Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Ahead of Print
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • All Issues
  • Contribute
    • Submit to AUF
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
  • About
    • Overview
    • Editorial Board
    • Journal Metrics
    • International Society of Arboriculture
  • More
    • Contact
    • Feedback
  • Alerts

User menu

  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry
  • Log in
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Ahead of Print
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • All Issues
  • Contribute
    • Submit to AUF
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
  • About
    • Overview
    • Editorial Board
    • Journal Metrics
    • International Society of Arboriculture
  • More
    • Contact
    • Feedback
  • Alerts
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
Research ArticleArticles

Growing Trees in Wire Baskets

Carl E. Whitcomb, Ralph Reiger and Mike Hanks
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) June 1981, 7 (6) 158-160; DOI: https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1981.038
Carl E. Whitcomb
Department of Horticulture, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
Ralph Reiger
Department of Horticulture, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
Mike Hanks
Department of Horticulture, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Listen

Two-year-old trees in 5 gallon containers were planted into wire baskets with bottoms lined with 6 mil polyethylene in the field. After 2 years, the trees were about 3 inch caliper and were dug in 3 minutes using a minimum of effort compared to conventional B&B techniques. The wire basket may be removed but for ease of handling is best left on the tree at planting..

Specimen trees are much in demand by landscapers and the general public. However, the time required to grow a 3 inch caliper specimen tree and the labor required to properly dig a specimen tree at time of sale is rapidly increasing production costs. By using container grown tree seedlings which have been air root pruned to obtain a more fibrous root system in combination with the growth advantages of a 3 or 5 gallon container for 1 or 2 years, a strong well branched tree seedling 4 to 6 feet tall can be obtained. The advantage of the container growing system appears to reach its peak with the 5 gallon size. Our objective was to combine the advantages of air root pruning and container growing for the first 1 to 2 years with field production of specimen trees in such a manner that the trees would be easy to dig.

Methods

Listen

Three trees each of Platanus acerifolia, London planetree; Ulmus spp., hybrid elm; Populus alba, white poplar; and Betula nigra, river birch were selected from among existing 2-year-old stock growing in 5 gallon containers. The London planetree and river birch had been air root pruned as seedlings. The elms were bare-root bed-grown seedlings and the white poplar were rooted cuttings before being planted into the 5 gallon containers. All had good branch characteristics and strong central leaders.

The trees were planted April 15, 1978, into wire baskets 24” diameter at the top and 20” at the base and 14” deep with a flat wire bottom (24” clegg baskets). The wire mesh was approximately 3” × 6” and black 6 mil polyethylene was cut to cover the entire bottom of the basket. Holes 24” diameter were augered, the wire basket and plastic set in the hole about 11 to 12” deep leaving the upper loops on the baskets exposed (Fig. 1). The trees were planted using the soil from the augered hole as backfill. The soil was a sandy clay loam of moderate fertility and good tilth. No fertilizer was added at planting time, however, approximately 3 lbs. of nitrogen was applied in 2 applications during the first growing season from 12-24-12 analysis fertilizer and no additional fertilizer was added the second growing Season. Weed control was accomplished by surface applications of 5% Treflan granules at approximately 2.5 lbs. aia each spring and spot spraying with Roundup during the growing season.

Fig. 1.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 1.

Loops of wire basket above the soil surface. Weed control must be by preemergent herbicides and contact sprays since close cultivation around the tree is impractical.

Results

Listen

Tree growth was equal to or better than trees planted in the same field without the baskets. The trees were dug during April, 1980. Digging was accomplished by inserting a square point shovel with a sharp blade around the basket to a depth equal to the flat bottom of the basket. The shovel was angled such that on occasion the outer bottom wire of the basket would be struck. No soil was removed from around the tree except where the soil was too deep for the shovel blade to reach the bottom of the basket. In those instances, no more than 1 to 2 inches of soil was removed from surface area around the tree. After the shovel had been inserted around the perimeter of the basket the tree and root system was easily lifted from the soil using the exposed wire loops as handles (Fig. 2). For ease of handling and to help hold the soil ball together, the tops of the wire loops were laced together (Fig. 3).

Fig. 2.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 2.

A 3.5” caliper white poplar tree just removed from the field. The flat bottom clegg baskets stand up well for ease of display and handling.

Fig. 3.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 3.

Wire basket with top loops tied to secure the surface soil during handling. Note the black plastic in the bottom of the basket to prevent downward root development beneath the basket.

None of the tree roots had penetrated the polyethylene in the bottom of the wire baskets. Likewise, none of the tree roots had grown back under the plastic as was theorized by some viewers of the study during initial installation. Since the bottom of the basket was at approximately the plow depth during land preparation, the soil beneath the basket was more compacted and, thus, had a lower oxygen level and was probably lower in nutrients.

The fact that the trees used in the study had been air root pruned as seedlings to destroy the tap root and stimulate a more fibrous lateral root system probably contributed to the strong lateral root system on the trees which made digging easier. We have observed in conventional field B&B digging that trees from air root-pruned seedlings have more lateral roots and fewer tap or sinker roots compared to bed-grown tree seedlings.

The digging time of the trees was reduced about 5 fold (3 minutes vs. 15 minutes or more for conventional B&B). This would be a great advantage in instances where labor was limited and/or weather conditions allowed little time in the field to dig. The root ball could be easily wrapped in burlap or placed in a polyethylene bag for transport or holding until sold. We have not removed the wire bsket or polyethylene from the bottom of the basket before planting any of the trees. The wire basket will eventually rust away and, although the plastic will remain, the strong lateral root development will reduce the effect of downward root penetration.

The cost of the basket is a significant factor. When the study was begun 24” baskets were $2.60 each and would tie up considerable capital during the growing period. However, for high quality specimen trees, the investment is probably worthwhile.

Footnotes

Listen
  • ↵1 Journal article #3799 of the Agriculture Exp. Sta., Olkahoma State University

  • ↵2 professor of Horticulture, Owner, Oklahoma City Tree Farm and former undergraduate student, respectively.

  • © 1981, International Society of Arboriculture. All rights reserved.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF)
Vol. 7, Issue 6
June 1981
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Print
Download PDF
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Arboriculture & Urban Forestry.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Growing Trees in Wire Baskets
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Arboriculture & Urban Forestry
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Arboriculture & Urban Forestry web site.
Citation Tools
Growing Trees in Wire Baskets
Carl E. Whitcomb, Ralph Reiger, Mike Hanks
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) Jun 1981, 7 (6) 158-160; DOI: 10.48044/jauf.1981.038

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Growing Trees in Wire Baskets
Carl E. Whitcomb, Ralph Reiger, Mike Hanks
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) Jun 1981, 7 (6) 158-160; DOI: 10.48044/jauf.1981.038
del.icio.us logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Footnotes
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Right Appraisal for the Right Purpose: Comparing Techniques for Appraising Heritage Trees in Australia and Canada
  • Urban Tree Mortality: The Purposes and Methods for (Secretly) Killing Trees Suggested in Online How-To Videos and Their Diagnoses
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in Tree Risk Assessment (TRA): A Systematic Review
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

© 2025 International Society of Arboriculture

Powered by HighWire