Effects of Container Dimension and Volume on Growth of Three Woody Ornamentals

Abstract

Abstract Dwarf Burford holly (Ilex cornuta Lindl. & Paxt. ‘Burfordii Nana’), dwarf Japanese euonymus (Euonymus japonica Thunb. ‘Microphylla’), and ‘Hershey’s Red’ azalea (Rhododendron x sp.) were grown in containers in all combinations of 3 diameters (10.2, 15.2, and 20.3 cm) and 3 depths (7.6, 15.2, and 30.5 cm). Top growth of Burford holly, a species with coarse, lateral, and deep roots, increased as pot depth and width increased; root growth was increased in deep pots. Euonymus, a species with a densely branched, medium fine root system, increased in top growth as pot depth and width increased, although the response to pot depth was less than to width. Top growth of azalea, a fibrous and shallow-rooted species, increased as pot width increased but was not affected by pot depth. Root density of euonymus and azalea decreased as pot depth and width increased, whereas relative root depth of azalea was reduced in deep pots.