Abstract
We examined if compressing the soil to make a planting hole with a custom-built, solid round dibble versus coring the soil with a commercially available tube dibble influenced container-grown longleaf pine seedling development differently. Seven teen months after planting, the planting tool did not significantly affect root collar diameter, shoot or root mass, root-to-shoot ratio, or root system length. Seedlings planted with the solid round dibble, however, had significantly greater numbers of first-order lateral roots and better root system architecture. The light soil texture on the study site was likely an influencing factor in the relative performance between the two planting tools.
Citation
Leduc, Daniel J.; Haywood, James D.; Sung, Shi-Jean Susana. 2011. Comparing Planting Tools for Container Longleaf Pine. Tree Planters' Notes 54(1):24-27.