"Ether Jones" wrote in message
ups.com...

The local mega-mart sells 6' tall potted trees. I'd guess the pot is
about 2 gallons or so.

When the tree is removed from the pot for planting, should the root
ball be left completely undisturbed, or should an attempt be made to
gently shake or pull the roots free?


I bought one of these trees, dug a hole about 3 times as wide and twice
as deep as the pot, filled the hole with 120 pounds of topsoil, moved
some of the topsoil away to make room for the root ball, cut away the
plastic pot from the root ball, placed the root ball into the hole,
backfilled with topsoil, and watered. Now I'm wondering if I should
have done something with the root ball before planting.


You did it right. Just keep track of the soil's moisture once a week or so.
In a perfect world with perfect soil, you grab a handful, squeeze it into a
shape, and it should crumble like chocolate cake. Not brownies, but CAKE. If
it seems more like modeling clay than cake, lay off the water and check
again in a week.