They were shipped over the weekend

I'm no expert but certainly looks like it! Regardless, tree roots are not supposed to look like that! I would send it back ASAP.

Coming from Stark Bros, I'm surprised they let that go. But then again, they just shipped me a Pecan tree that already has pecan scab and just told me to spray it.

Thanks, I sent the photos to Stark Bros. just in case. The area in question is not soft, so perhaps it is not a gall. I just don’t have the experience to make a determination.

There is nothing wrong with those roots. You need ( needed) to soak them in water for an hour or two before planting.

I've had dozens of trees that looked like that and even worse ( From Stark and others) and they do just fine.

The sky is not falling

Mike

This tree and its friends went right into buckets of water. The pic was taken right after opening the box. Thank you for your reassurance.