Nursery Pots, Anderson Flats, Grow Bags, or Collanders

[sorce]

to help prevent soil pathogens.

I believe the connection to earth has a greater benefit than the pathogens are negative.

Like, if raised, the root aphids can still get in there, but the beneficial nematodes that deal with them can't.

Sorce

 

[jeef16]

If you want to fatten a trunk, nothing is faster than planting in the ground and letting it run. Just be sure to get the roots right first.

I'm planning on planting in some cheap plastic raised garden beds I got locally. I'm unsure which soil mix I should be using, I heard decent things about mulch and trident maples, so I was thinking a mix of cedar mulch, black mulch chips, compost, and perlite

 

[BuckeyeOne]

I had built several grow boxes in preparation for collecting some trees this spring and found out that when stacking them last fall, that a Anderson flat fit perfectly inside one of them.
That prompted me to build several boxes specifically to fit the Andersons.
This helps with the problem of the flats being so flexible when moving. I still have more that will be used to be placed directly on the ground.

 

[penumbra]

I'm planning on planting in some cheap plastic raised garden beds I got locally. I'm unsure which soil mix I should be using, I heard decent things about mulch and trident maples, so I was thinking a mix of cedar mulch, black mulch chips, compost, and perlite

Are you talking about grow beds for direct planting or grow beds it heel potted plants in? This makes a huge difference in the use of mulch.
Don't use cedar mulch as it is toxic to most plants.
Could you either post pictures of said beds or give a better description of them?

 

[jeef16]

Are you talking about grow beds for direct planting or grow beds it heel potted plants in? This makes a huge difference in the use of mulch.
Don't use cedar mulch as it is toxic to most plants.
Could you either post pictures of said beds or give a better description of them?

grow beds for direct planting, I want to thicken up some trident seedlings I have. I'm using these growing beds: https://www.oceanstatejoblot.com/raised-garden-bed-set-8-piece/product/221562

most likely in the wide 45"x45"x5" setup.

 

[jeef16]

I had built several grow boxes in preparation for collecting some trees this spring and found out that when stacking them last fall, that a Anderson flat fit perfectly inside one of them.
That prompted me to build several boxes specifically to fit the Andersons.
This helps with the problem of the flats being so flexible when moving. I still have more that will be used to be placed directly on the ground.
View attachment 363414View attachment 363415

nice! that should deal with a lot of stability issues I've read about the flats (thin plastic walls <<< glorious thicc wood)

 

[penumbra]

grow beds for direct planting, I want to thicken up some trident seedlings I have. I'm using these growing beds: https://www.oceanstatejoblot.com/raised-garden-bed-set-8-piece/product/221562

most likely in the wide 45"x45"x5" setup.

You will want a light but well draining mix for those beds. Don't use mulch unless it is pine or fir fines, and then only when added to your basic mix.
I have beds with topsoil, amended topsoil and soil-less mixes.
I have some beds with pro-mix and perlite.
I have beds with pro-mix and coconut coir.
I have beds with pure coconut coir.
I use fine pine bark mulch in some but not all of my beds.
If I was to use a combination for light weight beds as you have shown, I would probably use a combination of pro-mix, coir, perlite and fine pine bark.
You are going to find that for each of these ingredients there are those that love them and those that hate them. It really is not as much about sole ingredients as it is about making a blend that accomplishes everything you want for your given conditions. This can take some finagling. I have been using soil less mixes for 50 years and I think you can grow in just about anything, but it may take a bit of experimentation to develop mixes appropriate for needs.
Your beds are not suitable for topsoil but an observation regarding topsoil is that plants grow very well and with more girth of trunk proportional to height of plant.

 

[jeef16]

You will want a light but well draining mix for those beds. Don't use mulch unless it is pine or fir fines, and then only when added to your basic mix.
I have beds with topsoil, amended topsoil and soil-less mixes.
I have some beds with pro-mix and perlite.
I have beds with pro-mix and coconut coir.
I have beds with pure coconut coir.
I use fine pine bark mulch in some but not all of my beds.
If I was to use a combination for light weight beds as you have shown, I would probably use a combination of pro-mix, coir, perlite and fine pine bark.
You are going to find that for each of these ingredients there are those that love them and those that hate them. It really is not as much about sole ingredients as it is about making a blend that accomplishes everything you want for your given conditions. This can take some finagling. I have been using soil less mixes for 50 years and I think you can grow in just about anything, but it may take a bit of experimentation to develop mixes appropriate for needs.
Your beds are not suitable for topsoil but an observation regarding topsoil is that plants grow very well and with more girth of trunk proportional to height of plant.

thanks, I appreciate the advice. I'll probably just go pine bark, perlite, and a soil component. I have a giant bag of horticultural perlite coming my way soon, I want the large particle size to help prevent it seperating as well

 

[JesusFreak]

They are better than pond baskets, and definitely better than bonsai pots, but not nearly as good as ground growing in that respect.

However, a short-cut is to put your Anderson flat on the ground, and the tree roots will pass through the bottom of the pot and into the soil. Just make sure to lift the flat once a year and trim all the roots going out the bottom!

When is the best time to trim rooms growing from pots on the ground ? A lot of my Anderson flats you can’t pick up without using a shovel. I know I need to do something just not sure if the heat of the summer is the best time.

 

[Gabler]

When is the best time to trim rooms growing from pots on the ground ? A lot of my Anderson flats you can’t pick up without using a shovel. I know I need to do something just not sure if the heat of the summer is the best time.

If you can, leave them on the ground until spring. If you need to move them, at least try to wait until early fall when the trees will need less water to cool their leaves.

Escape roots can be a huge benefit when you're trying to thicken a trunk, and if your trees are already on the ground, that's where they should be through the winter, anyway.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

When is the best time to trim rooms growing from pots on the ground ? A lot of my Anderson flats you can’t pick up without using a shovel. I know I need to do something just not sure if the heat of the summer is the best time.

You can leave them alone if you don't need to move them, because they will grow much faster if they have an extra root mass. I just push mine around every month or two... without trimming any roots coming out of the bottom. Some roots break, but many just pull out of the soil and re-establish once I leave the flat in a new location.

Now you said "trim roots" which may be a different thing. If you want to manually trim roots or repot the tree, I would recommend late spring as the #1 choice (after the risk of frost has passed), or early fall as the #2 choice (after the heat of summer, but well before freezing temps).

 

[JesusFreak]

You can leave them alone if you don't need to move them, because they will grow much faster if they have an extra root mass. I just push mine around every month or two... without trimming any roots coming out of the bottom. Some roots break, but many just pull out of the soil and re-establish once I leave the flat in a new location.

Now you said "trim roots" which may be a different thing. If you want to manually trim roots or repot the tree, I would recommend late spring as the #1 choice (after the risk of frost has passed), or early fall as the #2 choice (after the heat of summer, but well before freezing temps).

It’s zelkova, trident, and Chinese elm. I just didn’t want to have one long root and it’s hard to see without picking them up.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

It’s zelkova, trident, and Chinese elm. I just didn’t want to have one long root and it’s hard to see without picking them up.

I just yanked up a large A. rubrum because I was worried I wouldn't be able to move it in a couple more months. It was not happy, but I am in a rental house and can't afford to have a tree take up permanent residence.

Generally speaking zelkovas, tridents and elms are not known for throwing a long central tap root - particularly if you have already disrupted root growth from when they were young. If we were talking about hickories, chestnuts, walnuts, or tupelos, we'd be having a different conversation Even oaks can throw long tap roots if you don't disrupt their growth and force them to spread laterally.