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Using the Root Control Bag will give my plants a smaller ball size. Is this an advantage?
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Yes, a smaller ball size makes it easier for you and your customers to handle plants. Our smaller ball sizes are now approved by the American Association of Nurserymen in the new booklet "American Standard For Nursery Stock", approved November 6, 1996. Anyone questioning the smaller ball size should be shown the AAN standards book. To get a copy, call the AAN at (202) 789-2900 and ask for publications. The Canadian Nursery Trades Association has also approved smaller ball sizes for bag grown material. Call (905) 875-1399 and ask for the booklet "Canadian Standards For Nursery Stock". The smaller ball size is now an industry standard. We are in the book.
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Do roots penetrate the bag?
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Yes, roots penetrate the bag. They are supposed to penetrate the bag.
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Do roots circle in the bag?
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No, they penetrate. Be sure to properly plant the bag with a flat bottom and straight sides. The system works best when it is properly installed.
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How large do the roots get through the fabric?
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Not very large. Most roots will be fibrous feeder roots no larger than a pencil tip. Some roots will thicken out on the outside and the inside of the bag. At harvest these roots are easily severed. We are especially excited to see a root thicken out on the outside of the bag. The thickening process is a sure sign the bag is root pruning. The thickening process alsource, and this storage of carbohydrates increases plant survivability.
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My field is windy. Will the trees blow over in the wind?
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No. The roots that penetrate the bag stabilize the plant. If no roots penetrated, you would stunt plant growth and the trees would blow over. Also, trees from our farm were used in the movie "Twister", which featured a great number of tornados terrorizing the Oklahoma countryside. If the tornado lands directly in your field, as illustrated in the movie, the plants will blow over and will crash into your car. To see this happen, go to your local video store and rent the movie "Twister".
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What size bag should I use?
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The size tree you want to harvest dictates what size bag you should use. For example, if you want to harvest a 2" to 3" caliper plant, the 18" bag is best. The American Association of Nurserymen's booklet "American Standard For Nursery Stock" gives tree caliper size to bag size relationships.
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I don't know exactly when I will harvest my plants. What happens if I harvest too early?
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Harvesting too early is similar to moving a small plant in a large container before the plant has had a chance to root out into the pot. The plant will survive, but it is easier to move the proper sized plant in the proper sized bag. Remember also that the bag works because the fabric root prunes the plant. If too large of a bag is used on too small a plant, little root pruning will occur.
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What happens if I harvest too late and overgrow the plant?
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It is inevitable with the bag system that some plants will be harvested too early and others will be harvested late. In harvesting late the bag will be more difficult to remove. Staking the plant after transplanting will be much more important, and watering the plant after installation more crucial. Harvesting and handling will, of course, be easy because of the smaller ball size. Importantly, when a plant is overgrown in the bag it remains healthy. The roots do not circle or form in any way that would render the plant unsell able. Most overgrown material is transplanted into a plastic pot or wooden box and allowed to root out. The plant is then sold as a container tree.
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Will the bag extend my harvesting season?
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Yes, the bag offers the grower a greatly extended harvesting season. A few of our customers, depending on location and species of plant, harvest virtually year round. We, however, do not dig when the tree is in an active flush of growth. After the flush hardens off, digging becomes more possible. When digging off season we try to dig in the mornings or on cloudy days. Make sure to keep the tree ball watered.
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Should I use tough bottom or regular plastic bottom bags?
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The tough bottom bag is used primarily by customers who are moving, handling and shipping the plant directly in the bag. The plastic bottom bag is used primarily by customers who remove the bag and transplant the tree to a plastic pot or wooden box. The tree is rooted out in the container or box and sold as a container or box plant.
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How long will the bag last?
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In the ground, out of sunlight, the bag will not break down. Most of our customers are on a three or four or five year growing cycle.
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Should the bag be removed at planting?
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Yes, cut the bag from top to bottom and peal the bag away. Where the bag hangs up on any root, cut the fabric around that area.
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What should I do with the fabric once I have removed the bag?
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The fabric is a very tough material and can still be used in a number of ways. Rolling the fabric length wise and tying the ends will give you a strong sling to move other tree balls. For weed control, spread the used fabric out on the ground as a weed mat. The fabric is also used for erosion control. If you have an area of your farm where erosion is a problem, spread the fabric in this area. Also, the removed bag makes an excellent tree trunk protector. Wrap the discarded fabric around the trunk of the tree. This is an especially useful idea for trees that are placed into plastic containers or boxes. In sunlight the fabric will eventually brake down.
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How do most growers prepare their bag grown material for sale?
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Anyway the end customer wants it prepared. Many bag growers ship and handle plants right in the bag. To clean up the bag, shave off any root structure that has penetrated outside the fabric. Close off the top of the bag with a swatch of burlap. Tying the ball might help. Some growers remove the bag and wrap burlap around the ball before shipping. This eliminates the possibility that the landscaper will forget to remove the fabric at planting. Many other customers remove the bag and place the tree in a large plastic pot or wooden box for sale. Wherever large pot or box material is sold, the bag to pot, or bag to box method of production is quicker, cheaper, and produces a better plant than traditional production methods.
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Can you use Spin Out, the copper treatment, on the bags?
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Yes. The Root Control Bag works by the strength of the fabric. It does not have Spin Out on it. Some of our customers, however, have us paint Spin Out on the bags to reinforce the root pruning qualities of the fabric. We will be happy to do this for you. Call for details.
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© High Caliper Growing System, 2007
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