Beginner: Transplanting from Nursery Stock

Hi there - just curious as to how much soil from the original pot I should retain when reporting nursery stock? Should I be removing most/all of the soil clinging to the roots, or just removing the looser bits?

Hmm. If you are in the northern hemisphere in most places and most species now its too late for repotting. If you ar a beginner, stick to the right time.

All my nurcery plants purshased this year are up potted to a larger pot in mostly organic soil without touching the roots. Now they grow wild until early spring when first root work is done.

this very much depends on the species.

Just to clarify. Generally you need to go slower on conifers as many conifer species are depending on mychorizza, a symbiotic fungi living in the soil. If you remove all soil you remove all beneficial fungi.

However, I washed the roots of a juniper completelly 3 years ago without knowing better. When I found out that I messed up I searched for advice how to deal with the situation. Found some resources claiming that conifers have no use for mychorizza if they are giving mineral fertilizer. So I tried it and the tree is still healthy.

I would like to second the comment above. He just beat me to it.

Yes, understood. This is more of a conceptual than practical question at the moment.