Went to that big tree planting event downtown and saw some scary root work

Volunteered at the Riverfront Park planting last Saturday. Some crew from a landscaping company was dropping in these 3 inch caliper oaks and they left the burlap and wire cages on. Said they'd 'rot away' in a season. I don't buy it. Anyone else have to fix jobs where people left the hardware on?

2 comments

2 Comments

coleman.jamie1mo ago

Wait, they seriously just rolled in new trees and left the wire and burlap on the roots? That's like wrapping a birthday present but forgetting to take the price tag off before you hand it to someone. I've had to cut that stuff off more times than I can count, and yeah, sometimes it rots but usually it just strangles the tree roots and kills it in a few years. Those Landscaping guys probably just wanted to get it done fast and bail, leaving you to clean up their mess. You're gonna be out there next season cutting that wire out of the root ball, mark my words.

simonmoore1mo ago

Last year I planted three oaks and found the same wire cage still cinched tight around the root ball when I dug them up two years later. @coleman.jamie is dead right about it strangling the roots, I've lost two trees that way because those burlap wraps just hold moisture and rot right against the trunk. Landscapers must figure nobody will notice until the tree is already half dead, which is pretty frustrating when you're the one left dealing with it.