Grades and Standards for Nursery Stock by Edward F. Gilman, professor

Grades and Standards for Nursery Stock

• by Edward F. Gilman, professor

• Environmental Horticulture Department

• IFAS

• University of Florida

• http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/planting

Florida grades and standards

• 1955 Passed by

• Florida legislature;

• 1965 first edition printed

• Developed for more

• accurate communication

• between buyer/seller

• 1998 – second edition; a 10 step process for trees

Grading trees

• Tree quality at planting can have a great impact on longevity in the landscape

• Four grades exist for nursery plants in Florida. These include:

• -Florida Fancy -Florida #2

• -Florida #1 -Cull

Florida fancy

• Single trunk

• Branch diameter smaller

• than 2/3

• No flush cuts/open injuries

• Crown full of foliage

• Root ball is appropriately sized

Florida #1

• Requires some pruning to develop good structure

• Has minor trunk injuries

• Double leader in top half of tree

Florida #2

• Trees are misshapen or require major corrective pruning

• Defects may take several years to correct

• Double leader on bottom half of the tree

Cull

• Defects are not correctable

• Lack vigor

• May have poor trunk and branch structure, circling roots, open wounds, flush cuts, or a loose root ball

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors

• Step 9- Downgrading factors

• Step 10-Roots

Step 1 Grade trunk

Florida fancy

• Single trunk

• Straight or with less than 5º bow

Florida #1

• Trunk forks in upper half of tree

• Bow of 5º-15º

Florida #2

• Trunk forks in lower half of tree

• Bow greater than 15º

• Trunk has dogleg

Cull

• Three or more trunks in lower half of tree.

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors

• Step 9- Downgrading factors

• Step 10-Roots

Step 2 Grade branch arrangement

Florida fancy

• Large branches spaced at least 6” apart along the trunk

• No branch greater than 2/3 diameter of trunk

• No vertical branches

Florida #1

• All branches equally dominant

• Branches are at least 4” apart

• One branch in upper half of tree may be greater than 2/3

• No branch tips are taller than trunk

Florida #2

• Most branches vertical

• Major branches spaced 4” apart in two or more locations

• One branch in lower half of tree larger than 2/3

Cull

• Vertical branching

• Narrow branch angles

• Major branches growing from same point or opposite from each other

• Major branches less than 4’ from the ground

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors

• Step 9- Downgrading factors

• Step 10-Roots

Step 3 Choose appropriate tree matrix from index

Type 1- Spreading and rounded shapes. Ex- Live oak, sycamore, black olive.

• Type 1- Spreading and rounded shapes. Ex- Live oak, sycamore, black olive.

• Type 2- Pyramidal shapes. Ex- Pin oak, southern magnolia, pine.

• Type 3- Columnar/ upright shapes. Ex- Loblolly bay, Italian cypress, stopper.

• Type 4- Vase shapes. Ex- Chinese elm, hawthorn, redbud.

• Type 5- Oval shapes. Ex- Ash, basswood, red maple.

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors

• Step 9- Downgrading factors

• Step 10-Roots

Step 4 Measure trunk caliper

Caliper- Trunk diameter measured 6” from the ground for trees up to 4” caliper, and 12” from ground for larger trees.

• Caliper- Trunk diameter measured 6” from the ground for trees up to 4” caliper, and 12” from ground for larger trees.

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors

• Step 9- Downgrading factors

• Step 10-Roots

Step 5 Grade crown spread

Grading for crown spread

• Measure crown spread

• Spread must be greater or equal to the minimum for the grade

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors

• Step 9- Downgrading factors

• Step 10-Roots

Step 6 Grade structural uniformity of crown

Florida fancy

• Branches evenly distributed around trunk

• No major branch located directly above another

Florida #1

• Most branches evenly distributed

• One major branch located directly above another

• Not completely foliated- small voids present.

Florida #2

• Branches not evenly distributed

• Several branches growing on same side

• Two or more branches located directly above each other

• Large voids in crown

Cull

• Tree is one sided or flat sided

• Major branches growing from only one or two sides

• Large gaps in crown

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors

• Step 9- Downgrading factors

• Step 10-Roots

Step 7 Determine the lowest grade from steps 1, 2, 5, and 6

Determine the lowest grade from steps 1, 2, 5, and 6

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors-takes 1

• Step 9- Downgrading factors-takes two

• Step 10-Roots

Step 8 Downgrading factors- Deduct one grade for every true statement

Tree with caliper greater than 1” requires staking

Root ball/container undersized

B&B root ball not properly secured

Root-bound

One or two roots growing out of container or grow bag

Crown thin/sparsely foliated

Tip dieback on more than 5% of branches

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors-takes one

• Step 9- Downgrading factors-takes 2

• Step 10-Roots

Step 9 Downgrading factors-Deduct one grade if two statements are true and two grades if more are true

Tree height shorter than min. or taller than max. in appropriate matrix

Flush cuts

Branch stubs

Open trunk wounds/ injuries

Graft unions not complete

More than lower 40% of trunk free from branches

More than 5% of leaves are chlorotic or show signs of pests and diseases

Leaves smaller than normal

Included bark between trunk and major branches

Major branches touching

Steps for determining the grade of a tree

• Step 1- Grade trunk

• Step 2- Branch arrangement

• Step 3- Appropriate tree matrix

• Step 4- Trunk caliper

• Step 5- Crown spread

• Step 6- Structural uniformity of crown

• Step 7- Determine the lowest grade given in steps 1,2,5 and 6

• Step 8- Downgrading factors-takes 1

• Step 9- Downgrading factors-takes 2

• Step 10-Roots

Step 10 Grade root structure

Circling roots inside root ball

Grades and Standards for Nursery Stock

• by Edward F. Gilman, professor

• Environmental Horticulture Department

• IFAS

• University of Florida

• http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/planting