I usually "rootwash" small container stock (band pot to 1 gal size, sometimes up to #5) if I am planting during the dormant season - esp. early spring. I'll also do it in fall even if there are still leaves, as long as the weather is cool (mid-Oct or later here) since by then the plant is essentially "ready" for dormancy, even if leaves haven't fallen just yet...slightly premature leaf loss is usually trivial in my experience. Sometimes I avoid it if the roots are very dense and fibrous, since it's hard to fill in the soil, but for fleshy rooted plants it works well. Larger plants it's possible, but harder without a second person there to help stabilize the tree as you fill it in. I usually shake gently and let clumps remain - if there are a few feeder roots in a nice clump I don't necessarily take off the media if nothing appears dead, crisscrossed, or circling in that particular clump. I find that, among other things it accomplishes the following: 1. Better contact with native soil. No "interface" issues (the small clumps of potting media notwithstanding, but they're usually small enough to not pose an issue, and in fact help prevent root dessication/damage to feeder roots). 2. Better anchorage. Once the soil settles in (which should be ASAP if you water properly) the tree is nearly as well-anchored as it would have been if grown on-site. No "ball and socket" issues that you get with both container and B&B that keeps original soil/media intact. 3. Examine and correct root deformities. Many times, circling and potentially-girdling roots can be un-circled and straighened out. Even if not, it's easier to get a good, accurate cut to remove roots that are beyond repair. 4. Less water needed. At first, this isn't so true, but with container stock, you have to water copiously until enough rootws have grown out into your native soil (which is 99% of the time far more moisture-retentive than typical container media). If you bare-root first, your native soil IS where the roots lie, so you only have to really water enough to keep the area just moist. Slightly moister than an established plant, since the plant does still have to regenerate some of the fine feeder roots and root hairs, but not as much as a container-grown plant, which has most of the roots still within the container medium for quite a while. Even compared to B&B, since more roots are usually preserved vs. B&B, you could get away with slightly less watering after the first month or two. This post was edited by hairmetal4ever on Wed, Apr 23, 14 at 13:28

Thanks all for the comments. I actually attempted to listen to Ken (and get the smallest tree size they had). A few years back (2012) Ken had warned me about avoiding instant gratification yet I went ahead and bought the 4" tree and had it "professionally installed". two years later I have about 1 inch of growth and a tree that is finally looking healthy, hopefully on its way to recovery. I would have been way better off going with a smaller one. I actually did learn my lesson and searched long and hard for this very specific tree, the problem is that there are only very few nurseries that carry them since they were recently made available to the public. After countless hours of searching on the web for mail order options and calling several nurseries I found one that actually offered this tree (They had to order from out of state and shipped to my home during their Spring delivery). They offered it in many sizes and I had requested the absolute smallest one they had which unfortunately was still fairly large at 1.75 inches. (I like the smaller sizes for the reasons that were noted but also because they are a heck of a lot easier to move around and plant!) I would have much preferred a smaller one, but it was either that size tree or no tree and I pulled the trigger site unseen and ended up with this unfortunate situation. I think the lesson is to always make sure you have an opportunity to inspect the trees carefully before buying and be aware that underneath several inches of soil you could have a mess of a root system. As far as grafting, it is my understanding that since disease "resistant" elms are cloned (in the case of the Jefferson Elm, it's an exact copy of the tree located in the Washington Mall in DC (link: below) While I have read that it is best to grow them on their "own root", I believe they are often grafted to non DED resistant American Elm rootstock since it is cheaper/easier. It is possible I have misinterpreted what I've read on the Internet. Here is a link that might be useful: Jefferson Elm Tree Info

good soil .... i was worried about clay ... totally different process for clay ... specific answers ... - soil amendment NO!!!! ...NEVER,... NADA... NIL.. NYET ... - fertilization NO.. NEVER,... NADA... NIL.. NYET ... - planting hole size SEE BELOW - rootball planting height (same as original or higher)SO THAT THE ROOT FLARE IS AT GROUND LEVEL - amount/frequency of watering INSERT FINGER ... LET NEARLY DRY IN BETWEEN WATERS - add rim of soil around tree to catch rain (yes/no) MOAT??? DIG HOLE 1.5 TIMES WIDER THAN BALL.. SOME SAY TWICE AS BIG ... TO THE LEVEL THAT IT NEEDS TO BE.. WE DONT WANT IT TO SINK IN THE LONG RUN... oops remove any wire cage .... insert BB into hole.. turn until it pleases you from the direction it will be viewed ... untie burlap .... force down to the bottom of hole.. take a fresh razor and slice off all that you can .. PERSONALLY I DONT CARE ABOUT THE LITTLE LEFT WAY BELOW ... it isnt worth the ball falling apart.. to get that little left ... backfill about half way .. firm in there ... light stepping with boot ... fill to top with water ... go take rest while it drains away ... prepare adult beverage ... when you come back.. insure it is vertical in all directions.. i like the corner of the house.. or a fence post.. something 'true' ... to get real close to vertical ... refill to about 3/4 ... pack it in there.. but dont make cement ... a little more water... fill to soil level.. soak again ... perhaps leaving the hose on a trickle for an hour or so .... IN MY SAND... i actually make a moat of sorts.. so i can lay down few gals of water at a time ... and give it time to soak in before running off ... the moat has nothing to do with collecting rain ... mulch at least a foot outside the perimeter of the branches ... and fill in the moat with mulch if you made one go put tools away .... start enjoying adult beverage.. and enjoy your new conifer .... DO NOT WATER AGAIN ... until your index finger.. inserted to the second knuckle indicates it is dry or hot .... as much as they need water.. they are NOT swamp plants ... how that all works out in your soil is discoverable only by your index finger .... good luck ken PS: if there is any indication.. that your hole does not drain.. we would have to defer to the clay method.. again.. something only you can define in your soil ...

Angc, try googling for a cream sans sunscreen, or check Amazon. Hope you find it! Okay, the cream came today. Around 2pm I put it on. I wasn't sure about it at first because it does the same as my powder. I didn't have to use any under eye concealer which was great. Very silky feel on face. About an hour later I crawled into bed from exhaustion from the past week. An hour after I got up I looked in the mirror, and it was still fresh looking! Combined with the RoC treatment I've been using the past week, my face looks better than ever. All of it is inexpensive which makes it even sweeter. :)