So you’ve decided to plant a tree, picked the type and know where you’re going to plant it, that basically leaves one choice left – container grown, B&B (balled & burlapped), or tree spaded. Each has things you should consider before planting.
Tree varieties that are sold as bare-root usually aren't considered for planting now since they should have been planted several months ago while still dormant. Small seedlings are the exception and should live if taken care of properly.
If on a tight budget, buying container grown varieties doesn't put nearly the strain on the wallet like buying larger B&B trees. Container grown trees come mostly in 2, 3, 5, 7 & 10-gallon sizes. A few come even larger, but considerably more expensive and harder to handle.
After a wider-than-enough hole is dug, carefully remove the tree from its container, then slice its circling roots downward one inch deep at least four times, from the top of the container clear down to the bottom, averaging once on each side, the number of times depending on the size of the container. This prevents its own roots from girdling the tree and eventually killing itself. Plant the tree one inch shallow, which allows the dirt to settle later on.
B&B trees are sold by the trunk caliber, usually anywhere from 3/4” going up in segments of a quarter inch to 3” (and even higher). Just because the tree has a larger caliber (diameter) and a taller height doesn't necessarily mean it will grow faster than the smaller sizes. In some cases a smaller tree's growth will catch up to a larger one's, even surpassing it.
Before investing your money in a B&B tree, push some kind of small, pointed metal rod down into the root ball and probe around, seeing how far down is its first major root. If it’s five inches or more, go find another tree. Too many trees now that are wrapped in burlap eventually die within ten years because their roots are just too deep in the root ball and will eventually suffer from lack of oxygen.
If you've already bought a wrapped tree, remove the excess dirt on top to about one or two inches above where the first major root starts.
Another way of killing a tree is to not remove enough of the heavy gauge wire, nails and all of the nylon rope that keep the burlap in place. The burlap will decay with age, but its still best to at least remove the top half of it without disturbing the root ball. Contrary to common practice, the steel wire used today does not disintegrate with age, and as the tree's trunk and upper roots expand, the wire will cut into both, most likely blocking some of the nutriments and water from going up into the tree, thus possibly killing it over years.
