I only purchased 1 conifer from a big box store. It was a Picea pungens and one of the very first conifers I purchased a few years ago.

I got that home and took it out of the container. That thing was in solid clay.... I couldn't break it apart no matter how hard I tried. It was so tightly packed that I didn't see any roots at all... they were all inside this very packed clay ball. I planted it, it died, took it back and got my money back. It was just in a 2 gallon container too... it looked like it had been field planted. Haven't bought another thing since at a big box store.

I'd say try to avoid any situation like this... if you purchase anything else take it out of the container or if the container is to large take a small knife and slice it open a bit.

Not to much you can really do now... just wait and see if it breaks bud next spring.

The main thing is to forget the idea of a 'planting hole'. The idea is to create a subtle transition from the rootball medium to the ground medium. If both are loamy then you have the easiest job. If both are hard clay then you have to think 'plant on, rather than in'. A shallow scrape is all that is needed which is broken up with a pick or fork to start fissures for the roots to find. You can make a mix of clay + compost and rough grit/stones to a consistency that won't create a distinct organic strata level but will give the roots something better than a clay face, yet they won't try and live in it by circling. Pour some into the scrape, place your rootball so that it is 2/3 showing above the surface and build a big mound around it to the height of the top. Over years the whole mound will flatten out like a grave as the weight of the tree and rains settle it. You'll have your rootball in the ground but not in a sump. Staking becomes much more necessary and watering in droughts more critical.

As for clay bound rootballs, I would check for that at the buying point and simply not buy them. You'll never get a good inspection of the roots as even soaking the clay will leave a thick paste in amongst them. It's poor practice to sell hard clay rootballs, for the plant and the customer.

hey

welcome ...

see link for a favored planting guide ...

many of us.. fully bare root trees at planting.. and to do that.. you need to be planting in the proper planting season ... early spring.. or later fall .. depending where you are ... z5 is to large to make presumptions ...

and the bottom line... if you are thinking of moving beyond bigboxstore green trees ... is to find some better sources .. crikey ... lol ...

most of us mail order the finer specimens.. favoring small size for both shipping and cost ... or order in larger specimens form the left coast to a higher end local nursery ....

i call green species trees [the ones with two latin names.. w/o a 'cultivar name'] .... telephone poles in the making ... depending on your garden size ... they are usually forest trees.. and have vast potential.. over the decades ... and as such.. should not be closer than 30 to 50 feet from a house ....

i never buy ball and burlap ... mostly because they are outside my physical capability if of any size ... they always have a guy to hoik that sucker in your truck at the store ..... but who helps you at home... lol ...

are you thinking of moving into the fancier plants???? we could probably make some suggestions

where are you .. and whats your native soil ... clay, sand or something in between???

ken

ps: if you continue to buy bigboxstore bargains [and there is nothing wrong with this if its makes you happy] ... just plant them and forget all this hocus pocus.. and use your warranty if they fail within a year ....its like you want a Cadillac planting guide for Yugo tree .. lol ... IMHO ,... the most important variable on transplant.. is two years of deep proper watering.. subject to your soil type [drainage].. and it should all be covered at the link ...

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks to everyone who replied. The advice and links were very helpful. Much appreciated.

The reason I buy small trees from the big box stores on clearance is that we have MANY deer in our area and each fall/winter they hang out in our yard and do significant damage to our trees. Between buck rubbing and general browsing by deer we usually lose a couple of trees each year.

Last winter was very bad here in west Michigan and many of our nicer Picea glauca, Picea omorika, and Pinus strobus trees were decimated by hungry deer. Many of the trees have dead or dying lower branches thanks to the deer. Because of this it makes no sense to purchase beautiful conifer cultivars and then lose them to deer.

I could probably purchase a couple of nice specimen trees and use chicken wire or something similar to keep the deer away, but I could only do that for a very few trees. Nearly all of the trees we have are at the mercy of deer.

I hope that makes sense.

TYG