Just another basic question. What size should a training pot has? Any
particular material? Is it better to make a wooden box? How?
Claudio Fierro Neudörfer, Chile.
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Just another basic question. What size should a training pot has?
Any
particular material? Is it better to make a wooden box? How?
Claudio Fierro Neudörfer, Chile.

==============

I don't know how to answer that, concisely.

Size of the training container depends on the size of the tree;
to some small extent on the species, I suppose; and perhaps also
on the materials you have on hand. It also depends on what you
need to DO to the tree at any given moment.

If you are trying to make a fat trunk, you need a container with
a lot of (shallow) root room in comparison to the size of the
tree. If you are working on ramification, you still need a bit
of root room, but perhaps not as much.

For fattening the trunk, open ground is best, of course. If
that's not possible, use the largest container you can find. _I_
think it's best to keep the container quite shallow, to promote
spreading roots, rather than deep ones, so maybe a pot that is
3:1, width to depth would be about right. (A "normal" nursery
pot is about 1:2.)

Wooden boxes usually are necessary for large material.
Otherwise, I just cut down 10- 15- or 20-gallon plastic pots.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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Jim:

Looking at the pots on the page below:

http://homeharvest.com/containergardenpotsplastic.htm

I'm thinking of taking their 20 quart pot - 12" diameter x 11.25" deep - and
cutting it down halfway leaving it about 5-6" deep. Is this too shallow for
trunk development?

20 quarts=5 gallon. Where can I buy the 10-15-20 gallon pots you mentioned
below?

Thanks, John-NJ

From: Jim Lewis

I don't know how to answer that, concisely.

Size of the training container depends on the size of the tree;
to some small extent on the species, I suppose; and perhaps also
on the materials you have on hand. It also depends on what you
need to DO to the tree at any given moment.

If you are trying to make a fat trunk, you need a container with
a lot of (shallow) root room in comparison to the size of the
tree. If you are working on ramification, you still need a bit
of root room, but perhaps not as much.

For fattening the trunk, open ground is best, of course. If
that's not possible, use the largest container you can find. _I_
think it's best to keep the container quite shallow, to promote
spreading roots, rather than deep ones, so maybe a pot that is
3:1, width to depth would be about right. (A "normal" nursery
pot is about 1:2.)

Wooden boxes usually are necessary for large material.
Otherwise, I just cut down 10- 15- or 20-gallon plastic pots.

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Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
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Jim:

Looking at the pots on the page below:

http://homeharvest.com/containergardenpotsplastic.htm

I'm thinking of taking their 20 quart pot - 12" diameter x
11.25" deep - and
cutting it down halfway leaving it about 5-6" deep. Is this
too shallow for
trunk development?


The pot would probably be 8-9 inches diameter at that point.
Whether that's OK depends on the size of the tree you want to
work on. You certainly would NOT put a 3-4-inch trunk into this
pot, but a one incher would find it large enough, I'm sure.


20 quarts=5 gallon. Where can I buy the 10-15-20 gallon pots
you mentioned
below?

1. Go to a nursery that sells large landscape trees. Ask. Home
Depot and its ilk won't have these.

2. Do a web search for "nursery pot" (or similar terms).

3. Buy a big tree (or follow someone else who has bought one.
After they plant it, they have this pot they need to get rid of).

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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For training pots I use "bulb pans." They are 1/2 as deep as wide. A 12
inch bulb pan is six inches deep. There is company called National Polymers
that makes and ships them by the case (25) on UPS. The cost is about $50 for
me in Florida. They also make 10, 8 and 6 inch bulb pans on the same ratio.
The cost per case is about the same but a case of 10 inch is 50 pieces rather
than 25 I think. Try a yellow pages web search for the company. They don't
have (as far as I know) a web site or 800 number. But they will take a VISA
over the phone fairly quickly.

Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Billy M. Rhodes"
For training pots I use "bulb pans." They are 1/2 as deep as wide. A 12
inch bulb pan is six inches deep. There is company called National
Polymers
that makes and ships them by the case (25) on UPS. The cost is about $50
for
me in Florida. They also make 10, 8 and 6 inch bulb pans on the same
ratio.
The cost per case is about the same but a case of 10 inch is 50 pieces
rather
than 25 I think.

In our area, Frank's Garden Centers are selling 12" bulb pots full of
nice-looking pansies for $13. I got a couple for my wife. I plan to keep the
pots.

Bart

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Driving around more affluent neighborhoods on trash day in spring...can get
one or two or three in every rich neighborhood every week.

And all the 1 gallons you could ever use.

That's my secret.

--

John T. Jarrett
http://logontexas.com

"Jim Lewis" wrote in message
news:000d01c2ecd9$100ad940$21122cc7@pavilion...
Jim:

Looking at the pots on the page below:

http://homeharvest.com/containergardenpotsplastic.htm

I'm thinking of taking their 20 quart pot - 12" diameter x
11.25" deep - and
cutting it down halfway leaving it about 5-6" deep. Is this
too shallow for
trunk development?


The pot would probably be 8-9 inches diameter at that point.
Whether that's OK depends on the size of the tree you want to
work on. You certainly would NOT put a 3-4-inch trunk into this
pot, but a one incher would find it large enough, I'm sure.


20 quarts=5 gallon. Where can I buy the 10-15-20 gallon pots
you mentioned
below?

1. Go to a nursery that sells large landscape trees. Ask. Home
Depot and its ilk won't have these.

2. Do a web search for "nursery pot" (or similar terms).

3. Buy a big tree (or follow someone else who has bought one.
After they plant it, they have this pot they need to get rid of).

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden


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****
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****
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