The material lining the rows of trees is a joint trial with "Miller Group" composting section. The trial began early summer of 2010.

 

The material is comprised of:

 

              1) Yard Waste

            2) Aged Manure

            3) Compost

 

Object of trial: To reduce herbicide and fertilizer usage while retaining ground moisture.

 

What we did: Mulch was spread to a depth of 4" on selected rows while other rows did not receive any mulch.

 

What we found: Summer heat wave dried out the earth where no mulch was & where mulch had been applied there was 12" of moisture present. Growth of trees were increased with the manure. Weed development was decreased by 85%.

Objective: To reduce plastic growing pot usage by 90% at our nursery

 

The product is called a "Tree Bag" and is manufactured from High Caliper Growing System in Oklahoma City.

 

Benefits to the nursery:

 

     1. Aerates the container soil & air root prunes the plant's root structure

     2. The tree bag is made of fabric that releases heat

     3. When roots reach the side of the bag, they do not circle as they do in a  plastic pot.

     4. Full fibrous root structure quickly develops

     5. Fabric is reusable

 

Other uses for the fabric:

 

     1.Rolling the fabric length wise & tying the ends will give a strong sling to move other trees

     2. For weed control

     3. Fabric is also used for erosion control

     4. Removed bag makes an excellent tree trunk protector

This tree grown in fabric pot                               This tree grown in plastic pot