TL;DR
A balled-and-burlapped tree is nursery stock dug from field soil with its root ball intact, wrapped in burlap, and usually caged in a wire basket for transport, the standard supply form for larger landscape trees beyond container sizes. Digging severs most of the root system, so these trees need a wider, shallow planting hole, exposure of the root flare, and removal of at least the top third of burlap, twine, and basket at planting.
What it means
A balled-and-burlapped tree is nursery stock dug from field soil with its root ball intact, wrapped in burlap, and usually caged in a wire basket for transport, the standard supply form for larger landscape trees beyond container sizes. Digging severs most of the root system, so these trees need a wider, shallow planting hole, exposure of the root flare, and removal of at least the top third of burlap, twine, and basket at planting. Establishment takes about a year per inch of trunk caliper, with steady watering throughout. ANSI Z60.1 nursery standards set minimum ball sizes per caliper, a spec worth checking on delivery.
Where it sits in the glossary
Balled-and-burlapped tree is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
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See also
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