WHY SHOULD I BUY A HIGH QUALITY TREE?

    When you buy a high-quality tree, plant it correctly, and treat it
    properly, you and your tree will benefit greatly in many ways for
    many years.
    When you buy a low-quality tree, you and your tree will have many
    costly problems even if you take great care in planting and
    maintenance.    

    What Determines Tree Quality?
    A high-quality tree has
    • enough sound roots to support healthy growth.
    • a trunk free of mechanical wounds and wounds from incorrect pruning.
      drained, or is it shallow, compacted, and infertile?
    • a strong form with well-spaced, firmly attached branches.
    A low-quality tree has
    • crushed or circling roots in a small root ball or small container.
    • a trunk with wounds from mechanical impacts or incorrect pruning.
    • a weak form in which multiple stems squeeze against each other or
    branches squeeze against the trunk.
    Any of these problems alone or in combination with the others will greatly
    reduce the tree’s chances for a long, attractive, healthy, and productive life.

    When buying a tree, inspect it carefully to make certain it does not have
    problems with roots, injuries, or form. Remember the acronym RIF; it will
    help you remember roots, injuries, and form.

    Here are some details on potential problems and some other
    considerations that you should be aware of when buying a tree.
    Root Problems

    Roots on trees for sale are available as one of three types:
    • bare root: no soil; usually on small trees
    • root balled: roots in soil held in place by burlap or some other fabric; the
      root ball may be in a wire basket
    • container grown: roots and soil in a container
    BARE-ROOT STOCK
    Bare roots should not be crushed or torn. The ends of the roots should be
    clean cut. If a few roots are crushed, re-cut them to remove the injured
    portions. Use sharp tools. Make straight cuts. Do not paint the ends. The
    cuts should be made immediately before planting and watering.
    ROOT-BALLED STOCK
    You should be able to see the basal trunk flare. The flare is the spreading
    trunk base that connects with the roots. Root balls should be flat on top.
    Roots in soil in round bags often have many major woody roots cut or torn
    during the bagging process. Avoid trees with many crushed or torn roots.
    The diameter of the root ball should be at least 10 to 12 times the diameter
    of the trunk as measured 6 inches above the trunk flare.

    After placing the root ball in the planting site, cut the ties and carefully pull
    away the burlap or other fabric. Examine any roots that protrude from the
    soil. If many roots are obviously crushed or torn, the tree may have severe
    growth problems. If only a few roots are injured, cut away only the injured
    portions. Use a sharp tool. Use care not to break the soil ball around the
    roots.
    Cut the wire on wire baskets. Place the basket into the planting site. Cut
    away at least the top two wires without disturbing the root ball. Inspect
    exposed roots for injuries. If many roots are injured, the tree may have
    serious growth problems. If the trunk flare has been buried, gently expose
    it before planting the tree, taking care not to damage the bark.
    CONTAINER-GROWN STOCK
    Roots should not twist or circle in the container. Remove the root ball from
    the container. Inspect the exposed larger roots carefully to see whether
    they are twisting or turning in circles. Circling roots often girdle and kill
    other roots. If only a few roots are circling, cut them away with a sharp tool.
    Trunk flare should be obvious. Be on alert for trees planted too deeply in
    containers or trees “buried” in fabric bags. As with root-balled stock, you
    should be able to see the basal trunk flare with container-grown plants. If
    the trunk flare has been buried, gently expose it before planting the tree,
    taking care not to damage the bark.
    Injuries
    Beware of injuries beneath trunk wraps. Never buy a tree without
    thoroughly checking the trunk. If the tree is wrapped, remove the wrap and
    inspect the trunk for wounds, incorrect pruning cuts, and insect injuries.
    Wrap can be used to protect the trunk during transit but should be removed
    after planting.
    Incorrect pruning cuts are major problems. Incorrect pruning cuts that
    remove or injure the swollen collar at the base of branches can start many
    serious tree problems, cankers, decay, and cracks.
    Incorrect pruning cuts that leave branch and leader stubs also start disease
    and defect problems. Do not leave stubs.
    A correct pruning cut removes the branch just outside of the collar. A ring,
    or “doughnut,” of sound tissues then grows around the cut. Do not make
    cuts flush to the trunk. The closing tissues may form only to the sides of
    the flush cuts. Trunk tissues above and below flush cut branches often die.
    When the heat of the sun or the cold of frost occurs, cracks or long, dead
    streaks may develop above and below the dead spots.
    Form
    Good, strong form, or architecture, starts with branches evenly spaced
    along the trunk. The branches should have firm, strong attachments with
    the trunk.
    Squeezed branches signal problems. Weak branch unions occur where the
    branch and trunk squeeze together. As the squeezing increases during
    diameter growth, dead spots or cracks often begin to form below where the
    branch is attached to the trunk. Once this problem starts, the weak branch
    attachment could lead to branches cracking or breaking during mild to
    moderate storms.
    When several branches are on the same position on the trunk, the
    likelihood of weak attachments and cracks increases greatly. As the
    branches grow larger and tighter together, the chances for splitting increase.
    Avoid trees with two or more stems squeezing together. As stems squeeze
    together, cracks often form down the trunk. The cracks could start from
    squeezed multiple leader stems or where the two trunks come together.
    If you desire a tree with multiple trunks, make certain that the trunks are
    well separated at the ground line.
    Remember, trunks expand in diameter as they grow. Two trunks may be
    slightly separated when small, but as they grow in girth, the trunks will
    squeeze together.
    Look for early signs of vertical trunk cracks. Examine branch unions
    carefully for small cracks below the unions. Cracks are major starting
    points for fractures of branches and trunks. The small cracks could be
    present for many years before a fracture happens. Always keep a close
    watch for vertical cracks below squeezed branches and squeezed trunks.
    If your tree has only a few minor problems, corrective pruning may help.
    Start corrective pruning one year after planting. Space the pruning over
    several years.
    Remove broken or torn branches at the time of planting. After a year, start
    corrective pruning by removing the branches that died after planting.
    Trees Have Dignity, Too
    Most nurseries produce high-quality trees. When you start with a high-
    quality tree, you are giving that tree a chance to express its dignity for
    many years. Remember RIF.