Root and Shoot Growth Response of Balled-and-Burlapped and Pot-in-Pot Sugar Maple to Transplanting at Five Phenological Growth Stages

Abstract

Abstract The combined effects of phenological growth stage of a tree (e.g., bud break or bud set) and production method on plant response to transplanting are not well documented. This experiment therefore examined shoot extension, trunk diameter increase, and new root length production in balled-and-burlapped (B&B) and pot-in-pot (PIP) sugar maples (Acer saccharum Marsh.) transplanted at five different phenological stages between fall 2000 and early summer 2001 (leaf drop, root quiescence, root activation, bud break, or bud set). Growth measurements were made at bud set and root quiescence in 2001 at bud set in 2002. For B&B trees, total new root length on rhizotron windows was generally greatest for trees planted at bud break and lowest for trees planted at leaf drop. Trees transplanted at leaf drop or root quiescence had the greatest trunk diameter increase, and there was no strong effect of phenological stage at planting on shoot extension. For PIP trees, evidence was weak for a phenological stage effect on post-transplant root length production and trunk diameter increase. Trees transplanted at leaf drop or bud break had the greatest shoot extension. Overall, under the well-irrigated conditions of this study, planting at bud break resulted in the most favorable transplant response for B&B trees, and PIP trees appeared to transplant with equal success at all phenological stages, including after bud set in July.