planting tonight: remove the wire cage or not?

15 years ago

Hi--We got our lovely multi-branched apple serviceberry x "autumn brilliance" today and are going to put it into the ground tonight. The landscape guy said we should leave the wire cage around the root ball to maintain its integrity. If I were a tree (total anthropomorphizing here), I'd want that wire cage GONE so my roots could stretch. Please, tree experts--let me know what we should do.

I am OK with leaving the burlap intact, because the tree's roots should be able to work through that. Is root ball integrity that important? (Now you see that I am a total tree novice. That's what living in a city will do to ya.)

We will be sure to make the hole shallow enough to keep the tree's stem above ground, and we'll backfill the hole plenty to make sure there are no air pockets. Any other suggestions? I will search the thread in detail later on (I'm at work right now), but I was hoping to catch a generous soul with time on his/her hands to offer some immediate guidance. Thank you!

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Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
would mother nature leave any of it???

GET RID OF IT ALL ....

some burlap is treated to prevent rot... get rid of it ...

or do the best you can .... get it in the hole .... remove 90% of the burlap .... and 90% of the cage .. and backfill with native soil .. no amendments ... in other words.. dont worry about what might be left under the ball ...

good luck trying to cut the cage .... lol .. better have strong tools or strong arms ...

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
There are differing opinions regarding leaving the wire cage on. At the very least, remove the ties and cut away the excess burlap from the top of the ball. If the root ball can be handled (and not disturbed) by removing the wire, then do so. If it acts like it might fall apart, leave the cage on but cut away as much as you can once the tree is in the hole.

Don't add any special amendments to your planting hole or back fill, by the way. You probably know that already.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's one opinion
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philosopher
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you for the quick info. From what I read, serviceberries are not tap-rooted, so as long as we am very careful and slow when removing things, I think we'll be OK.
Iris GW
15 years ago
The thing about B&B is that they are grown in the field and then dug and wrapped. Depending on how long it's been, the root ball might be kind of loose. I usually leave the burlap on so it holds the bottom and sides together and just pull it away from the top.

Good luck!
wisconsitom
15 years ago
Philosopher

Long ago, I didn't think it mattered if the wire cage was left intact, or just its top removed at planting. Then, at a series of seminars of the Wisconsin Arborist Association, a large table was set up and covered with "disinterred" specimens, of trees that had failed and then been dug up. Many bad stories could be seen in terms of wire causing serious root malformations, most notably, girdling of the root by the wire. Also, some bad redirection of growth caused by same, resulting in roots girdling each other.

As a result of this, I...and the department where I work, remove all burlap and wire at planting. It's not really that difficult, and we've had little, if any, trouble with rootballs falling apart as a result of doing so. A bolt cutter makes removing the wire basket a snap, literally. That would be my recommendation.

Good luck with your serviceberry. Nice plants!

+oM
jk96
15 years ago
I'm a novice but can tell you that I helped a friend plant a b&b purple ash, 8-9' tall. His wife decided after the second fall season that it was not "pretty" enough and it had to go. He asked me if I wanted it. Brought the tractor and forks over and dug it up. After two years in the ground the burlap had completely fallen apart and the roots had grown well past it. We did remove the wire basket when it was planted.
gardener_sandy
15 years ago
Virginia Tech has a nice bulletin on 24 ways to kill a tree (and what you actually should do!) I've included a link below. Their answer to your question would be to remove the top portions of the wire and burlap. There's lots more information there that should help.

Here is a link that might be useful: 24 Ways to Kill a Tree
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
burlap exposed to the air.. will wick all the water out of the root ball .. into the air ...

so ... JUST MAKE SURE IT IS NEVER EXPOSED TO THE AIR ...

but.. a razor.. one minute of slashing.. and 90% of it can be gone... why not take that one minute to do it???

ken
treeguy123
15 years ago
You should always remove all of the burlap and wire, (like other said the very bottom where the tree is resting is not as important), but remove that if possible. Even if the burlap might decompose slowly it can still cause at least a few roots to circle around, which is very bad and can lead to root girdling which can eventually kill the tree. And who knows, it could be a type of burlap that does not break down, which would certainly kill the tree a lot faster.

You'll need to mulch around the tree also if you want the tree to thrive and establish well. Keep it 2 to 4 inches deep (never deeper) and 5+ feet wide is best. Also keep the mulch 3 or 4 inches away from the trunk to prevent bark rot an other problems. Mulch also keeps weed whackers and lawn mowers from scraping the bark off and possibly killing the tree.

Go to the link below for more about the many benefits of mulching and why Root Girdling is Bad.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mulching and Root Girdling Link

planting tonight: remove the wire cage or not?

Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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planting tonight: remove the wire cage or not?

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