Yes, remove it -- CAREFULLY -- so you don't disturb the roots more than
necessary. Being buried in the ground, the burlap will decompose very
slowly. And the new root growth will probably reach the burlap long before
then.

Suzy, Zone 5, Wisconsin


"Kurt Gavin" wrote in message
nk.net...
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?

Thanks