I took a few of the trees out of the bags only to find that the root system is at least 20 inches long in each and every one of them (the bags are 5.5 inches deep). That means only one thing: the tree needs to have a deep tap root to grow. I have come across other trees that have that requirement in the past and now I know why is it that nobody sells those trees. They need to be in a container that is at least 20 inches deep for it to grow at all.

The Cedar of Lebanon is a tree that grows in very inhospitable localities in the middle east, and very close to the desert where water is very scarce. This is the reason the roots are deep, the tree manages to send very deep roots in search of water.

Knowing this, I took a tree today, April 12, 2005 and planted it after drilling a hole 25 inches deep in the soil. I think the end of the root hit bottom before I started putting soil back in the hole. I do this only to prove my theory, I hope this will trigger the tree into growing and I should see some change within a couple of weeks.

If it works, then what? No, I will not put my trees in 20 inch deep bags, It would be prohibitive shipping them. I will sell them like that with the understanding that you must give these trees the correct environment for them to grow into.

Update - July 2005. That tree I planted has not grown at all. Still green but no growth. Instead some of my other trees in bags are starting to grow again. Some are as tall as 4 inches tall and growing.