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The Root Control Bag system of growing was invented by us at our tree farm in 1980. Since that time, the system has developed extensively. Millions of plants have been grown, and are being grown, in the bags. The bag system of growing is proven and is being used by a great number of progressive nurserymen around the world. Following are some suggestions on how best to use the system. The most important suggestion is to keep our 800 number handy for questions. There is no need for you to make a mistake when others know the answer.
Prepare the field in a normal filed growing manner. Plow, cultivate or rototill as necessary. Auger the planting holes to your desired spacing.
Trees or shrubs are planted into the Root Control Bag in the ground. The size plant you want to harvest dictates what size bag to use. See chart for details. Plant the bag with the bottom flat and the sides straight. Most growers prefer to plant the bag with about an inch of fabric above the soil level. Do not plant too deep or too shallow. Almost all bag users back fill the bag with the same soil they augured out. No expensive artificial growing medium is required. When back filling the bag, use a ridged sleeve to hold the bag open. This sleeve will help ensure proper planting.
Water and fertilize as you normally would with a field plant. Water moves by capillarity in the soil, and will move freely through the fabric bag. We have customers who irrigate in every possible method and some who do not irrigate at all. Drip irrigation, however, is the best possible method of irrigation to use with the bags.
Weed control practices are the same as with field growing. Pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides work well with the bag system. Mechanical cultivation and mowing remain the same, except for the existence of the fabric bag near the base of the tree. Do not tear up the bag when cultivating.
Harvesting the bag is simple. Dig around the bag with a long bladed spade. The plastic bottom on the bag assures all root growth is lateral through the fabric, so there is no need to undercut the bag. You will not have to dig a foxhole to harvest a plant. Selectively harvesting individual trees is easy with the bag.
Some bag users mechanically dig. A forklift, backhoe, front end loader or scooper can all quickly harvest bag grown material.
Clean up the bag after harvesting. Remember, roots penetrate through the fabric. Most of these roots will be knocked away as you dig. Cut away any roots still through the fabric. Especially cut away any roots that have thickened out on the outside of the fabric.
Handling a tree grown in the Root Control bag is easy and one of the major advantages to the system. Ball weights are far less than standard B & B or container weights. For a two to three inch caliper tree, for example, the ball weight might be three hundred pounds less than a traditionally dug plant. Take advantage of the smaller ball weight. You and your customers will save a tremendous amount of money in easier harvesting, handling, holding, moving, loading and transplanting. See the chart for details.
Many growers hold and ship their plants in the bag. The fabric is tougher than burlap and will not rot, even when held for up to a year. We normally hold plants in the holding area without mulch. Holding the plant without mulch makes for easy bag removal. Do not let the ball dry out. Remember, the bag is a porous fabric and must be kept moist. A drip line on the ball in the holding area will keep adequate moisture on the plant. Be sure to remove the fabric bag before planting.
Many growers use the bag as a production tool. Trees are grown in the bags in the ground. The fabric is then removed and the plant transplanted up into boxes or containers. Because the bag has prepared the root structure, the plants quickly fill out the containers. Plants grow quicker, have a fuller canopy and stronger trunk caliper when compared to container grown material. The small ball size make transplanting to the box or pot easy.
Stake the plant. Of course, with any transplanted material staking can be important. With bag grown plants, because of the smaller ball size, staking is an important consideration.
Water the plant after transplanting. Watering is a great idea with any transplanted material, and it is a great idea with bag grown material.
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