Well it would just require a lot more hacking into the rootball, with a hammer & chisel I suppose...? or a saw? power tools..?? This is all new to me. So yes, I guess not enough loosening up was done... just around the edges, just what I could do with my hands, a water hose, and wire-cutting shears. and I was working in the dark, so that didn't help. The really tough hard circle root was just buried deep in there, I just didn't want to hurt the tree any further by continuing to hack into it.. and not really being sure of what I'm doing. But I think we have decided to take it back.

Post pictures, That will help us allot in advising what needs to be done. Just the same, understand if you are not able to adequately address the rootbound problem, then the tree is in for a slow death anyway. I had this happen on that that I had thought I had fixed. Nope! Died about 5 years later.

Arktrees

Well I'd be happy to send you photos, but we already took it back. It's frustrating because there is so much confusing information out there. The tree looked perfectly healthy (to me anyway), but was it worth the risk of an experiment? Probably not. Then right after we took it back I talked to a guy at a different nursery who said that trees end up root-bound all the time, and they just cut them back when they move them into bigger pots. And when you buy one, all you have to is prune all the circling roots back, and the tree will bounce back and put out even healthier, stronger roots than before. So if that's true, why does everyone else say that a tree like this is doomed..? I don't get it.
Also they say 'make sure you buy a healthy tree'. Well how do you know if it's healthy or not? To my untrained eye, something may look great- but unless you're an arborist or a Master gardener, how do you really know..?
I just wish I could have figured out if this one was worth saving or not...

Brandon- Thanks for the tip, I'll watch that video, for future reference...!

Next time you go to buy a tree, pull it out of the pot before you buy it. At least in a normal pot, you should see fine roots around the outer surface of the rootball. You may even see a few that are a little larger, but they should not be so big that you cannot either straighten them out (when you are planting the tree) or prune them away (without worrying about hurting the plant). At planting, you really don't want any roots circling around the rootball or kinked in knots.

Your tree's roots will grow larger and larger as the tree grows, so picture the rootball as all those roots grow many times their current size. If all the roots are locked into a tight ball (or pot-shaped cylinder), the trees root system will not be sufficient to support the tree or supply water and nutrients. Even if some roots are able to grow out away from the tree, a potbound rootball will become more congested with age, and failure will become more and more likely.

Some people even recommend complete removal of all potting material during the planting process. They believe that poor root system structure is so important, that the extra shock, brought on by bare rooting, is worth it. Personally, I prefer a more modest approach. I remove a lot of the excess potting material, but leave all that I can while still being able to ensure that all the roots are straightened out and growing away from the tree. Usually, I form a cone at the base of the plant that allows the roots to radiate away from the base of the tree and slightly down into the soil.

If you have questions about this, please let me know. Sometimes describing things like this in few words is not easy. Also, see the link below for what I hope are very helpful instructions about how to plant a tree or shrub.

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

Rebmetika,

FYI, Natural Garderner sells trees grown in root pruning containers (not all but some) and lots more variety of trees, etc compared to big box stores.

Thanks for everyone's great info. I do adore NG and have been going for many years.. we were just trying to save $$ on a tree. So we did what we originally meant to do, which was to go straight to a tree farm. We were able to find a good specimen that looks well taken care-of.. It was too big to take out of the pot there (30 lb.) but they assured us it would be fine as they repot as needed, and properly prune off any circling roots. And sure enough, when we cut the pot off (at home), it looked great. Only tiny white roots visible around the edges.. and I poked way inside the dirt and never did find any hard circling roots. Everything seemed to be pointing outwards. What a difference, to see a tree in a pot with plenty of extra room. But I loosened it all up anyway.
We felt bad about the other one though. However I'm glad we got our money back and that was a bad idea to go to the 'other place' anyway (not my idea, for the record!). File that under 'you get what you pay for'...
Brandon, I read the link and think we're on track.. although we were not able to add back the soil that was in the hole.. because it was the trunk of another tree that was previously there. So we had to use soil from the woods nearby, some bagged Texas topsoil, and a bag of garden soil. And mulched (properly) of course. Added some Super-Thrive too with the water (which the tree farm owner said to do). So hopefully it will be OK. Wish us luck!

As long as the soil you added was pretty close to the surrounding soil, you should be OK. It's not that it has to come form the exact same hole, but it should be similar, for drainage and proper root system formation. If you got most of the soil from your nearby woods, I'd bet you are OK.

Congratulations on your purchase of a tree in good shape. I bet you feel relieved that you were able to get one in good condition!