Root System Configuration Affects Transplanting of Honeylocust and English Oak

Abstract

Eight cm (approximately 3 inch) diameter Gleditsia triacanthos Inermis 'Imperial', Imperial honeylocust, and Quercus robur, English oak, were spring dug bare root and root pruned to one of four root configurations, standard, wide-deep, narrow-deep or wide-shallow, to simulate different ball sizes and shapes had the plants been balled and burlaped. The plants were placed in a healing-in area. Survival, leaf and shoot growth were followed for 18 months. All 40 honeylocust trees survived transplanting while three English oaks died. Honeylocust trees given the narrow-deep and wide-shallow root configurations had larger leaves and longer lateral shoots 18 months after transplanting than trees given standard and wide-deep configurations. English oak trees given wide-deep and wide-shallow root configurations had more shoot and leaf growth than did trees given standard or narrow-deep configurations. English oak recovered from transplanting more rapidly than did honeylocust. For both species, shoot and leaf growth during 1 986 were not significantly correlated with shoot and leaf growth in 1987.