thanks guys... i am taking this all in and sitting back thinking. Wow, i'm glad that i have winter to decide what i want to do in the spring. I think the advice that i'm getting is, and correct me if my conservative approach is misguided, is to wait until spring and expose some of the base of the tree to evaluate the nebari. Since i did some minor root work when planting, i'm a bit nervous as to what i'm going to discover. I think it has developed some nice basal flare in the time it's been planted in the ground and I presume that is from the minor root work done prior to planting. Does anyone have an explanation for returning to the ground instead of putting in a better draining, more suitable growing box of some sort? I'm assuming because it will aid in the recovery/healing process? Wouldn't a grow box give me a bit more control of the development of a shallow and nice radial nebari?