I use to use rooting hormone on the secion of the leaves I would put down.. not the stalk of the leaf, but the cut sections of the leaf. Now, I quit using it and it works just as good.. in fact, the sections root faster without it. I tried an experiment putting down sections of the same leaf with and without. Babies appreared within 4 - 6 weeks without the hormone and about 8 - 10 weeks with it. The only time I use it.. is when I cut the crown off.. then I only use a very light dusting.. tap the neck on the side of the counter to knock off as much as I can.. put the neck in soil, water, put in an enclosed container and leave it alone for about a month.. only checking it to make sure it is not dry. Tea

Sounds like the soil we have here in the south except my nemesis is clay. Digging holes and over amending it with much of anything will result in swimming pools that plants will rot in when we do have rain. What I have found is that adding a little additives to the hole, compost or composted pine bark chips, to help with moisture percolation and spreading mulch and organic matter on top of the soil will eventually generate a tilth to the soil in the manner that Mother Nature generates it naturally. The amendments will decompose, attract worms that will till the material deeper into the soil, and will deposit their own natural droppings to the soil which will increase tilth. Another little known thing that adds organic matter to the soil is the natural death and decomposition of root hairs on roots. I suggest you read a good book on permaculture to learn about how people can generate growing conditions and grow plants in less than hospitable conditions. A good one that was a real eye opener to me was a book entitled "Gaia's Garden--A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture" by Toby Hemenway. I wish I had read it years ago when I first started gardening. No one, myself included, is telling you not to use something that makes your life easier, but as is often the case, there is often more than one way to skin a cat and permaculture techniques are a means of accomplishing this which do not involve something that is purchased in a container and are much less expensive in the long run and better for the environment.

GraceNmercy, micorrhizae are indeed fascinating organisms, and research within natural settings continues to show a huge array of species and relationships out there. But.........all research I've seen so far attempting to show a positive response from proprietary products has been dissappointing, save for a few studies in sterile soils such as mine tailings, where a response was noted and measured. So what I'm saying is that, while nature is doing this all over the place, and in ways we've just barely begun to understand, human efforts to provide a beneficial product have mostly failed so far. What you can do to ensure survival of your trees is A) Plant them in native soil-no amendments around the backfill area, B) Inspect root systems when you take them out of their pots and correct or attempt to correct any winding, circling roots you see. Also on that score, some practitioners have actually begun to wash or otherwise remove all of the potting mix, which is almost surely of a drastically different texture than the soil into which the plants will be going. this is to ensure water movement into the original rootball. Remember, there are no roots initially beyond this rootball. If that thing dries out, the plant will die. C) Try to water in a timely fashion. May be easier said than done, I know. FWIW, I've planted thousands of seedlings with no watering ever, and had most survive. Some which went into the ground as little as three and four years ago are now approaching twenty feet in height. So it can work! Mycorrhizal products will come on line at some point, that do actually work. That is my belief and I consider it the future of all cropping systems. We're just not there yet. It's highly complex stuff, and so far at least, I do not believe we've solved issues of survival, proper matching of fungal component to plant species, etc. +oM

There is a liquid "transplant shock treatment" that I used when I planted my larger trachy in ground. It did work eventually over time. I did not have any of the powder root hormone on hand when I planted that tree though. The powder works really good in my experience with other plants and trees, probably better and faster. I'll try to find the bottle of the liquid stuff and post the brand name. I bought it online. Using epsom salt is recommended also. You are in zone 6 it looks like. I think that if you are planning on planting in ground you could probably do so safely by about the first of April. You should have all the stuff on hand and ready to go for when you do it. If I was in your shoes, get Shultz "Take Root", some epsom salt for continued treatments after planting, and some (spelling probably wrong) michorizzal fungi. I believe that fingi made a difference with mine also. I bought it from a place called Fungi Perfecti. This fungi is why all the Monrovia brand plants are so nice and grow so fast. It's what they use and advocate. I have a Monrovia trachy that is about 4.75 feet tall now and it is going in ground in the front yard this spring. I bought it at a garden center last year at only about 3 feet tall. It has put on at least 10 new fans and about 6" more trunk in the year I've had it potted. Its outside now. It came in the 3-season porch in mid December. It's had snow. It's about fully conditioned now... The thing is perfect! Another thing I learned with my bigger trachy is not to worry about over-watering it (in ground). When newly planted water the heck out of it. Water it a bit every day for a while. They really need a lot of water in that condition and it will make a lot of difference. Just make sure you plant it correctly with good, well-draining soil, etc. I'm actually going to be planting another large trachy this spring so my other one has a "friend" in the same planter. about 4' of trunk and about 8' tall overall. I'll be employing all the methods/products I described. I've worked with the grower to send it to me with more soil and roots than my last one came with. The extra shipping cost is well worth it in that case. Good luck with yours! Please keep us posted as to how it is doing.