Plant Containers for Restoration

Dee Pots

Size and Description
The standard Dee pot is a cylindrical container 2" in diameter and 10" deep. It has a very slight taper to the bottom and is rounded at the bottom. The containers cannot stand up on their own. They are placed in racks of 20 plants each.

Recently, a taller version of the Dee pot was introduced. It has the same diameter and uses the same rack as the standard Dee pots, but is almost twice as tall. The standard dee pots are referred to as D40's and the new, larger containers are referred to as D60's. The vast majority of Dee pots in use are the D40's.

Growing Conditions in Dee Pots
A wide variety of plants, from trees and shrubs to grasses and perennials can be successfully grown in dee pots. It is a very desirable container size, because the tops are almost as large as a gallon sized plant, but the roots are 1/3 gallon by volume. The relatively small root ball does not seem to create a problem, because it is narrow and deep.

The shape of the pot can pose some challenges to the grower. Because the container is long and constricted, that there may be periods when the soil is poorly aerated and waterlogged. The shape also makes it difficult to rehydrate a dried out plant. Often, we water plants, believing that we are keeping the soil fully hydrated. Later, when we take the plants out of the pot, we find that most of the soil mass is dried out.

The following plants are commonly grown in dee pots:

Trees, except for those with thick taproots, such as buckeye (Aesculus californica)
Shrubs, particularly those that have medium to fine roots, and do not require extreme drainage. For example, Coffeeberry (Rhamnus) or Snowberry (Symphoricarpos) are commonly grown in dee pots, but not Manzanita (Arctostaphylos).
Herbaceous perennials, especially those that are rhizomatous spreaders, such as mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana).

In sum, plants grown in Dee pots should be adaptable to occasional waterlogging as well as occasional drying out.

Advantages of Dee Pots
The tube shape in the Dee pot was chosen because it has the following advantages:

1. The containers are narrow, so that many plants can be grown in a small amount of space.
2. The container is deep, so that the roots will be set as far into the ground as possible. The places the roots where the moisture and temperature conditions are more stable than near the surface.
3. A person in the field can carry many plants at once (20 per rack).
4. The root balls are relatively small, so that they can be installed quickly and cheaply.

Problems and Disadvantages
The containers are placed very close together in the rack. Although the roots are kept separate, the tops tend to grow into each other. If the plants remain in the rack long enough, the plants will compete with each other, potentially leading to damage or even death.

Because the containers have a small surface area, it is more difficult to keep them properly watered. This is easily accomplished in a nursery, where we have a regular watering schedule. However, it requires more diligence in the field to keep them hydrated.

One of the main advantages of the dee pot is that the roots are placed deeply in the soil, however, this can be a problem during installation , particularly if the planting site is hard or rocky. There is a temptation to cut corners by shoving the roots into a shallow hole or to lay part of the rootball sideways. Ideally, the hole should be deep enough so that the entire rootball is installed completely vertically. If the hole cannot be dug deep enough, it is best to cut off the bottom of the rootball, so that the remainder is installed correctly.