answer:First, where the branches have broken off, make a clean cut. Next, yes, you may just dig a hole (2–3 times larger than the root ball of your tree) and plant it in the ground. You can just plant it in your soil & hope for the best, but I wouldn’t do that. Here’s a good site for planting rules What type of soil is it in now? My guess is potting soil. Mix in as much of that soil as you can into your hole along with one bag of top soil. We always add pellet pine fertilizer or break up these spikes into our planting hole, as well. After planting, water your pine using this watering schedule Personally, we always make certain we water our pines well in late fall, so they don’t over dry in winter. For a new planting, I would be extra cautious for the first winter in the ground. Good Luck!