hey kim

read it 4 times.. but dont understand what you are asking???

burlap can be treated NOT to rot ... but the natural product will rot off relatively fast ..

the treated needs to be removed ...

then there is the wicking issue is any of it is above ground.. pulling water from the plant ..

most treated stuff is from plants shipped long distance.. and no one local really knows which type it is ....

but the local guy ought to know what he is using... its when you dont know.. that you have to get rid of it ...

frankly.. i dont know why you would go thru all that work .. and then leave it there ... just razor it off.. and if you leave a bit underneath .. so what.. 95% of it is gone ..

in my sand.. EVERYTHING ends up bare root ... so i dont see all that big a problem if you break up the ball a bit to get most of the burlap out ...

since i wasnt quite sure what you were asking.. i shot gunned it .. did i hit the mark???

ken

ps: if your local guy is guaranteeing it .. then perhaps you should follow his instruction ...

I'll go so far to say that the burlap (and any other wrappings) should be removed from any B&B plant before planting. Unfortunately, many nurseries still follow the old thought process that the burlap or other wrappings need to remain intact so as to preserve the integrity of the rootball. That is bunk!! The integrity of the rootball is not sacrosanct......in fact, studies have shown that removing the heavy clay soil of the typical B&B rootball (not to mention ALL associated wrappings) actually encourages increased root development and hastens establishment, as well as avoiding or deflecting the myriad problems resulting from soil interface issues, dehydration and girdling or circling roots.

And I wouldn't worry about any guarantees........if the nursery offers them at all, they are usually limited to a single year and often the problems that arise from NOT removing ALL wrappings often take longer than a year to show up, past any guarantee period.

Do your plants a huge favor and always remove any wrappings that surround B&B rootballs, including wire cages, twine and any burlap, treated or not.

I agree with GG. I've put 2-year-old inner burlap from a B&B into my active compost pile and it took over 2 years for that to break down. In the soil with less oxygen it would have been much longer. The tree that had two layers of burlap was basically bare rooted and has done fine.

tj

Agreed with all of the above, and I think I may be the one you are referring to... I think you are asking if it is OK to plant leaving the burlap intact. I can go into more detail but the nutshell is that burlap may kill your plant (eventually) or it may not, depending on various circumstances, but either way it serves no valuable purpose and it is thus always better to plant without it. This is my view, but since the Internet hates such absolute statements, I am happy to hear from anyone who disagrees!

Ken, you hit the mark - my question was whether I should have removed the burlap.

Awhile back I had mentioned that my boxwood along my retaining wall weren't doing well...browning...my theory was either the roots were too exposed to the weather (too close to the retaining wall), not enough water the prior season, and planted too close. Admittedly, I neglected to water them well the second year they were planted, and that's when we noticed they were declining.

So, this past spring, we pulled them up, repositioned them further away from the retaining wall, but the burlap was all still intact as if they were just planted. We have a reputable nursery where we purchase our plantings, and have never been told to remove the burlap, so I was surprised to read that - we've planted many trees and shrubs with burlap intact, all have done well with the exception of our boxwood. But again, I think it had much to do with my neglect to water.

I'm assuming the roots will eventually make their way through the (untreated) burlap -- at this point, I'm not planning on pulling them out again. After transplanting, we trimmed off the dead branches, watered deep on a weekly basis, and was rewarded with new healthy growth, but I'll continue with the weekly watering once spring arrives.

I would not make that assumption. Or at least, I would make a more informed assumption about what roots are making it through, if any, and when they are and the effect on the plant in the meantime.

As you have already seen, the burlap is resilient. It takes a long, long time to break down, and after a couple of years you noticed it was still as new. And in the meantime, your boxwoods will become rootbound, as though you were growing them in pots. There are roots and there are roots. The primary and secondary roots can't and won't get through the burlap, though depending on how thick the burlap is and how many layers there are, the tertiary (the feeding roots, which are those fine, thin roots) often can. This will allow the shrubs to survive, maybe, but they may not, and even if they do survive the years it takes for the burlap to rot, in the meantime the primary and secondary roots are circling inside their prison, and choking the plant. Obviously, some plants survive and eventually thrive with this planting method, but if you want to give them the best chance, yank them, amend the soil, remove the burlap, and stick them back in. Just my opinion.

Every nursery in SE WI tells you to leave the burlap and wire cage on. I've questioned and push back with all of them. Some just say thats how we've always done it and had no problems, others mention the rootball integrity jazz and one drummed up some old study about leaving the burlap and cages on.

My theory is that they tell you to leave it on so you can't identify issues with the root flare and the rootball itself.

I had 5 trees this past spring from Minors that had 3-6" of soil above the root flare. I would've never found that without removing the burlap. Johnsons, same story I found one root system that was j-rooted.

Another problem I've had is that the soil outside the burlap seperates from the rootball, causing drying issues.

i have had a lot pf problems with walls ... especially south facing ... in my garden ...

i think.. total speculation.. the issue is winter sun on the wall.. reflected and retained heat.. can take plants in and out of dormancy ... on a zero degree full sun winter day ... and the rule to live by in z5 and colder.. is.. get them dormant.. and keep them dormant.. all plants really have no sense of humor about repeatedly coming in and out of winter dormancy ....

i think you ID'd at least that variable ...

but your plants are evergreen [i think] .. so you will not know if that is the determinative issue.. until those leaves are gone.. and new replace it ...

improper watering also complicated the bee-gee-bees out of the situation ...

that said ... frankly.. the issue is whether these things have had enough stress... and would be further ahead if you ripped them from mother earth again .. or simply left them be and insured proper watering.. and that is my vote ..

yeah.. things could be done better.. and NEXT TIME .. do it differently.. but for God's sake.. let these plants get over it .. lol ..

its like that scab on your knee... it will heal.. if you just leave it alone ... quit picking at these plants..

you are on the border of loving them to death by repeatedly digging them up ... IMHO ....

ken

ps: i wonder what facts i missed in my caffeine fueled morning.. lol ...

Whaas, you are way ahead of me on the root flare or rootball issues, I wouldn't even know what to look for even if I did see it...

So in the future, I will at least score the burlap before planting. If I remove it altogether, it would probably wage an argument with regard to the warranty.

Ken, the wall is east facing, we keep them covered in the winter to protect from sun, not too much direct sunlight.

At this point, I'm leaving them alone. It's an entire hedge, just too much work at this point to re-do everything.

I added some compost to the soil when I replanted them, and my water bill was $30 something higher than usual, so they've gotten enough water after the transplant and through the growing season, and another deep watering mid November.

I'm hoping the addition of organic matter will help break down the burlap somewhat, but I'll be diligent with the watering come spring nonetheless.

Does it make a difference to run a soaker hose (for how long) as opposed to overhead sprinkler?

Also, is it true Boxwood will grow slower in full sun? All of my boxwood have done pretty well, but it seems they do better if they get more shade. I'm actually surprised at the growth rate - they grow much faster than I had ever anticipated.

Retail nurseries are in the business of selling plants. That focus on sales and profit margin does not necessarily coincide with nursery owners and staff being up to date with current approved horticultural practices - many are but a great many more simply don't have the time or inclination to keep abreast. Unfortunately, that lack of current knowledge often comes into conflict when plant warranties are involved. This is a case in point.

Personally, I would opt for good planting practices over any nursery warranties that may be based on outdated information. The chances of having to exercise that warranty if you follow accepted planting procedures are greatly reduced.

If you choose not to remove all wrappings - highly encouraged - rather than just scoring the burlap, at the very least, remove the burlap from around the rootball after placement in the planting hole by pulling it away from the top and sides, leaving the bottom in place. This will at least allow the roots to expand horizontally unencumbered by any slow to decompose material. And most roots grow out rather than down anyway. Also not a good idea to amend planting holes either for a variety of reasons. If you perceive a need to amend, do so over the largest area you can manage, ideally the entire mature root spread, rather than individual holes.

Watering at the root zone, especially with a low emission source like a soaker hose or drip irrigation is always preferred over overhead watering. This way you are getting water directly to where it is required - the roots - rather than on the foliage (which can lead to fungal diseases) or losing it to evaporation. It is just a more efficient way of delivering water to plants. How long to run a soaker depends on a number of variables - soil, drainage, temperatures, etc. You'll have to test to determine the optimal time but it is generally several hours because of the very low rate of delivery.

Boxwood is usually considered a full sun plant although it will tolerate light shade well. Often, plants which prefer to be in sun will produced elongated, leggy growth in reponse to shadier conditions. That doesn't necessarily mean they grow faster in more shade, only that the growth is elongated, with spacing of leaf nodes further apart. I'd not consider any form of boxwood especially fast growing - what you are seeing may be a very natural response to a shadier than preferred condition but it could also be related to improper fertilization.