We are transplanting a lovely 2 yr. old Eastern Redbud . The seller has advised strongly to leave the burlap intact and let it organically do its thing. Many of advised against this or have modified suggestions. We want the tree to grow quickly to block out some unsightly buildings etc... Will the burlap hinder the growth ? We have good soil so this should not be an obstacle. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Generally I cut the strings and roll the burlap back so its all under the soil. If the rootball is firm some folks remove the burlap altogether, if its softer or sandy soil, that can be a bit risky. If the burlap is left in tact and is above the ground (where its against the trunk) it is possible that it can wick moisture away from the roots until it breaks down, sisal strings should break down on their own where the nylon or other ones dont. This can cause girdling it they are tied out with a 'neck tie', a loop around the trunk.
Remove all foreign material from the planting hole. If the soil ball is markedly different in texture from the backfill soil the soil ball should be washed free of soil as well. If deformed (kinked, knotted, circling) roots are revealed by this procedure these should be dealt with also. There is no point in carefully setting a tree with girdling roots in place, undisturbed, only to have it strangle itself or blow over after years of top development. And if the tree came out of a field with an adhesive (clay-like) soil and the final planting site does not have a similar soil establishment may be poor. Due to the same widespread lingering concern about disturbing the rootballs of certain kinds of trees thought to be unable to tolerate bare-rooting I have plopped in several specimens in recent years without removing the clay-like field soil - and had poor establishment, or worse. One dogwood eventually died, a magnolia died back to a single branch and remains limited to that amount of top growth. Stock grown on sticky soils is likely to be encountered as fields consisting of such material seem to be favored for this use. Deformed root systems are very common in this age of widespread container culture. Balled-in-burlap stock has often been grown in containers prior to being lined out in a field to size up.
Thanks _ we elected to forgo the burlap after many supporting points of view. The worry now is whether the tree will "take" since redbuds can be fussing in the transplant process apparently. Thanks for your input.
\Thanks for this. We removed the burlap as the soil was compatible with that in the existing hole....we've staked the tree to give it support while the roots take....let's cross our fingers !
you mention that you staked the tree, check and make sure there is some play in the system, movement of the trunk allows for the strong trunk flare development and good structural roots, if the tree is provided with lots of support, it doesnt necessarily grow these structures... Which can lead to a failure when the structure or support is removed. Generally speaking I dont stake trees what we install. I do it if there is high chance of vandalism but otherwise, not so much.
