Jazz, need some advice on a Satomi Dogwood

That was a good thing, removing the burlap and wire to the rootball. That is a shame what they did to that rootball-- looks like it never got watered!!

It sounds like it will do well where you have sited it. Mine is on southern exposure and is now in the shadow of a pear tree. I bought it bareroot over 15 yrs ago from a place in Oregon called Forest Farms. My Dad and I planted it and the trunk was the diameter of a pencil!! Its now about 8' in height and about 8' in width and the trunk is about 8" in diameter.

The only thing I can suggest is use a soaker hose and encircle it around the tree in a spiral fashion and let it run overnight (set it at a trickle) to really soak the remaining rootball.

Let me post a photo of this dogwood in bloom so people can see the lovely rose colored bracts.

From the internet:

Jazz, thanks for the advice. I'll do that. We are expecting rain tomorrow. The garden is bone dry so I am watering around the yard a lot. Your Satomi sounds beautiful. So nice that your dad helped you plant it. Seems I have inherited my father's love of gardening also. I'll let you know how this all works out. There was almost nothing left of the rootball after I took away the 'cement'. Even if they watered the rootball, it seems to me that it couldn't absorb the water. I think it just ran off the burlap. Oh my! Thanks again. Will update. LM

My Satomi usually blooms around our Memorial Day (May 31st or around that date). The flowers start out a deep rose pink and with sun exposure as time goes on, they fade to a lighter rose pink color.

Bare-rooting a dogwood, esp in summer, and with a dry rootball = death knell. Fine fibrous roots are typical of the Cornus species (this one is a kousa cultivar). What will happen when a strong wind blows? Wire baskets are not all evil - they keep the ball intact. I usually recommend clipping them, but never entirely removing them. Natural obstructions in the ground (rocks, roots, stumps, etc) are usually present; a wire basket is no worse, and there are openings in the mesh for roots to penetrate. Discuss it with your nurseryman. They may disagree.

She is in zone 5 not where I am in zone 7; she is in a maritime area. The soaker hose will help a great deal as will the mulch over the root ball.

She has the year guarantee so if it does fail, she will have her money refunded. Staking a tree doesn't really help if its tightly staked. The tree does need to move a little in the wind. In fact that rocking motion helps the tree to put out roots. The plant was in a container so I do not understand why it had burlap and wire around it.

Well taken. There are a number of reasons why a nursery would choose to pot up a B&B plant. Doesn't change my opinion of why it is a no-no to bare root it (or most plants). There's been a lot of research done in my state about the effect of wire baskets, and so far, no one can prove that it's a problem if the plant is installed and sited (and cared for) correctly. And of course, it has been shown that staking is by and large, unnecessary (site conditions sometimes call for it), and in particular, if too tightly, or for too long. Yes, trees need to establish roots and the ability to sway in the wind is critical. Would we bare-root a marigold?

On 7/23/2014 Sweetbay magnolia said:

Well taken. There are a number of reasons why a nursery would choose to pot up a B&B plant. Doesn't change my opinion of why it is a no-no to bare root it (or most plants). There's been a lot of research done in my state about the effect of wire baskets, and so far, no one can prove that it's a problem if the plant is installed and sited (and cared for) correctly. And of course, it has been shown that staking is by and large, unnecessary (site conditions sometimes call for it), and in particular, if too tightly, or for too long. Yes, trees need to establish roots and the ability to sway in the wind is critical. Would we bare-root a marigold?

I know! LOL

I still SMH over how our town still plants trees with 2 stakes on either side of it and then leaves it there forever. Fortunately most homeowners remove the stakes in a year but I have seen when the trees actually are cut by the wires holding those stakes. Or those little plastic tags attached to the branches are not removed and eventually become part of the tree.

Containerized plants at least contain the entire root system of a plant. Unlike the problems listed below with B&B plants (balled and burlapped).

The biggest problem with B&B plants is that most of the root system has been left behind in the fields when the trees or shrubs are wrapped up for sale. Another problem with B&B is that during the farming process, the natural tree flare (the expanded part of the trunk above the rootball) gets hidden and covered up with the soil. We tell homeowners to please roll back the burlap, roll back the wire and locate that tree flare and plant the tree with the flare above ground. Do not plant the tree so it looks like a lollipop! That tree flare should be visible. So many trees are planted too deep because of not locating this tree flare.

Then you also run into the problem of burlap that isn't burlap but a plastic look a like!! That should be removed completely because it will never disintegrate.

I personally like to remove the burlap to examine the rootball for any girdling roots which should be teased away from the tree if possible or cut.

Wire cages are used for trees where the rootball is not strong and can collapse easily. I also think its put into place for ease of transport to the nursery and to the truck and finally to your home.

Sweetbay magnolia, thanks for your posts, we need a few more people here to advise on gardening.

Jazz and sweetbaymagnolia, thanks for you continued feedback. A point of clarification. The burlap was held in place by heavy twine, not wire. That is my ipad doing auto correct on me. Hate that feature! Anyway, some additional info for you. I did not completely take away the rootball. I just took away a lot of the cement like soil (nothing you or I would describe as 'soil' but for lack of a better word, I use it) on the outside of the ball. It is planted in a rich compost and I used the root boost as instructed. In ten days, I will give another treatment of root boost along with a good watering. I did a slow soaker hose last night for several hours, gave it a rest and did this again for an hour this morning and this afternoon. I visited the garden center and showed my photos. They will replace the tree if it dies. The manager was not there but I will find him eventually as I am there quite a bit. I really appreciate your advice. The tree does not need to be staked. It is in a fairly well protected bank with good drainage. Hopefully the tree will survive. If not, I am a good customer and they will look after me I am sure. I'll keep you advised. The rain has not materialized yet. Hopefully tonight and not all at once. But thanks again. I am happy to have a place to discuss my garden issues with such knowledgable people! LM

Jazz and Sweetbaymagnolia, just rereading your posts. I am happy to say that the tree flare is above ground. So far so good. I am making sure the tree is well watered. I talked to the manager of the nursery. He tells me he has three of these trees on his property from previous years and all have survived no problem. Money back guarantee in place. Won't really know til spring whether it will survive. I learn so much here. Thanks for the advice! LM