Balled and burlapped (B&B) are familiar to anyone who has ever visited a nursery.  This is the way many nurseries sell 1.5" or larger trees.  We like to call them "instant shade".  These trees are grown in the ground for a few years then are dug out with a special machine.  The machine severs all roots within a certain radius of the trunk and this ball is then lifted out of the ground.  A wire basket and/or burlap is wrapped around the ball and the tree is shipped to the retail site.  Even though the ball may be large (and in many cases so large a single person cannot plant the tree) most of the roots are left in the ground back at the original nursery.  Studies have shown that 90%+ of the root is left behind when dug.  As such the tree has perhaps 10% of the original root left to do the job of absorption water and nutrition for the entire tree.  This tiny root mass cannot sustain the existing leaves and the tree wilts badly or perhaps drops its leaves entirely.  Also, transplant shock occurs after the violent digging because the tree has been placed under so much stress.  Transplant shock creates a potentially lethal situation for B&B trees. It can also affect a tree years after planting.  Current research indicates that, in general, for every 1" diameter of trunk you can expect one year of transplant shock.  So the 3" tree that you're going to pay $$$ for will have sub-par growth for 3 years. B&B trees can ultimately do well in your landscape.  It does take more effort on the part of the homeowner to nurse them through this vulnerable period. Since the tree will suffer from sub-par growth for at least a couple years our contention it would be better to plant a smaller, container grown tree, grow it out for a few years, where it will eventually reach the size of the larger B&B tree.  We believe this is a better for the homeowner and for the tree. Next Lesson: Container Grown Trees