Balled and burlap is a method used widely in the landscape industry to handle and sell larger volumes of trees. You usually see this kind of thing while at a tree nursery. The trees are dug up generally with a skid loader mounted tree spade and then lowered into a burlap lined wire basket.  At this point, the tree’s root ball is then tied and tightened to hold the root ball as intact as possible while handling the newly dug tree.

Balled and burlap is a bit of a necessary evil.  For lack of a better method, balled and burlap is currently used when handling larger volumes of trees, as mentioned earlier.   Unfortunately, this method can pose many issues if not handled correctly.

The issues with the balled and burlap method of handling trees is that it is very difficult to do correctly.  I’ve seen way too many issues when the basket and burlap is left on the tree, instead of being removed. The thought is that the wire basket will rust away (and not cause any problems), and that the burlap will just rot off. Well this doesn’t seem to be the case. I have removed and replaced too many trees over the years where the wire basket, still in the hole, looks like it could almost be reused. In our local soil types, the wire basket does not deteriorate like the sheet metal on our cars (unfortunately).  The wire basket in the hole is not exposed to salt (like our cars) and the wire basket over time doesn’t receive enough moisture to rust it away. Think about it. The wire basket is under the driest part of the tree, “the exact center” of the tree’s canopy. And as the tree grows, it sheds the rain water away from the center of the tree to the outer drip line.

The problems caused by leaving the wire basket in the hole, don’t arise ’til many years later. Leaving many people to falsely believe this is an acceptable method of planting trees.  The roots as they continue to grow larger start to become choked by the limiting size of the wire basket. Which in turn stresses the tree, making it vulnerable to insects, disease, and possibly a weaker root system (structurally), leaving it more vulnerable to wind and storm damage.

The absolute best method of moving a tree is with a tree spade. This is when the hole for the new location is precisely dug with a tree spade, prior to the tree being dug. Then the very same tree spade is used to dig the tree and transport the tree to its new home. This method is very precise; the tree is only out of the ground for a short period of time compared to days or weeks with the balled and burlap method.  There is no foreign material that remains in the ground in the new location of the tree.  And when using the correct size of spade, the tree is very stable in its new hole. Many times not even requiring staking. The soil is still firm and able to support the tree.

My hope is that the industry will quickly develop a better method of handling volumes of trees rather than using non degrading wire baskets. (I know someone will.) And if possible, have your trees moved from hole to hole with a tree spade and avoid saddling your investment in trees with possible future issues. Or plant smaller trees that can be handled easier and remove it completely from the container. Just remember a tree with a 34” root ball can weigh 400-500 lbs.

Plant a tree! But always make sure to plant it the right way.