Treeshelters for nursery plants may increase growth, be cost effective

We tested the efficacy of tree-shelters on selected container-grown trees in the nursery and on redwood seedlings transplanted into the landscape. Treeshelters accelerated shoot growth of southern magnolia, holly oak and deodar cedar, but root growth was reduced during the first growing season as compared to the controls. Sufficient shoot-root development of the trees was achieved only after two growing seasons. One-year-old redwood seedlings successfully established themselves whether grown in treeshelters or not, while receiving 1/7 to 1/14 as much water as they would in a nursery bed grown in one-gallon containers. The seedlings in treeshelters grew significantly taller.