Should you leave burlap underneath a tree when you plant?

Hi, I bought an Arborvitae last fall, we planted it ourselves very carefully. It did great last fall and stayed green and gorgeous all through the winter. In April, it started getting brown tips and within a week half the tree was dead. The nursery had a 3 month warranty and not on plants they didn't plant, but he was persuaded with photos etc, that I had planted it right and taken care of the tree, so he offered me a replacement arborvitae, if we paid for the installation which was $75. I figured it was all he was going to do for me, so I agreed. When I went to pick out a replacement, all they had left were 4 of that particular arborvitae in a smaller size than I started with. So, by the time they came and installed this replacement tree, I was not feeling any warm feelings toward the nursery. [g] But, the tree is in and it's a done deal, but I watched them replant the tree. They were lucky that it was going in the same place, they took all of 10 minutes to get the tree planted. I think we planted the first tree better than they did. I saw them leaving the burlap in the hole, which we didn't do, and I asked them about it and they said that it would break down and the roots could go through the burlap. So a week later, I'm still thinking about it, I guess. So, just for my own education, is it better to take the burlap off the root ball or to leave it in the hole at planting time?

Lisabeth
We never leave the burlap in the hole. I don't care what the experts say, I want the roots to have free range without struggling to put roots through the burlap. We've lost very few trees over the years. Helen

The sooner the roots make contact with soil the better. I never leave the burlap on. It's worth the effort to get it off.

The important consideration is: is the "burlap" natural material, or artificial (plastic or something else)?

If the burlap is natural material, then burying it in the hole will make no difference whatsoever to the establishment and success of the planting. Removing it is OK, but sometimes the stability of the rootball may be compromised and you could do more damage to a stable plant and rootball in the effort to remove the burlap. That's a poor choice, and it is in no way necessary to ensure a successful planting.

Roots don't struggle to grow through burlap. They just grow (if the plant is alive), and towards favorable rooting locations (moist and aerified). They will be restricted in trying to grow through weaves of material that are not deteriorating (plastics or other artificial materials). If you've backfilled and settled your planting soil when you've watered the rootball, then root/soil contact is not an issue.

A good way to approach this subject is:

Prepare your planting hole, digging the hole no deeper than the rootball you have, and - if you've checked to see where the crown/trunk flare of the plant is located - no deeper than that, and with plenty of width so that you can maneuver your plant in the hole and provide lots of loosened soil for new roots to grow into. As in other gardening conditions (like perennial beds or vegetable gardens), trees and shrubs appreciate all the loosened soil that you can provide for them to root out into and become established residents of your landscape.

Place your plant in the hole, at the appropriate elevation and straightness that you desire. Start backfilling, with tamping soil around the base of the rootball so that it stays in the orientation that you selected. As backfilling proceeds, you can cut away or lay back the burlap from around the top of the rootball of the plant, laying it in the hole to be covered with soil as you finish the backfilling.

As you backfill, it is a good idea to soak/settle the soil with water as you go. This allows you to tell if the plant is going to stay where you put it. It provides moisture to the rootball of the plant since that is where all the roots are presently. It also settles the soil in as you go, rather than trying to accomplish this after the hole is completely full.

I never tamp/stamp/compact the soil as I backfill around a newly planted tree, other than to stabilize the rootball in the hole as it is initially placed.

Finally, leave a little lip of soil around your planting site so that future watering and/or rainfall keeps water on the rootball, since that's where the roots are. Soaking the backfill soil is good, but if the ball dries out, the roots are not taking up water to keep the plant alive.

Burlap rots in contact with soil and moisture. Don't leave it on the rootball above ground, since dry burlap can act to repel water that needs to soak in and moisten the rootball. Mulch your finished planting project, to deter weed growth and help keep the soil moist longer after watering and rainfall.

Viburnum Valley, thanks very much! I'm glad to have that question answered. Yes, mine was the natural burlap material. I was starting to wonder if I should dig up the tree and get the burlap out. Now I can move on to other fall jobs. lol

Just out of curiousity, what did the roots look like on the old tree?

I heartily second Viburnum Valley's expert advice. The biggest danger is disturbing the root ball (or even losing it when it collapses!) by removing the burlap. It's amazing how new roots will quickly grow through the burlap (if it's natural).

I was once asked to replace an 8' spruce tree (planted by another landscaping since out of business) that had died the third year after planting. When I dug it up the reason was obvious. The green PLASTIC "burlap" had prohibited any roots from growing out, except for the very, very top of the root ball. It had lasted a few years, but was doomed.

One other very important detail to keep in mind: Sometimes the twine used to ball & burlap a tree or shrub is plastic. It's usually bright green or even orange. It's important to completely remove this plastic twine after setting the tree in the hole, before backfilling. Natural (hemp) twine can be left, but looks best if the top few inches are cut off after loosening the lengths from around the trunk. I've seen more than a few trees and shrubs die outright because plastic twine was left in place around the trunk. As the tree grew, it was gradually killed as the "noose" tightened each year. This is so easy to avoid!

Go, HoosierGreen, go!

I hadn't broached the subject of other sorts of inorganic rootball bindings, but I'm glad you went there. All manner of wire and plastic restraints should be removed from around the trunk, off the top of the rootball, and at least halfway down the side of the ball (or you wouldn't be able to lay back the burlap anyway).

To wit: the worst case of "didn't remove the plastic twine when they were planted" I'm aware of was right across the street from me. The current owner of a fine log home inherited about a dozen mostly dead redleaf threadleaf Japanese maples.

As one by one they died, the owners invited me over to take a look at their problem and do some diagnostics. Aside from the usual set of poor planting techniques, the girdled trunks with the "noose" of twine never removed gave it away.

It was Green And Go Landscaping, around the deck, with the plastic twine!