I have planted a bunch of trees in my life time of which most have lived and a few have not. It has always been my understanding to leave the burlap on the tree root ball, just cut it open and loosen it up so the roots can expand and grow. Because I have loosened up the root ball and cut the burlap open I believe I have had more success then others who simply drop the tree in the ground with the burlap and cover it up.
A neighbor of mine has planted the same type tree for the last three years and it dies every time. We were visiting last week and he has decided not to try again even though he and his wife really want a tree in their yard in this particular place. When I asked him how he planted the tree he got a little bit irritated that I assumed he couldn’t plant a tree correctly. Yet after we talked I realized he is one of the “drop it in the ground and cover it up” tree planters. Though I don’t always totally remove the burlap, I do cut it up pretty good without damaging the root ball. Though the burlap protects the root, once it’s planted it keeps the roots from expanding beyond the burlap because the burlap is treated to help prevent rot. It doesn’t decompose as quickly as it would without the treatment. The easy thing to do is to remove the burlap completely after you get it set in the hole and before you cover up the root with dirt.
