you really don't need to break up the root ball.
Depending on how pot bound the tree was just simply teasing the roots which are circling may be enough.

If the tree is extremely pot bound, you probably made a bad purchase and the best you can do is slice the root ball with a knife from bottom to top twice at right angles and then plant it.

The most important thing is if the tree is planted at correct depth. Otherwise your tree may become like these
in the attached link.

You may wany to read that thread for further advise.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting Depth Most Important

it also depends on your soil ... IMHO ....

if you dug a clay cauldron.. the odds are higher that the roots will just continue to circle around and around ...

any other soil.. and it will grow roots outwards ...

any eventual problem.. is decades down the line ... it will be up to you.. whether you want to worry about it ...

cant tell where you are.. and whether it is advisable at this time of year ... to redig and fix the problem .. if any ..

since they were potted.. it can probably be done ... with a little PROPER TLC .... though i would prefer to do it when it has no leaves ....

ken

I live in middle Georgia where we have our "beautiful" red clay. When I planted the trees, I planted them at the same depth as the soil in the pot--I made it flush w/ the ground. I also dug an extra six inches on the sides and used potting soil as my filler instead of the clay. Is it still wise to dig them up?

Oh my goodness, that does not sound like it was planted properly. Furthermore planting trees--- river birch, no less when it is 95 degrees out in a place where it hardly ever rains is setting yourself up for failure.

If you just planted these, go ahead and replant them. You need to find the rootflare. On birches this is not very pronounced so feel for the topmost root. This top most root should be just barely below the soil. Your planting hole should be backfilled with native clay soil. Your planting hole should be 2-3 times as wide as the width of the container. With a 5 gal container you might as well go all out and plant even wider since it won't take much time to dig. Don't stress over massaging the soil ball unless roots are encircling the soilball. Container medium will easily fall apart if you're too rough with it. You will more than likely need to water these daily or every other day for the next couple of months when there is no rain. Don't use any fertilizer or root stimulator even if it says to do it on the tag.

Here's a link to what I hope are pretty clear instructions for planting a tree. If, after carefully reading them, you still have any questions, PLEASE ask! I am trying to make them as clear and thorough as possible.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub

'Breaking up the root ball' is one thing, and 'tickling the roots' is something else.

If you took the plant out of the pot and plopped it in the ground without touching the root ball (esp the root ball as described), then you'll want to dig it up and do it over. And next time don't plant when hot.

Dan

I just planted these a week ago. How hard will they be to dig up? I'm assuming the root ball will still be pretty much intact?

@brandon7:
I remember when I planted the trees, they had a fair amount of roots on the outside--thing, spaghetti like roots. After reading your guide, do I just need to make slits down the sites then stick it back in the ground? Do I need to try to spread out the roots any or will the slits suffice?

How hard will they be to dig up?

They'll pop right out of the ground. I'm not a 'slit the roots' guy, I'm a 'use fingers to loosen roots' guy, but I won't shout and stamp my foot when people do it.

Dan

I think it will be very easy to dig up and, especially if you didn't tease the roots out, the rootball should be completely intact.

It's kind of a judgment call on how to precede with the rootball. You have two factors working together against you. The first is that, from your description, it sounds as if the tree was potbound. That means that the roots are unlikely to grow out into the surrounding soil (and may even become girdling roots later on) unless they are either spread out or properly prepared. The second factor is that you are planting the tree in the very worst time possible.

If you were planting a non-potbound pot-grown tree this time of year, it would probably be perfectly fine. If you were planing a potbound tree, and prepared it correctly, in the middle to late fall, in the winter, or in early spring, it would be fine. The problem arises when the root system needs to be compromised for the future health of the tree but the tree needs all of it's root system intact to survive the stress of transplanting in very hot weather.

Is there a chance of being able to take it back where you bought it and get your money back? It sounds like the tree isn't in great shape. Trees should not be potbound when they are sold.

If that's not an option, I think you'd probably be best off to try to carefully untangle (tease) the roots out around the rootball surface. Keep as much of the rootball intact as possible to lessen transplant shock, but be sure no roots circle more than about a quarter of the rootball. You may have to cut a few of them to get things straightened out. If you do cut them individually, cut them as they emerge from the rootball before they start to wrap around. The roots will tend to sprout out in the direction of the cut root end. Do what you can to limit the amount of root disturbance while eliminating encircling roots that won't grow out into surrounding soil and may girdle the trunk or the root system as they grow.

Once you've got the tree replanted, be sure to mulch the entire planting area correctly (see info in link above) and keep an extremely careful check on soil moisture (see link). Properly maintaining soil moisture is going to be critical the the survival of this tree.