In-ground Containers Research Articles

Life History and Biology of the Invasive Turkestan Cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattidae)

The Turkestan cockroach, Blatta lateralis (Walker), has become an important invasive species throughout the southwestern United States and has been reported in the southern United States. It is rapidly replacing the oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis (L.), in urban areas of the southwestern United States as the most important peri-domestic species. They typically inhabit in-ground containers such as water meter, irrigation, and electrical boxes, raises of concrete, cracks and crevices, and hollow block walls. On occasion, they will invade dwellings. At 26.7 degrees C, male and female nymphs developed into adults in an average of 222 and 224 d, respectively. Both males and females had five nymphal instars. Adult females deposited up to 25 oothecae. The oothecae averaged 16.8 eggs and 13.9 nymphs emerged per egg capsule, resulting in an 82.7% hatch rate. Adults lived for at least 612 d. Two parameters that might contribute to the success of Turkestan cockroaches compared with oriental cockroaches are that the developmental period of the nymphs of Turkestan cockroaches are shorter and adult female Turkestan cockroaches produce considerably more oothecae than do oriental cockroaches. These may explain the observations by Pest Management Professionals that Turkestan cockroaches are displacing oriental cockroaches in outdoor habitats throughout the southwestern United States.

A System to Measure Evapotranspiration of In-ground Container Plants of Mexican Elder

Accurate measurement of evapotranspiration (ET) is difficult and expensive for large, in-ground container (pot-in-pot) plants. We engineered and used a simple and inexpensive system to determine evapotranspiration of in-ground container trees. The system was shop-assembled and used a block and tackle system attached to a collapsible tripod. A unique container harness system attached to the block and tackle system was used to lift containers that were sunken in the ground. Containers were weighed with a battery-operated balance that was accurate to 1 g (0.04 oz) at its maximum load capacity of 60 kg (132.3 lb). One person operated the system, and the weight of the system exclusive of the balance was 17.5 kg (38.50 lb). Gravimetric water use data obtained with the system werecombined with meteorological data to compute crop coefficients (Kc) of mexican elder (Sambucus mexicana). The system detected small changes in daily water use of mexican elder trees grown in 76-L (20-gal) in-ground containers. Crop coefficients ranged from 0.17 to 0.71. The acquisition of evapotranspiration data from relatively large, containerized landscape plants may be facilitated because the system is simple, inexpensive, and accurate.

Mixtures of paper mill sludge, wood chips, bark, and peat in substrates for pot-in-pot shade tree production

There is little scientific information on substrates for pot-in-pot shade tree production. The objective of this research was to examine various organic-waste-derived substrates for growing shade trees in pot-in-pot systems. Seedling whips of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.), Japanese birch [Betula platyphylla var. japonica (Miq.) Hara], and silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) were grown for two seasons in 76-L containers. The containers were trickle irrigated and fertilized with controlled-release fertilizers. Treatments included a control nursery mix (50% by volume of pine bark:15% compost:35% topsoil) and nine other mixes classified into three groups: Group I (25, 50 or 75% bark mixed with 50, 25, or 0% wood chips, and 25% paper mill sludge); Group II (25, 50 or 75% bark; 50, 25 or 0% wood chips; and 25% peat); and Group III (25, 50 or 75% peat; 50, 25 or 0% wood chips; and 25% paper mill sludge). In both years, trunk diameters of the three species were greatest with Group III substrates, intermediate with Group II, and least with Group I. Trunk growth was positively correlated with water retention porosity, which ranged from 42 to 57%, 38 to 42%, and 20 to 27% for Groups III, II, and I, respectively. Trunk diameters of Group II and III trees were equal to, or slightly exceeded (10–12%), those of the nursery mix. The nursery mix had a water retention porosity of 49% and generally the highest content of soluble salts. The high-peat (50 and 75%) substrates marginally but consistently produced trees with the largest trunk diameters, although with birch (not the other species) shorter trees resulted as the peat content increased. Key words: In-ground containers, nursery, ornamentals, waste utilization, container culture

Response of Shade Trees Grown in In-ground Containers to Three Container Substrates

Abstract Two-year-old branched seedling whips of green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh. and European birch, Betula pendula Roth, were grown for two seasons (1991 and 1992) in 38-liter (# 10) rigid, plastic, in-ground containers in three different substrate treatments: 10%, 50% and 100% soil, containing 10:30:60, 50:30:20, or 100:0:0 of field soil:sphagnum peat:ground pine bark, respectively. Trees were also planted directly into the soil (field-grown) to serve as a baseline control treatment. Top dry mass, trunk diameter and root dry mass in 1991 and 1992 and two size categories of root dry mass (<3 and 3<6 mm) in 1991 were consistently greatest for container-grown trees in the 10% soil treatment and least in the 100% soil treatments. Corresponding results for the 50% soil treatment were intermediate between the other treatments or similar to the 10% soil treatment. In 1991, the top dry mass and trunk diameter of both species grown in containers with 10% soil and in 1992, the top dry mass of ash, in the same treatment, were greater than those of field-grown trees.

Fertilizer method and container size effects on shade trees grown in in-ground containers

Shade tree production in large, rigid, in-ground containers is a new nursery practice for which scientific data is lacking. The objective of this research was to study the effects of fertilizer and container size on production and nutrient status of shade trees grown in this manner. Whips of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh), European birch (Betula pendula Roth.), thornless honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos L. var. inermis Willd.), and hybrid poplar (Populus angulata Ait. × nigra L. var. plantierensis (Simon-Louis) Schneid.) were grown for two seasons (1991–1992) with a blended medium in 38-L and 76-L containers. Each container was placed in another container of equal size previously sunken into the ground Trees were trickle irrigated and fertilized with slow release (SR) or liquid (LIQ) fertilizer, or both (SR + LIQ). Poplar grew very rapidly, resulting in large roots escaping from the containers by September 1991, therefore, results for this species were excluded from the analysis. In both years, top dry weight and trunk diameter of the other three species were significantly greater for SR-treated than for LIQ or SR + LIQ-treated trees. Root dry weight was greater for SR-treated trees only in 1991. SR-treated trees also grew more than field-grown trees, planted within the experimental site as a baseline comparison. Trees grew larger in the 76-L containers than in the 38-L containers (1991 and 1992) or in the field (1991). Key words: In-ground containers, container growing, shade trees, ornamentals, slow release fertilizer, trickle irrigation, nutrition, foliar nutrients