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OR Landscape Contractor study materials
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OR Landscape Contractor practice questions

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Question 1Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

Which state agency administers Oregon's landscape contracting licensing program?

  1. The Oregon Department of Agriculture
  2. The Board of Architect Examiners
  3. The Landscape Contractors Board Correct answer.
  4. The Construction Contractors Board

Explanation

Oregon's landscape contracting statutes in ORS chapter 671 assign licensing and regulation of landscape contracting businesses and landscape construction professionals to the Landscape Contractors Board. The other agencies listed regulate different activities and trades.

Question 2Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

The individual license that the board issues to the person who qualifies a landscape contracting business to supervise landscape work is called a:

  1. Landscape Construction Professional Correct answer.
  2. Registered Landscape Contractor
  3. Licensed Landscape Technician
  4. Certified Landscape Design Professional

Explanation

The board issues a business license to the landscape contracting business and an individual license, the Landscape Construction Professional, to the person who supervises the landscape work. The other titles listed are not Oregon landscape licenses.

Question 3Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A homeowner designs and installs new plantings and a drip irrigation system on the lot where the homeowner lives, without pay. Before starting, the homeowner must:

  1. Apply to the board for a business license
  2. Nothing, because own-property work is exempt Correct answer.
  3. Register as an owner-builder with the board
  4. Pass the landscape construction professional exam

Explanation

Oregon law exempts a person who performs landscape work on property that the person owns, so no business or individual license is needed for that work. Licensing is triggered when landscape contracting is performed for compensation for others.

Question 4Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

Which of these tasks is part of 'landscape work' under Oregon law?

  1. Replacing a service panel in a client's garage
  2. Repairing a leaking water heater in a client's home
  3. Running a new gas line to a client's outdoor grill
  4. Installing drip irrigation and planting beds Correct answer.

Explanation

Landscape work includes soil preparation, placing plants, and installing irrigation and similar site features. Electrical, plumbing, and gas piping work is governed by other trades' licensing laws.

Question 5Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

Under the board's rules, a licensed landscape contracting business must include its license number in:

  1. Its advertisements and promotional material Correct answer.
  2. Only the permit applications it files locally
  3. Only the invoices it sends after the work
  4. Only the contracts it signs with clients

Explanation

Board rules require a licensed business to show its license number in advertising so consumers can verify the license before hiring. Contracts, invoices, and permits may carry other requirements, but the advertising rule is the one at issue here.

Question 6Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

To lawfully advertise and perform landscape contracting for compensation in Oregon, a person must:

  1. Own a commercially registered vehicle in Oregon
  2. Hold a board-issued business license Correct answer.
  3. Have at least five years of paid landscaping experience
  4. Belong to a statewide landscape industry association

Explanation

Only a business holding a landscape contracting business license issued by the board may offer or perform landscape contracting for compensation. Experience, association membership, and vehicle registration are not substitutes for a license.

Question 7Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A business that only mows, prunes, and maintains existing residential landscapes for a monthly fee is:

  1. Required only to hold a pesticide applicator license
  2. Exempt, because no new construction is involved
  3. Required to hold a business license from the board Correct answer.
  4. Regulated as a janitorial service instead

Explanation

Landscape contracting includes maintaining and repairing existing landscapes, so routine maintenance for a fee requires a business license. The absence of new construction does not create an exemption.

Question 8Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A person who performs landscape contracting for compensation without a board license is:

  1. Engaging in unlawful unlicensed contracting Correct answer.
  2. Allowed if the job is under $1,000 in value
  3. Allowed as long as no permit is required
  4. Allowed if the client signs a liability waiver

Explanation

Performing landscape contracting for compensation without a license is unlawful, and the board may respond with civil penalties and cease-and-desist orders. Dollar thresholds, client waivers, and permit status do not create exemptions.

Question 9Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

An employee of a licensed landscape contracting business who plants and installs irrigation under the supervision of the business's LCP:

  1. Must hold a limited maintenance certificate
  2. Must register with the board within 30 days
  3. Must also hold a separate landscape license
  4. Need not be individually licensed Correct answer.

Explanation

Oregon law exempts employees of a licensed landscape contracting business from individual licensing because they work under the business license and the supervision of its LCP. That exemption does not extend to independent subcontractors.

Question 10Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

Which must an applicant for a landscape construction professional license do?

  1. Hold a current landscape architect license
  2. Earn a four-year horticulture degree
  3. Pass the board's licensing examination Correct answer.
  4. Complete ten years as a landscape foreman

Explanation

An LCP applicant must satisfy the board's qualification requirements and pass the board's examination. A landscape architect license, a degree, or a set number of foreman years does not substitute for the examination.

Question 11Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

The surety bond required of a licensed landscape contracting business exists mainly to:

  1. Guarantee the business a line of credit
  2. Serve as the business's vehicle insurance
  3. Compensate consumers harmed by the licensee Correct answer.
  4. Cover the business's payroll during the off-season

Explanation

The surety bond is a consumer-protection tool: a person harmed by the licensee's failure to perform or by a violation may claim against the bond. It is not payroll funding, vehicle insurance, or a credit guarantee.

Question 12Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

In addition to any required surety bond, a licensed landscape contracting business must maintain:

  1. Umbrella coverage of at least five million dollars
  2. Workers' compensation coverage for the owner only
  3. General liability insurance for the business Correct answer.
  4. Errors and omissions coverage for design work

Explanation

Licensees must carry general liability insurance covering their landscape work and keep it in force as a condition of licensure. Workers' compensation covers employee injuries, and errors and omissions or umbrella coverage is not the coverage the board requires.

Question 13Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

Which of these is a ground on which the board may discipline a licensee?

  1. Failing to advertise in the local newspaper
  2. Charging more than the original bid price
  3. Declining jobs outside the business's area
  4. Abandoning a project without justification Correct answer.

Explanation

Oregon's landscape contracting law authorizes discipline for misconduct such as abandonment, fraud, gross negligence or incompetence, and building code violations. Charging an agreed change order amount or declining work is not itself a violation.

Question 14Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

When a homeowner files a written complaint with the board about a licensee's work, the board:

  1. Investigates and may bring a contested case Correct answer.
  2. Awards the homeowner damages without a hearing
  3. Orders the licensee to redo the work free of charge
  4. Refers every complaint to the district attorney

Explanation

The board investigates complaints and, if a violation is substantiated, proceeds through a contested case with notice and an opportunity to be heard. The board does not award damages; a homeowner with a money claim must pursue civil remedies.

Question 15Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

The board may respond to an unlicensed person who is performing landscape contracting by:

  1. Sending a warning letter only, since no license is held
  2. Waiting until a consumer files a lawsuit
  3. Issuing a cease-and-desist order and penalties Correct answer.
  4. Referring the matter only to the building official

Explanation

The board may issue cease-and-desist orders and impose civil penalties for unlicensed contracting. Enforcement does not depend on a consumer's lawsuit or on referral to a building official.

Question 16Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A landscape business that allows another business to use its license number to bid work is:

  1. Subject to discipline for assisting unlicensed work Correct answer.
  2. In compliance if the other business is a relative
  3. In compliance if the other business pays a monthly fee
  4. In compliance if the other business only designs

Explanation

A license is issued to a specific business and may not be lent, rented, or shared. Letting another business use the number to appear licensed makes the licensee complicit in unlicensed contracting.

Question 17Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A licensed landscape contracting business must:

  1. Maintain a storefront inside Oregon
  2. Retain a landscape architect as an annual consultant
  3. Have a landscape construction professional affiliated Correct answer.
  4. Employ at least three licensed landscape technicians

Explanation

The business license depends on having a landscape construction professional affiliated with the business to supervise landscape work. Staffing levels, consultants, and a physical storefront are not license conditions.

Question 18Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A licensed business installing a retaining wall that requires a local building permit must:

  1. Obtain the required permit and build to code Correct answer.
  2. Have the owner sign a code-compliance waiver
  3. Let the owner decide whether to pull a permit
  4. Skip the permit, since landscape work is exempt

Explanation

Licensees must comply with applicable building codes, and failing to obtain a required permit or to build to code is a ground for board discipline. A homeowner cannot waive code compliance.

Question 19Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A business is paid to prepare a planting and irrigation plan for a client's yard and then install it. Under Oregon law, this work:

  1. Falls within landscape contracting Correct answer.
  2. Requires a separate design registration
  3. Requires a landscape architect license
  4. Is unregulated if no plants are installed

Explanation

Landscape contracting includes planning and designing landscape work as well as installing it, so a board-licensed business may provide design-and-install services. Only the protected title 'landscape architect' is reserved to licensees of the separate board.

Question 20Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A landscape crew wants to add a new 120-volt circuit from the house panel to power landscape lighting. The business must:

  1. Ask the homeowner to sign a wiring release
  2. Do the work itself and note it on the contract
  3. Have its landscape construction professional do the wiring
  4. Use a licensed electrical contractor for the circuit Correct answer.

Explanation

Electrical work that falls outside landscape work must be performed by a licensed electrical contractor; an LCP license does not authorize wiring a new circuit. A release signed by the homeowner does not cure the lack of electrical licensure.

Question 21Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A licensed landscape business hires an independent subcontractor to install irrigation on a client's property and pays the subcontractor by the job. The subcontractor:

  1. Is exempt as a worker on a licensed job
  2. Needs a license only if the client pays directly
  3. Is covered by the hiring business's license
  4. Must hold its own business license Correct answer.

Explanation

The employee exemption applies only to employees of the licensed business. An independent subcontractor paid by the job must hold its own landscape contracting business license, and the hiring licensee can be disciplined for assisting unlicensed contracting.

Question 22Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

The only landscape construction professional affiliated with a licensed business resigns. The business:

  1. May keep contracting while it searches for a replacement
  2. May continue if the owner has ten years of experience
  3. May continue if it notifies the board within 30 days
  4. May not perform landscape contracting until it has an LCP Correct answer.

Explanation

A business may perform landscape contracting only while a landscape construction professional is affiliated with it. When the only LCP leaves, the business must stop contracting until a qualified LCP is in place; notice to the board does not substitute for the qualification.

Question 23Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A sole proprietor licensed as a landscape contracting business forms a new LLC that will do the same work under a new name. The LLC:

  1. Must obtain its own license from the board Correct answer.
  2. May operate under the sole proprietor's license with notice
  3. May operate under the sole proprietor's license for 90 days
  4. Is licensed automatically as a successor business

Explanation

A license is issued to the specific business entity that applied and is not transferable to a different entity. The new LLC must apply for its own business license and must have an LCP affiliated with it.

Question 24Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A licensed landscape contracting business wants to advertise its owner using the title 'landscape architect.' Using that title requires:

  1. A special registration with the contractors board
  2. Licensure by the State Landscape Architect Board Correct answer.
  3. Nothing more, because the business is already licensed
  4. Only a written disclaimer on the advertisement

Explanation

The title 'landscape architect' is protected under Oregon's landscape architect licensing law and may be used only by persons licensed by the State Landscape Architect Board. A landscape contracting business license does not authorize use of that title.

Question 25Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A client asks a licensed landscape business to frame and enclose a new room addition on the house. Under its landscape contracting license, the business:

  1. May do the work if the addition opens onto a deck
  2. May do the work because it holds a state license
  3. May do the work if the client obtains the permit
  4. May not do the structural building work Correct answer.

Explanation

Landscape work covers site features such as planting, irrigation, and landscape structures, but not the structural construction of a building or room addition. Structural building work requires the appropriate contractor licensing and building permits.

Question 26Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

Which Oregon body issues landscape contracting business licenses and administers the licensing rules for landscape contracting?

  1. The Department of Agriculture
  2. The Secretary of State
  3. The Landscape Contractors Board Correct answer.
  4. The Construction Contractors Board

Explanation

ORS Chapter 671 assigns the licensing and regulation of landscape contracting to the Landscape Contractors Board. The other agencies administer different registrations or programs and do not issue landscape contracting licenses.

Question 27Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A homeowner personally installs a new sprinkler system and planting beds on the home they live in, receiving no payment. Under Oregon law, the homeowner must:

  1. do nothing, because the work is on the owner's own residence and is unpaid Correct answer.
  2. hire a licensed landscape construction professional to supervise
  3. obtain a landscape contracting business license
  4. file a notice of exemption with the board before starting

Explanation

The licensing requirement applies to landscape contracting performed for compensation. A person working on their own residence without pay is not required to hold a landscape contracting license.

Question 28Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

A licensed landscape contracting business advertises its services in a newspaper. Under LCB advertising rules, the advertisement must include the business's:

  1. workers' compensation insurer's name
  2. federal employer identification number
  3. LCB license number Correct answer.
  4. surety bond policy number

Explanation

Oregon requires licensed landscape contracting businesses to include their board-issued license number in advertisements. This lets consumers check the business's licensing status with the board.

Question 29Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

The board suspends a landscape contracting business's license while a disciplinary case is pending. During the suspension, the business may:

  1. finish only contracts signed before the suspension
  2. perform maintenance but not new installations
  3. not perform landscape contracting for pay until reinstated Correct answer.
  4. bid new work if a licensed LCP supervises it

Explanation

A suspended license is not authority to perform landscape contracting. The business must stop licensed landscape contracting activity until the board reinstates the license.

Question 30Oregon Landscape Contracting Law, ORS Chapter 671, and LCB Rules

An Idaho landscape business with no Oregon license is hired to install irrigation and plants at an Oregon commercial site. To lawfully perform that work, the Idaho business must:

  1. register with the Oregon Secretary of State only
  2. subcontract all planting to an Oregon nursery
  3. obtain an Oregon landscape contracting business license Correct answer.
  4. use its Idaho license if the client signs a waiver

Explanation

Oregon licensing applies to landscape contracting performed in Oregon for compensation, regardless of the contractor's home-state license. A client waiver or business registration does not substitute for an Oregon landscape contracting business license.

Question 31Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Which USDA plant hardiness zone range best represents the Willamette Valley, where most of Oregon's population and nursery production are located?

  1. 3a to 4b
  2. 8b to 9a Correct answer.
  3. 5a to 6a
  4. 10a to 11a

Explanation

The Willamette Valley has mild, wet winters and warm dry summers, which places it in zones 8b to 9a. Growers use these zones as a first screen for winter cold tolerance, then refine with local microclimate and summer heat.

Question 32Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

A conifer in western Oregon bears flat needles roughly an inch long and cones with three-pronged bracts protruding between the scales. Which species is this?

  1. Ponderosa pine
  2. Grand fir
  3. Douglas-fir Correct answer.
  4. Western redcedar

Explanation

The protruding three-pronged bract on the cone is diagnostic for Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Ponderosa pine carries long needles in bundles of three, while western redcedar has scale-like foliage rather than needles.

Question 33Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

What is the recommended depth for an organic mulch ring around a newly planted tree?

  1. Ten inches or more
  2. Two to four inches Correct answer.
  3. Six to eight inches
  4. One-half inch

Explanation

A layer of two to four inches conserves moisture and moderates soil temperature without suffocating roots. Deeper layers intercept water and oxygen and encourage shallow rooting.

Question 34Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

A plant label specifies 'full sun.' In Oregon this generally means the planting site receives at least:

  1. Six or more hours of direct sun Correct answer.
  2. One to two hours of direct sun
  3. Four hours of direct sun
  4. Two to three hours of direct sun

Explanation

Full sun conventionally means six or more hours of direct light daily; part sun is roughly three to six hours and shade is under three. In western Oregon's cloudy spring weather, matching the sun label closely matters for flowering and disease resistance.

Question 35Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Which native evergreen shrub has spiny, holly-like leaflets and clusters of yellow flowers followed by dusty blue berries?

  1. Salal
  2. Tall Oregon grape Correct answer.
  3. Snowberry
  4. Red osier dogwood

Explanation

Tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is identifiable by its pinnately compound, spiny-margined leaflets, early yellow flowers, and blue fruit. It is one of the most common native shrubs used in western Oregon landscapes.

Question 36Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Landscape crews should avoid contact with a common native western Oregon plant that has leaves divided into three leaflets and produces white berry-like fruit. This plant is:

  1. Poison oak Correct answer.
  2. Sword fern
  3. Snowberry
  4. Oregon grape

Explanation

Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) carries three leaflets and produces small white berries, and all parts can cause a serious skin reaction. Crews working in brushy or wooded sites should learn to recognize it in both its shrubby and climbing forms.

Question 37Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

When planting a container-grown shrub, the planting hole should be:

  1. Two to three times the width of the root ball Correct answer.
  2. Exactly the width of the root ball
  3. Five times the width and twice the depth of the root ball
  4. Twice as deep as the root ball

Explanation

A wide, shallow hole loosens enough soil for roots to spread laterally, which is where new root growth occurs. The hole should be no deeper than the root ball so the plant does not settle below grade.

Question 38Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Which planting error is the most common cause of decline and death in newly installed landscape trees?

  1. Watering too slowly
  2. Using native soil as backfill
  3. Applying mulch too thinly
  4. Setting the root flare below grade Correct answer.

Explanation

Burying the root flare restricts oxygen and water movement to the trunk base, leading to girdling roots and slow decline. Trees should be set so the flare sits at or slightly above finished grade.

Question 39Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

A balled-and-burlapped tree arrives with a natural burlap wrap and a wire basket. What is the correct handling at planting?

  1. Leave the basket in place but remove all burlap from the entire root ball
  2. Remove all soil from the root ball before planting
  3. Leave the basket and burlap intact to stabilize the root ball permanently
  4. Remove the basket and burlap from the top and upper sides before backfilling Correct answer.

Explanation

The top and upper sides of the root ball must be freed so water and roots can move into the surrounding soil. Natural burlap and basket material left intact above the root zone can wick moisture away or restrict trunk growth.

Question 40Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

What does current research-based guidance recommend for backfill when planting a tree into native soil?

  1. Use the native soil removed from the hole, with the hole kept shallow and wide Correct answer.
  2. Place a layer of gravel in the bottom of the hole to improve drainage
  3. Fill the hole with a rich potting mix so roots have nutrients
  4. Blend heavy clay with sand to improve drainage in the backfill

Explanation

Using the excavated native soil keeps texture uniform so water moves freely between the root ball and surrounding soil. Amendments are best applied as mulch on the surface rather than mixed into the backfill.

Question 41Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

A container-grown shrub has a dense mat of roots circling the outside of the root ball. What is the best practice before planting?

  1. Strip away the entire outer layer of soil and roots
  2. Plant it as-is because circling roots straighten out on their own
  3. Cut the root ball in half vertically to force new roots
  4. Tease, straighten, or slice the outer roots so they are directed outward Correct answer.

Explanation

Circling roots continue circling after planting and can girdle the stem years later. Loosening or slicing the outer few inches redirects roots outward without removing the bulk of the root system.

Question 42Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Stakes and ties installed to support a newly planted bare-root tree should generally be removed:

  1. After five to seven years
  2. After one or two growing seasons Correct answer.
  3. Never, since ties should remain for the life of the tree
  4. Immediately after planting

Explanation

Support is needed only until the root system anchors the tree, typically one to two growing seasons. Leaving ties longer reduces trunk taper and invites girdling and rubbing injury.

Question 43Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Which irrigation approach best supports establishment of a newly planted tree through its first summer?

  1. One deep soaking at planting with no further water
  2. Slow, deep watering of the root ball, allowed to partially dry between applications Correct answer.
  3. Watering only when the surrounding lawn is irrigated
  4. Daily light sprinkling to keep the soil surface moist

Explanation

Water must reach the full depth of the root ball, and partial drying between cycles allows oxygen back into the soil. Light daily sprinkling wets only the surface and encourages shallow, drought-prone roots.

Question 44Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

In western Oregon, bare-root deciduous trees and shrubs are best installed:

  1. In any month, because bare-root stock stays dormant year-round
  2. In late September after leaves have colored
  3. In mid-July when soils are warmest
  4. In late winter to early spring while plants are fully dormant Correct answer.

Explanation

Bare-root plants are lifted during dormancy and must be replanted before top growth resumes, so late winter to early spring is the preferred window. The roots must be kept moist and the planting hole prepared before the stock is delivered.

Question 45Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

A row of shrubs that mature at 4 feet wide is being installed as a continuous hedge. What center-to-center spacing is appropriate?

  1. 12 to 18 inches
  2. About 12 feet
  3. About 4 feet Correct answer.
  4. About 8 feet

Explanation

Spacing close to the mature spread lets plants touch and knit into a solid hedge without severe overcrowding. Spacing much wider leaves permanent gaps; spacing much closer causes competition and dieback.

Question 46Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

A client wants shrubs planted beneath a window with only about 30 inches of clearance. Which selection factor matters most?

  1. The size of the container it is purchased in
  2. The flower color of the cultivar
  3. The plant's cold hardiness rating
  4. The mature height and spread of the cultivar Correct answer.

Explanation

Right plant, right place means selecting for the space the plant will occupy at maturity, not the size at purchase. Cultivars chosen for mature height below the sill avoid annual shearing and blocked windows.

Question 47Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

A planting bed in western Oregon stays saturated from November through March. Which group of plants is best suited to that site?

  1. Ponderosa pine and blue fescue
  2. Lavender, rosemary, and sedum
  3. Japanese maple and dwarf Alberta spruce
  4. Red osier dogwood, Pacific ninebark, and sedges Correct answer.

Explanation

These natives occur naturally on seasonally wet sites and tolerate saturated winter soils. Matching species to the drainage of the site prevents root rot and the need for engineered drainage.

Question 48Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Which turfgrass group is best adapted to a shaded lawn site in western Oregon?

  1. Annual ryegrass
  2. Fine fescues Correct answer.
  3. Buffalograss
  4. Bermudagrass

Explanation

Fine fescues have the best shade tolerance among cool-season turfgrasses and perform well in western Oregon's mild climate. Warm-season grasses and short-lived cover grasses are poor choices for shaded, cool lawns.

Question 49Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Which practice reflects current recommendations for fertilizing at planting time?

  1. Fertilize only in fall to harden the plant against cold
  2. Skip nitrogen fertilizer at planting and fertilize after the plant is established Correct answer.
  3. Apply fertilizer directly against the root ball
  4. Mix high-nitrogen fertilizer into the backfill to push new growth

Explanation

Nitrogen at planting stimulates top growth that the limited root system cannot support and can burn new roots. Once the plant is established, fertilizer can be applied based on soil test results.

Question 50Plant Selection, Identification, and Installation

Under the American Standard for Nursery Stock, what minimum root ball diameter is specified for a shade tree with a 2-inch trunk caliper delivered balled-and-burlapped?

  1. 32 inches
  2. 24 inches Correct answer.
  3. 16 inches
  4. 40 inches

Explanation

The standard scales root ball diameter to trunk caliper, with a 2-inch caliper tree calling for roughly a 24-inch ball. Contractors can use the table to reject undersized balls, which carry too little root to support the canopy.