a large tree there. These two trees were planted to replace the dead ones. The news ones planted this year were to replace the down trees from the Sandy time. I think the new trees can withstand strong wind much better than the BB trees.
Embothrium
8 years ago
I'll only water them when it gets too dry, about once a month. So they can develop deep roots

Most roots are just below the surface in non-desert situations regardless of when watering occurs. By withholding water for long periods you are just subjecting the planting to possible drought damage. And the motivation behind the myth that you can force kinds of plants to root deeply that would not otherwise do so by withholding water is that you are going to protect them from drought injury!
RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
Original Author
8 years ago
I do not see the sense trying to argue here. There are so many ways to upkeep trees. And there is no perfect way. What you said does not add much value....

Like what I said, this is a remote area far away from water source. It is not practical to water them anyway. The trees are not trained as vegetables. And they are landscape trees. The aim is to keep them grow with minimal amount of water....

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