# Burlap and baskets



## Levenhagen (May 24, 2012)

I received a call today about some suffering trees planted in the fall. Within minutes of my meeting a new potential client the representative of the company who planted the trees arrived. So we are all looking at the trees now. 100 hundred trees planted all still in burlap and baskets planted in clay soil. We where all on the same page that the dry spring had a lot to do with the decline in a number of the trees mostly the larger oaks 4-6 inch calipers. I asked what they were back filled with an he said peat moss and pine bark. Said they used super thrive and microrza as well. I pointed out the burlap and wire baskets and twine still wrapped around the trunks as a long term problem the rep from the other company said that the burlap they use will decompose in a year or two that they use a special untreated kind designed to do so. He said the aluminum baskets will also break down and that none of it will cause the girdling issues I refered to. That that was a problem with galvanized steel. I did mention that the ISA and the late Dr. Shigo clearly say different. He pointed out that they have a horticulturist on staff and a certified arborist on staff. I told him and the client most of my experience is in removals and pruning only some planting he assured them that he can get in there with some injections and deep root injections and take care of issues in the future. 

I'm not looking for ammunition to discredit a competitor just wondering if there may be some new scientific studies I'm not aware of while I have been focussing on pruning methods and rigging safety and all. If my gut serves me correctly he dug his own hole.


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## sb47 (Jun 1, 2012)

Not quite understanding your question, I can say that using galvanized baskets and burlap should be no issue at all. The burlap should decompose in a year though I always would cut as much of it away as I could before I would back fill the hole.
I always used as much of the original soil to back fill with and then use sand to fill in any gaps. This would all depend on the soil at the job site where the trees are planted. 
Using mulch to back fill may introduce some mold or fungus that may get into the root system. But I’m just guessing on that.
Once a tree gets stressed it can be hard and take quit some time for them to recover.

Also using any kind of root stimulator or fertilizer within 3 months of transplanting can burn the roots where they have been cut. The roots need time to heal before you apply anything to the tree.

Dennis


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## Toddppm (Jun 1, 2012)

Sounds like he'll say anything to get a few more months before his warranty is up. 
Around here we have nothing but clay soil and untreated burlap and regular steel baskets take forever to decompose. On big trees we will at minimum cut as much off the top of the basket and burlap as we can. I think the main thing he screwed up on was back filling with peat and pine chips. If the peat wasn't soaked before being mixed in it will probabaly never retain any moisture and the chips aren't doing anything at all for a few more years until they break down. The other treatments might have helped if it was mixed in with native soil and put back in the holes. 
I bet he machine dug all the holes to the exact size of the rootballs too!


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## derwoodii (Jun 1, 2012)

did you take any pictures 
Its often hard to post planting determine cause for advanced tree failure. You need to be onsite at nursery and planting checking stock quality and handling. The method used would not be my ideal dropping them in tied and wired back filling with differing media pine bark in clay adding high end fert product,,,??? gee never done that it not on any specification I've seen so what did their clients landscape spec's say about how to plant these trees.


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## PJM (Jun 4, 2012)

Burlap & Baskets -- contractor is too lazy to do a proper a planting. Of course he's not going to admit that his method is flawed. At a minimum he should have folded down the burlap as much as possible and cut back the wire cage.

BTW, a quick way to check for synthetic burlap is to try to burn it. If it melts it is a synthetic, if it burns it is organic.


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## sb47 (Jun 4, 2012)

I drove a Big John tree transplanter for over 25 years. And in most cases the problem lies in the home owner no following proper watering directions and they always seem to want to put some kind of fertilizer on the tree before the roots had a chance to heal.
Planting a b&b tree in a hole that was dug with a tree spade should not be the problem.
Home owners will swear they watered the tree every day but when I showed up to inspect the tree I could tell the tree had not been watered in weeks. 

One way to tell is by the leaves, if they turn brown and are crunchy then they have been to dry. If the leaves are brown and are spongy then they have been watered too much.
The soil will have a lot to do with how much water is needed, there is no exact formula for all areas. One thing that will sometimes help a stressed tree is to strip all the leaves off.

If the leaves turn brown and fall off right away then that’s a good sign that it will come back. But if they turn brown and stay on then that’s not good and you should strip them off as soon as possible.


Also planting them at the rite height, usually 2-4” above the final grade is best but sometimes the tractor man doing the final grade will sometimes do damage to the root ball by getting too close or pilling dirt on top of the root ball. 


By the way, does anyone need a good tree transplant operator, foreman, mechanic or costumer service man? I need a job! 


Dennis


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## Levenhagen (Jun 4, 2012)

I was curriouse about any new developments in burlap. Yes the planting was below industry standards. A large percent of installations in this area are. The landscaper that installed the trees said all kind of stuff. I was just giving the benefit of doubt ive looked and found no evidence of any new break through in butlap technologies Even if the burlap did break down in a few years (wich once under the ground and out of oxygen, I doubt it ) not quick enough. The barrier of the burlap would encourage girdling roots, Slow water uptake or wick moisture away from roots. And how douse one find the root flare when it's covered in burlap anyway.


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## sb47 (Jun 4, 2012)

You can find the root flair by digging around the trunk to expose it. But if you have to dig to fine it then it was probably planted too low or too much dirt was put on the root ball. It only takes 2’ of soil on top of the root ball to suffocate the roots and make it hard for the tree to recover.
I have replaced many B&B trees in less then 6 months and the burlap we used was already breaking down or had already rotted away. I always instructed my new drivers to at least pull the burlap down below the surface root line (about 1 ½ feet) below the top of the root ball. Most tree roots lie within 3” down to about 2 feet so getting the burlap below that line will allow the feeder roots to spread unimpeded.


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