Nursery Production Method Influences Growth of Hickories

Hickories (Carya Nutt.) include multiple stately, native trees that offer ornamental features and site adaptability. Immense interest exists in effectively producing these trees, however, due to their lag-phase shoot growth and strong development of a taproot with minimal fibrous-root branching, these trees exhibit resistance to standard growing techniques and are purportedly difficult to transplant successfully. New commercial products such as modified nursery containers are touted as better alternatives to traditional production techniques. If these new products are effective, they provide new opportunities for developing hickory crops for nursery production. We questioned whether traditional field-grown production, above-ground containers, or above-ground bags could be used to effectively grow bare-root whips of hickories and northern pecan. When differences between treatments occurred, growth was generally greatest with plants grown in above-ground bags, followed by above-ground container-grown plants, and lowest with field-grown plants. Species differences were detected, indicating not all species of Carya should be treated identically in the nursery. Additional factors such as unusual nutritional deficiencies of container-grown stock were encountered, suggesting some Carya species may exhibit unique requirements in the nursery. Species used in this study: bitternut hickory [Carya cordiformis (Wangenh.) K. Koch]; pecan [C. illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch]; kingnut hickory [C. laciniosa (F. Michx.) Loudon]; and shagbark hickory [C. ovata (Mill.) K. Koch].