Which is best: bare root, b&b, or container?

[whitenack]

Which form allows for the most successful transplanting?

Bare root, bag and burlap, or container?

Obviously the size of the tree makes a difference here, but if you had your preference, which would you choose?

Also, is it Ok to buy bare root trees off the internet?

 

[Rtom45]

I've successfully transplanted 2" bare root maples, just made sure to retain as much of the rootstock as I could when digging them. Potted trees are most often bare root trees stuck in a pot, so I don't see any advantage to planting them. B&B trees almost always transplant successfully as long as they are dug properly and are planted properly. I see no advantage of any one over the others, except I probably wouldn't choose a potted tree if the others were available. I have no experience buying trees over the internet, except when contacting growers I've worked with before, so I don't have any useful comments about that.

 

[wysiwyg]

I've had varying success with bareroots over the internet. The biggest problem is the transit time, unless you want to shell out big bucks for next day delivery or are able to find a nursery nearby. Luckily this year I found a place in-state that was able to ship next day for no additional cost - all of those trees have budded out already. Most of the places I have bookmarked stop shipping bareroots around May 15th.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Bare root trees allow you to see the roots, find the flare, and spread the roots out like spokes on a wheel. You will need to stake them for about a year, but you know you have a well planted tree that will survive long term.
Potted trees are almost always too deep and root bound, so you need to remove most of the soil, spread the roots and possibly do some root cutting to get thing untangled, and then plant it like a bare root.
Balled trees usually don't have the problem with being root bound, but are usually too deep, so you need to excavate down to the flare, which can be over half the volume of the ball. What looks like a huge root ball, might just be a little root system at the bottom of the ball.
With balled trees, you can poke down in the ball at the nursery, so you can get an idea of how much too deep it is before you lay down the cash.