Hi Ken! I am in Central Indiana. I specifically asked the landscaper last week about the burlap and he told me it is fine & that it will disintegrate within a few months. Because of the size, I am unable to dig it up myself but I will remove the top part as you suggested. It is another bright, sunny day here so I can't get a better pic. Perhaps I'll wait until dusk. Thanks for your help!

Fire that landscaper!! It is ALWAYS recommended to remove the burlap from around the trunk and the upper surface of the rootball. And any twine or rope that is holding the burlap on. Any burlap that is above ground or exposed to air will wick water out of the soil, drying out the rootball to the point where it may not be able to properly absorb water when applied.

And I certainly hope that the rootball was well-watered/properly hydrated before planting!!

Hi Holly,

i can understand that it’s too big for you to dig up. If this were mine, I’d rake back the mulch, and dig out around the tree as deep as possible, without disturbing roots. Then you could cut out as much of the burlap as you can see. In our area these can do really well - I just took out 2 Technys that vastly outgrew their allotted space. (My fault, I relied on the plant tag, which said 3-4 x 8-10.) Mine were each 7 feet wide by 14 feet tall.

I did as suggested and cut out all of the rope and burlap I could see after pulling back the mulch and there was alot! @indianagardengirl that is good to hear that they grow well in our area. I really hope these survive. I'm very upset with my landscaper, especially since I reached out to him because they are not looking happy and inquired about the burlap.

@Indianagardengirl, I forgot to ask, how long did it take for yours to grow that large?

I planted mine in 2005, don’t remember what size but they would have been small, as my budget is low . Plus I did it myself so small enough for me to handle.