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Every nursery operation faces the same challenge: transplant shock. You invest in clean cuttings, careful timing, and controlled conditions. Yet plants still struggle after they leave the propagation bench. The solution starts earlier than most growers realize. It starts with the right air-pruning propagation trays.
What Bryan Naylor Discovered at Old Courthouse Nursery
Bryan Naylor runs Old Courthouse Nursery in Virginia. He propagates hollies, junipers, magnolias, and more. For years, he used conventional trays and accepted the results. However, after switching to RediRoot air-pruning propagation trays, he noticed a clear difference.
The roots were different. They were denser, more fibrous, and better developed. Additionally, his transplant survival rates improved. That is the result every grower wants.
How Air-Pruning Propagation Trays Work
Standard propagation containers allow roots to circle the container wall. Circling roots become girdling roots. Girdling roots strangle the plant after transplant. Moreover, they reduce water and nutrient uptake during establishment.
RediRoot air-pruning propagation trays stop this problem at the source. The tray walls are designed to expose root tips to air. When a root tip hits air, it stops growing and branches back. Therefore, the plant builds a dense, fibrous root ball instead of a circling one.
In fact, this fibrous structure is exactly what drives faster establishment after transplant.
The Result: Less Transplant Shock
Transplant shock costs nurseries time and money. Plants that fail to establish require replacement. They also consume irrigation, labor, and bench space without producing revenue.
Bryan found that plants started in RediRoot air-pruning propagation trays established faster after transplant. The fibrous root system contacts new soil quickly. Nevertheless, plants from standard trays often spend weeks recovering from transplant shock before they resume growth.
Furthermore, faster establishment means shorter production cycles. That translates directly to more turns per season.
Proven Across Species
Old Courthouse Nursery uses RediRoot air-pruning propagation trays across a wide range of species. Hollies respond well. Junipers establish faster. Magnolias show stronger root development. The principle works because it solves a root-level problem, not a species-specific one.
A 20-Year Track Record
RediRoot has been trusted by commercial growers for over 20 years. The technology is not new. It is proven. Growers across the country rely on it to produce healthier liners, reduce losses, and compete in a demanding market.
Bryan Naylor is one of those growers. His results at Old Courthouse Nursery reflect what RediRoot customers see every season.
Start with Better Roots
Better roots produce better plants. Better plants reduce your losses. Reduced losses improve your margins. It begins at propagation.
If transplant shock is costing your operation, the answer may start with your propagation tray. Explore RediRoot air-pruning propagation trays and see what Bryan Naylor and growers across the country already know.
