Growth and Nutrient Concentration in Flowering Dogwood after Nitrogen Fertilization and Dormant Root Pruning    (View PDF)

Stuart L. Warren

Abstract: Flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, seedlings were grown with 3 levels of nitrogen (25, 75 or 150 mg/L applied three times a week) after removal of 0, 25, 50 or 75% of the root system (by weight). Roots were removed in an inverted cone to simulate root loss that might be experienced during transplanting. Forty-five and 90 days after budbreak, seedlings were harvested. Leaf area and top dry weight increased quadraticallyy with increasing nitrogen. Root dry weight and relative growth rate (RGR) decreased with increasing nitrogen. Leaf area and top and root dry weights decreased with increasing root pruning. After 45 and 90 days, root RGR increased linearly with increasing root pruning. Percent nitrogen increased in all plant parts with increasing nitrogen. In general, %P, %K, %Ca and %Mg decreased with increasing nitrogen in all plant parts. Percent P in new stem and root, %K in root and %Mg in new stems and roots increased with increasing root pruning.

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https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1993.011