Should I plant all of these plants on top of tile?

[Bart99]

I purchased a few very small trees from a grower and I'd like to plant them outside to thicken them up.

My questions are, should all of these go outside? (I.E. would any of the do better in a pot?)

And should I use tile underneath all of them? Also, how close to the tile should they be? Right on top of it, or do I put an inch or so of soil down first?

The trees are:

Carpinus carolinianum,

Carpinus koreana,

Larix leptolepis,

Ulmus parvifolia

Ulmus parvifolia Hibarii,

 

[M. Frary]

I wouldn't mess with the roots now. If they are in buckets I would leave them there for the rest of the year then next spring look into planting them on tiles.

 

[sorce]

Over wood in a pot IMO.

Sorce

 

[Eric Group]

All outside- yes.
Pot vs ground... Been debated a lot! For the long term, you probably will always get more growth in the ground... For shorter term (2-3 years or less) in a pot with good dirt will probably give you a faster start!

ON a tile= pretty much slap on it, no dirt in between roots and tile with the goal being a flattened lateral root system, and nice flair at the bottom... You can also plant them THROUGH a tile by drilling a hole just large enough for the seedling to fit through and as it thickens it will eventually layer itself over top of the tile, resulting in a flat radial root structure... Depends on the specific tree which might be better.

 

[Bart99]

I wouldn't mess with the roots now. If they are in buckets I would leave them there for the rest of the year then next spring look into planting them on tiles.

They're in little 3-4" square pots.

 

[M. Frary]

I would slip pot them into 1 gallon buckets for this year. Just slip pot them.

 

[Bart99]

Over wood in a pot IMO.

Sorce

Why wood, and why in a pot? My (nearly completely uneducated) thinking is, I'm thinking if I'm going to disturb the roots to put something under them, I might as well put them into the ground to give them more growth potential (instead of putting them back into a small pot).

 

[eferguson1974]

Can I do the same with ficus? I could drill a hole in a cheap but thick plastic plate. In the case of ficus is the hole going to help? Maybe it would force more air roots? I have some boring, small benjis and a bunch of cuttins from them too. So this is a good thread to ask about them I guess. Should I start them on a board/plate when they can be moved?

 

[sorce]

Why wood, and why in a pot?

I'm anti - tile.
I love wood.
And they are easier to tend in a pot.

Not "the" wood! Lol.

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

I'm anti - tile.

I use cedar shingles, easy to cut, rot resistant, repels some insects, and a bundle is dirt cheap

Why wood, and why in a pot?

I use wood for the reasons listed above. I use nursery pots so they can be easily moved and worked on. Nursery pots are also inexpensive - even 5 gallon sizes...

Grimmy

 

[coh]

I've used both boards and tiles, both work. Have also used plates. I do recommend tying the trees down, otherwise they can just push themselves up off the tiles (or boards). You'll probably still get a flatter root system than you would without, but not as flat as if you do tie them. One advantage of boards is you can screw the board right to the base of the tree (if large enough) and also easily place roots by using screws or nails (see the thread on the Ebihara technique).

Also, you'll need to trim the roots at planting time, remove any tap roots and also cut back or eliminate any particularly vigorous roots, or you might wind up with just one or two strong roots. Try to cut back so you have somewhat radial roots at one level.

 

[Adair M]

I've used both boards and tiles, both work. Have also used plates. I do recommend tying the trees down, otherwise they can just push themselves up off the tiles (or boards). You'll probably still get a flatter root system than you would without, but not as flat as if you do tie them. One advantage of boards is you can screw the board right to the base of the tree (if large enough) and also easily place roots by using screws or nails (see the thread on the Ebihara technique).

Also, you'll need to trim the roots at planting time, remove any tap roots and also cut back or eliminate any particularly vigorous roots, or you might wind up with just one or two strong roots. Try to cut back so you have somewhat radial roots at one level.

Wow, coh, you're beginning to talk like a SoB!

 

[JoeR]

Something not mentioned here that is the easiest to use is an old CD. Next spring just thread the seedling through and plant in a colander or the ground!

Works well, I used it on a JM this year and it pushed roots all above the CD.

 

[coh]

Wow, coh, you're beginning to talk like a SoB!

Now, them's fightin' words! Or wait, did you mean Student of Bill...

Regarding cd's, someone who grows lots of seedlings...maybe Matt Ouwinga...told me once that he tried that but many of the cd's broke as the trees swelled, and it wasn't as effective as threading seedlings through stronger materials (tiles or boards). I haven't tried it myself, but have been meaning to.

 

[Dav4]

Now, them's fightin' words! Or wait, did you mean Student of Bill...

Regarding cd's, someone who grows lots of seedlings...maybe Matt Ouwinga...told me once that he tried that but many of the cd's broke as the trees swelled, and it wasn't as effective as threading seedlings through stronger materials (tiles or boards). I haven't tried it myself, but have been meaning to.

Yep, I'm pretty sure Matt is using zinc washers now.

 

[Bart99]

Something not mentioned here that is the easiest to use is an old CD. Next spring just thread the seedling through and plant in a colander or the ground!

Works well, I used it on a JM this year and it pushed roots all above the CD.

Sounds interesting, but I think I'm missing something.

If I thread the seedling through the cd, won't all the roots be below the surface of the disc and just spread out as if there were nothing there?

 

[aml1014]

Sounds interesting, but I think I'm missing something.

If I thread the seedling through the cd, won't all the roots be below the surface of the disc and just spread out as if there were nothing there?

As the tree swells the CD cuts into the trunk girdling it, as it continues to swell it'll produce roots on TOP of the CD. Then when the tree is ready you remove from pot/ground and cut the old root system off entirely.

Aaron

 

[Bart99]

Wow, that's crazy! Thanks for the explanation.

 

[barrosinc]

https://bonsaial.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/building-a-giant-based-trident/

 

[Adair M]

https://bonsaial.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/building-a-giant-based-trident/

Max, the problem with that method is you get huge scars on the giant base. They would cover over in time, I suppose.

I'm still a fan of the Ebihara method.