So my wife and I bought a couple of trees yesterday. They are pretty good sized Maple trees. They have the burlap and cage type thing surrounding the root system. Do we remove those prior to planting? Or will they just rust/disintegrate away? I know the size of the hole we need to dig, just don't know what to do with the wrapping. Thanks!
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I've loosened burlap and left it on and I've removed it. Depends on the size and stability of the root ball. Wire should be removed, again some folks don't.

Here's some thoughts.


http://www.smilinggardener.com/organ...urlapped-trees
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You can keep the burlap, that's fine. If it's tight, you very much want to keep it so you don't damage the hair roots. My guess is that the cage thing is just to keep the burlap/root ball from blowing out. You'll want to oversize your hole, and once you get the tree in it, roll around in the dirt and cut the wire cage off. If it goes down across the bottom of the ball, take that part off first.
Make sure you improve the soil with some compost, composted cow manure is best.
You'll also want to drive stakes and support the tree with ropes and pads until the dirt settles real good and the roots start growing out into the surrounding soil. That anchors the tree. The compost entices the roots out there. Even trees know what smells good to eat. :-)
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Having worked in this field for a couple summers I totally agree with Scott. Just make sure when you dig the hole that its level or the tree with shift and then its a pain to get out :-)
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