Is it a bad idea to put a pot over a bucket to mimic a water table?

Question

I have a black walnut establishing itself in a hanging basket pot on top of a 5 gallon bucket so it can get all of the water it wants. Is this a good, or bad idea? Why?

Picture needed to see what you're talking about – Graham Chiu Jul 22 '16 at 10:56 — Graham Chiu, Jul 22 '16 at 10:56
Dirt or water absorbing potting soil? – Wayfaring Stranger Jul 22 '16 at 14:17 — Wayfaring Stranger, Jul 22 '16 at 14:17

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 23 '16 at 16:03

1

Juglans nigra forms a large tap root:

Young black walnuts are very "carrot" rooted; their entire root system is comprised mainly of one large tap root. There is no root ball, no large fibrous mass of roots.

So you'll likely have best results if you only keep it in that shallow pot the first year. The longer it's kept in shallow soil, the more likely the root will get distorted. That will hinder growth, even if you transplant later.

answered Jul 23 '16 at 16:03

Wayfaring Stranger

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will it correct after? – black thumb Jul 24 '16 at 03:17
Doubtful, but I'm not certain. They say these trees are hard to transplant. – Wayfaring Stranger Jul 24 '16 at 03:38

Is it a bad idea to put a pot over a bucket to mimic a water table?

1 Answers1