We just bought a river birch that had been bagged and burlapped and then placed in a container. The roots had a steel cage around them and the they have grown through the cage and out of the container. We are wondering do we need to cut through the root ball and remove the steel cage? It is about 4 inches into the root ball. Can we just plant the tree leaving the steel inside the ball? If we need to remove it, how can we do it without injuring the roots?

K. Mooney

This is one change I have made to my tree planting recommendations. It is best for the establishment of roots and the prevention of later damage to roots if the the wire and burlap is completely removed from the top and sides of root balls. I do it after the tree has been set in the hole at the proper grade. The burlap will not break down well in the soil below about 10" because of lack of oxygen. The wire left on can cut into roots as they enlarge. The wire breaks down slowly and lasts a long time.