We have started growing trees in air prune beds using wood boxes with hardware cloth screen material in the bottom. The concept of these boxes is simple. The tap root of the baby tree grows down to the bottom of the box and hits the screen. When it pokes it’s tail out the tip gets gently pruned by the air and stops growing down. This sudden stop of downward growth causes the upper parts of the root system to shoot out small feeder roots. After the first season the root system is much more diverse than looking like a carrot like conventionally field grown seedlings. This type of root system will allow the tree to take up more nutrients and build stronger healthier faster growing top growth. When grown in our healthy nutrient rich soil in the nursery, all the side roots feeding on all the nutrient will make very happy seedling trees. The essentially open bottom box allows for excellent drainage and air-flow through the soil as well. These types of trees will also transplant easier and survive better when placed in their final home.

Bur Oak in air prune boxes in early summer