HOW TO PLANT A LARGE BALLED AND BURLAPPED TREE

A HAND TRUCK DESIGNED FOR MOVING B&B TREES IS NECESSARY WHERE MOTORIZED EQUIPMENT CANNOT GET TO THE SITE

THE BALL ON THIS FIR TREE WEIGHS ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS

AFTER THE BALL IS PLACED AT THE RIGHT DEPTH IN THE HOLE THE WIRE BASKET MUST BE REMOVED

ALSO THE BURLAP...

...CUT WITH A KNIFE AND REMOVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLRE

POLYPROPYLENE  ROPE WILL NOT ROT AND MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE TREE TRUNK

BE SURE THE TREE STANDS STRAIGHT IN THE HOLE WHILE BACKFILLING...
WATER WELL AND STAKE  AND MULCH THE TREE

CLOTH STRIP PLACED AROUND TRUNK OF TREE...DO NOT WRAP AROUND TRUNK

GUY WIRE ATTACHED TO CLOTH STRIP

TREE PROPERLY STAKED, MULCHED AND WATERED

Tuesday, 8:45 AM.  41 degrees F at the ferry dock.  It was 35 on the back porch earlier.  Wind SW, calm with moderate gusts.  The sky is partly cloudy.  The humidity is78% and the barometer is mainly steady, at 29.49".  Night temperatures just above freezing develop the best fall colors, and although leaves are beginning to fall, the color should intensify on the leaves which remain.
   We planted a number of good sized balled and burlapped trees last Thursday and Friday, and today's post will give some tips on planting heavy B&B trees.
    It is often impossible  to maneuver heavy equipment to the planting site, in which case a specially designed B&B hand truck is necessary.  Without some equipment it is virtually impossible to move four or five hundred pound of dead weight.  The B&B hand truck provides the leverage, balance and maneuverability to place the B&B tree without damaging it.
   The hole should be dug before moving the tree.  The hole should be dug to the depth of the hight of the ball, measured from its base to the root flare of the tree.  This take some patience to determine, as the burlap will be covering the root flare.  It is always better to err a bit on the high side, as planting a tree too low is a death sentence.  The earth at the bottom of the hole should be firm, so the ball does not sink when it is watered.  The planting hole should be generously wider than the tree ball (the hole in the photos could be wider).  Cason Calloway, the founder of the famous Calloway Gardens of Georgia said many years ago, "It is better to plant a fifty-cent tree in a five dollar hole, than to plant a five dollar tree in a fifty-cent hole." Adjusted for inflation, the ratio is still valid.
  After the tree is placed in the hole the wire basket (virtually all B&B trees are transported in wire baskets today) must be cut into pieces with a wire cutter and removed.  This is essential, as damaging girdling roots will develop if a growing root tip hits a strand of wire.  The next step is to cut away the burlap, which has been treated so that it will not rot.  If it is impossible to remove the burlap at the bottom of the ball, cut away as much of it as is possible.  Polypropylene roping must be cut and removed from around the trunk, as it will not rot and will girdle the tree.
   When backfilling the tree the earth should be pulverized so that there are no air pockets around the tree ball.  It is best to water in the earth as the ball is being backfilled, but that is not always possible.  Be sure the tree is held perfectly vertical while backfilling.  Have one person look at the tree from two opposite directions to be sure it is straight.
   It is usually best to stake a newly planted tree to keep it straight.  Use two metal farm fence posts, anchored into the firm soil outside the planting hole.  Attach wire to the posts and to soft cloth material around the trunk of the tree.  be sure it is a material that will not chaff the bark.  To avoid girdling the trunk, loop the cloth around the trunk, do not wrap the material around it.
   Finally, remove any roping that has been placed around the branches to hold them in during shipping.   Water in well and mulch with about 4" of wood chips or other organic material, keeping the mulch away from the trunk of the tree.  Fall is a good time for planting conifers, as the roots will become established before new growth begins in the spring.