It would be pretty unusual to have 100% of the buds killed this way, but if they were already begining to swell. it's entirely possible. This topic came up in this forum quite recently, so check the replies for a number of different ideas. If you are buying a sizable number of trees, I'd suggest borrowing or renting a truck/trailer with an enclosed cargo area. Even rental wouldn't add all that much to the total cost and you would not have to deal with tarps or other coverings.

you were 40 miles from home... with your trailer ... and had an impulse to buy trees ...???

buy smaller ... its all about raping a 12 foot tree from mother earth ... cutting off 95% of its root mass ... and hoping the 5% left is able to recover and take care of the 12 footer above ... while it regrows the lost 95% ...

which is probably something along the lines of what i said in the other post ...

was that your post mike???

ken

No not my post..I was buying a dining room table..had the trailor already and went past a nursery..seen the tree and took it home..impulse buy..either way I just want to get the next b and b trees home safe.any links to this other thread everyone is refering to

Trunk damage is a concern when transporting larger trees. Watch out for the rootball in the truck bed, trunk bouncing against the tailgate problem.

Honestly I love smaller transplants. Anything taller than 3 foot should require a hole I don't feel like digging. Not to mention the problem of staking it. Take it easy on yourself and go small!

"Last year u got..."

Hi Mike:

How do you know what I bought last year?

What I would ask of a fellow KY gardener and tree aficionado...give me more details of said purchase.

When did you make this impulse purchase? From where did you buy the 12' Redbud? To where did you take it?

More to come...pending further information. May be a much simpler - yet hidden - answer than you think.