The recommendation to score the root ball of trees and shrubs is still valid as it prevents future problems of root circling that can be detrimental to plant health. The only time you would not have to do this is when the surface of the root ball on the outside and at the bottom has no dense matting of roots, which indicates that the plant has not been in a container too long and is at the perfect stage for transplanting. Most container plants have some degree of root matting by the time they are purchased and that is why we recommend this procedure.
