Quote:
Originally Posted by Kpmurphy
Zeus
The question is if you do plant a tree that is already 10ft tall, do you need to remove all the material that is holding the root system together before planting?
I am about to do something in my yard that is why I am asking
Thanks
Kevin
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Absolutely. The vendor may or may not know what the rope is made of (especially if they got it from a supply nursery) - could be synthetic, and that is a disaster. Regardless, I would remove anything covering the roots before planting, be it burlap (can also be semi-synthetic), wire cage or rope.
If the tree has been balled for a long time, the roots can be bound up. I would *gingerly* spread the roots before planting.
Prepare the plant site by digging a very wide hole, and not as deep as you may think - just enough so the flare sits a couple of inches above grade. With two people, one holding the tree and supporting it, remove all rootball packaging gently and spread the roots out very carefully into the planting hole. Then immediately cover everything up with dirt. As long as you are gentle with the roots, the tree will be fine. Don't worry about the rootball breaking apart and losing some dirt. Stake as loosely as possible while still providing adequate support and apply slow but deep waterings.
When buying a new tree, it is tempting to get as big a tree as possible. However, the bigger the tree the more of its root mass will have been cut off. Sometimes a smaller tree with a healthier transplanted root mass will recover faster than a larger tree, and can actually catch up and surpass the bigger tree over the years. 10'-12' is as big as I would go with a balled and burlapped/cage tree. If the tree is planted right and is healthy, the first growing season should be slow with minimal leaf out (i.e. not a lot of leaves, and smaller than average). It should really take off come the second growing season. If it doesn't, that is when you tend to suspect problems.
Hope this helps.