WIRE BASKETS-CURRENT PRODUCTS AND THEIR HANDLING AT PLANTING

Journal of Arboriculture, Jul 2004 by Appleton, Bonnie, Floyd, Scharlene A

WIRE BASKET MANUFACTURER SURVEY

To gain a perspective of the types of wire baskets used in the United States, and to determine the short- and long-term goals that manufacturers of wire baskets have when designing their products, surveys were sent to the eight wire basket manufacturers that the authors could identify as selling wire baskets to nurseries that harvest field-grown trees. Six manufacturers (representing the bulk of the wire baskets used in the United States) responded. The following is a summary of the information collected from the surveys:

* Basket configuration-Four companies manufacture mainly cone-shaped baskets, whereas two companies manufacture mainly truncated or flat-bottomed baskets.

* Basket wire type-Three companies manufacture mainly galvanized baskets (zinc-coated steel), two make both galvanized and nongalvanized baskets, and one makes only nongalvanized baskets. The trend is toward mainly galvanized baskets so that nurseries can store or stockpile baskets outside without basket corrosion (rusting) or deterioration prior to use.

* Wire strand continuity-Only one company manufactures ils baskets from one continuous strand of wire, while the remainder manufacture their baskets by welding wire strands.

* Short-term product design goals-Four companies indicated ease of harvest for the grower, one indicated cost, one indicated easier landscape installation, and one indicated root ball security (one company gave two responses) as their short-term product design goal.

* Long-term product design goals-Four companies indicated root ball protection, and two indicated stabilization of the root ball as their long-term product design goal. In addition, two that manufacture mainly galvanized baskets indicated persistence in the soil as a goal.

* Manufacturer installation recommendations-Three companies recommend removing or bending down the top basket loops (ears) at planting or 1 year thereafter. One company recommends removing the bottom of the basket, and two make no recommendations at all relative to basket handling at planting.

PRACTITIONER SURVEY

To gain a perspective of how wire baskets are actually handled at planting, a practitioner survey was developed and distributed at several U.S. mid-Atlantic region field days and conferences, and via regional and national trade publications (Tree Care Industry, NMPro, Groundworks, Newsletter of the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, SCA Today, The Log) during 2002 and 2003. The following is a summary of over 300 responses received primarily from landscape contractors and arborists:

* Basket configuration-A majority of practitioners had no preference regarding basket configuration, but if a preference was listed it was generally for truncated or flat-bottomed baskets rather than cone baskets due to easier handling.

* Basket wire type-A majority of practitioners preferred that baskets be nongalvanized.

* Wire strand continuity-A majority of practitioners did not care whether baskets were manufactured from a continuous strand of wire or from welded strands.