Kurt Gavin wrote:
Should burlap be removed from root balls when planting?

The state university's tree planting web page says yes. However, I've
read that if the root ball comes apart, that's bad. On the other hand,
I've seen diagrams of how to split root balls or cut the sides to get
the roots freed up from the root balls mass to promote growth.

Is there any consensus on this?

Well, I think you've already ruled-out that there can be a consensus by
presenting two conflicting opinions. Best we can do is discredit one or
the other opinion, vote on which one this group likes best, or flesh-out
situations where each one would be more appropriate than the other. But
we're past the point of consensus.

One thing you don't want to do is leave part of the burlap exposed. That
will result in water being wicked away from the root ball. I don't think
you're going to find anyone who thinks leaving part of the burlap
unburied is a good idea.

Burlap is biodegradable, so leaving it buried shouldn't be a problem.
But if someone has balled it up in some synthetic tarp that isn't going
to biodegrade, then that needs to be removed. But removing what's
holding the root ball together leaves you with a whole lot of other
problems. This may not be much of a problem with a small shrub, but if
you're talking about a big tree, you don't want to have to figure out
how to support the tree while you pull a David Copperfield, and get the
tarp out from under the root ball. A better idea would be to get the
tree from somewhere that uses real, biodegradable burlap. Save the
synthetic stuff for debris barriers.

--
Warren H.

==========
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employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

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