Abstract

Five species of landscape shade trees, when grown in fabric containers, showed small but significant reductions in caliper and height compared to field-grown control trees after each of 3 growing seasons, 1988–1990. Reductions also were observed in certain leaf nutrients: N and Ca after the second year, and P and K after the third year. There were increased levels of leaf Mn (1989), Zn (1990), and starch (1989). Trees of all species receiving 5.7 L (1.5 U.S. gal) of water per day plus 200 ppm of supplementary N applied twice weekly had consistently larger caliper after each of the 3 growing seasons and tended to have higher leaf Mn content after the second year. There was inconsistent, little, or no difference in height, or in other leaf nutrients, due to fertigation treatments or to irrigation alone.