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| I have been trying to find the root flare on the trees in my yard from where they were planted improperly. I found this little guy today. This tree was in a 30 gallon pot and as you can see, has a girdling root. What if anything can be done to fix this? The tree is about 12 ft tall and is about 2.5 in caliper. If nothing can be done, how long does the tree have till death? |
Here is a link that might be useful: Girdling Root
Follow-Up Postings:
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| crcash, IMHO, I would find out which direction the root is running can then cut it. In other words, if the smaller feeder roots are at the bottom of the pic, then the cut needs to be at the top. What's more, try to find the point where it kinked back toward the trunk and cut it there. Preferably with cut end facing away from the trunk. That way when new rootlets develop, they won't repeat the problem. Your tree IMHO is treatable. I've had to do the same thing I've just described to you, to a could of our trees. They didn't even whimper about it. Best time to do so IMHO is fall just after leaf drop. Will give the trees root system time to recover. Not all of these roots result in tree death. But certainly is better to do something about it if possible, and the sooner the better. But do use a garden hose or something to go down a inch or two more, just to be safe. Arktrees |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Mar 8, 12 at 19:38
| where there is one bad root .. there are usually more .. they are like a gang .. just figure out how to cut it without damaging the trunk .. and whatever .... its going to die .. sometime in the next 10 to 20 years ... the weird swelling right above the choke point is a fairly good indication of how bad it is ... plant another one a few yards off.. and watch what happens to this one ... now.. why in the heck.. you needed to buy a maple large.. in a humungo pot is beyond me .. you can probably mail order a 3 foot whip.. bare root ... tomorrow.. and it should be 12 feet high in 3 years because it will be less stressed.. properly rooted.. properly planted.. and just happy as the weed it is.. your first mistake.. was shooting for immediate gratification.. and buying large.. because you thought you could cut down on the time until you had a large THRIVING TREE ... below are pix for a visual representation of what is going on underground ... good luck ken ps: cant you find anything better than a maple???
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| Here is better picture of the problem maybe. I'll try and cut the root and hope for the best since it seems doomed. I bought the tree three years ago and it has grown some, wasn't 12'. I also was told by pro that I had the ideal size. Went with maple b/c I've got oaks in the back and like the fall color of sugar maple. |
Here is a link that might be useful: the girdling root
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| I totally agree with arktrees. My position on my own trees is when I find a girdling root, no matter how small or large, I cut that turkey as close to, then as far away from the tree as I can trace it. I haven't lost one tree yet, all are thriving. Get the root now, before you waste the next several years seeing if it will hurt the tree and then stifels, or then eventually kills it, when you can now either determine its immediate demise (unlikely) or create a tree with longevity. hortster hortster |
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| I had a red oak that 3-4 years after planting had a root surface like that reveiling that it was twisted. I usually take a sharp knife and slice through the roots all over before planting, but failed to do a good enough job. I just cut through a big chunk of the root until I got all of the offending root for about 8 inches of length. Hopefully it is good enough. The tree grew too much for me to pull it out etc. |
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| I doubt the root we see in the pictures has done anything bad yet; I certainly don't see any "weird swelling". Also, if the problem is addressed correctly now (as has been suggested), I see no long term negative effects likely to result. I think Ken's prediction of early demise is based solely on his dislike of maples, without regards to anything specific to your tree. I think we just need to try to convince him that maples are actually just large hostas...then he'd love them! |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Thu, Mar 8, 12 at 22:35
| One peer-reviewed study I read said that although all maple species from transplant exhibit such rooting anomalies, it is only among Norway maples that such becomes a problem. That was some years ago and may not be the last word on the subject. If that root does begin to put a squeeze on things, what you will see is a flat trunk on the girdling root side. Then you have trouble. One other study seemed to show that roots would indeed re-sprout from the cut surface such that in a few years, a new "girdling root" would be in roughly the same place. Maybe it is best to do the root surgery now. But I couldn't not throw this in. +oM |
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- Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on Fri, Mar 9, 12 at 1:48
| Sugar Maple is an honorable tree. If one of my neighbor did not have one I would. Ken just dislikes anything he can't grow hostas under lol. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Fri, Mar 9, 12 at 9:04
| too many peeps shop the bigboxstore.. think oh what a pretty tree.. and 20 years later.. wonder why the sidewalks are pushed up.. the septic is ruined.. the drain filed clogged .... and even the most invasive weed in the world ... grass.. wont grow under the tree ... i only ask... what is the owners plan under that tree for the next 6 decades??? when making a plan.. its really good.. to add the future to the equation .... something beyond.. oh.. it was on sale at the bigboxstore... and i still dont know how you all simply assume that one root is a lone wolf.. and not indicative of greater problems under ground .... you may be right.. i might be... who knows ... i know its all in good fun.. though this reply sounds defensive.. its just the coffee talking ... typing???? ken |
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| Just for clarification and hopefully better more understanable sentence today. In my previous post I was trying to suggest that the OP use the spay of a garden hose to remove enough of the soil surrounds the trunk to see if there are girdling roots in the top few inches. Beyond that is probable impractical at this point. I agree with Ken that there is a high chance of additional roots, but those on near the surface are of the most concern IMHO. Further below ground, natural root graphing processes has a chance to overcome problems there if not severe. Some of this can be seen in Ken's picture. BTW Ken, excellent example of what pot bound results in longer term. Hope that wasn't one of yours. Arktrees |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Fri, Mar 9, 12 at 12:16
| that is a $50 conifer.. 4 years later ... before we learned to bare root potted stock COMPLETELY .. to see what nightmare is in the pot ... ken |
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- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 11, 12 at 7:32
| Do you folks take into consideration the possibility of a girdling root fusing with the trunk so it no longer girdles it? There seems to be some debate about the fatality prospects of trees with girdling roots where whenever a tree has a girdling roots and dies the root gets the blame but when the problem is broadly investigated many trees with girdling roots are long lived. With me the problem is usually with the very old apple trees I manage and I tend to cut the suckers when I see them, but having seen branches of these trees fuse many times I often wonder if I'm not doing more harm than good. I've never seen an apple tree die from this kind of constriction as far as I know. |
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| It may vary with different species but every time I have removed a girdling root I have found the epidermal layer of both roots intact and not fusing. When chopping out the stump of a dead tree (not sure what killed it, girdling root or other malady) I ran across a girdling root that was almost overgrown by the main root, much like a tree growing around fencing. Maybe if a tree does this the girdling root dies and the main root continues? hortster |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Sun, Mar 11, 12 at 19:55
| I alluded to just this in my previous post. Many, if not all maple species tend to produce girdling roots following transplant, but in the studies I mentioned, it only seemed to negatively impact Norway maple. BTW, it is only among transplanted trees that these types of root growth patterns are frequently seen. The harvest of the tree from the nursery row causes many roots to be cut. From these cuts, new roots grow at more or less right angles. When this happens close to the trunk, and when that trunk and the new root both gain girth, the setup is there for girdling root. Trees grown in their permanent place, from seed, almost never have this happen. +oM |
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| I would go a couple of thoughts further about nursery grown trees. First, natural seedling trees establish their own level of root flare. Typically, no cultivation occurs around them. Liners at nurserys are "man-planted" and may be set too deeply from the beginning. Also, as soil cultivation around nursery planted trees recurs over the several years that it takes to develop the tree, the surrounding soil often builds around the base of the tree, "sinking" the original level of the root flare. Advantitious roots occur because of these various causes of deepening and the decreases of available oxygen as the flare gets deeper. I honestly don't know if advantitious roots occur because of severance of main roots during transplanting, but genereal root regrowth certainly is stimulated when root loss from digging happens. hortster |
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| Hmm. Many large maples show girdling roots that eventually get overgrown & don't result in problems. A young tree w/a massive girdling root might to worthwhile to correct, but prb'ly not for a large tree. My largest Sugar maple has a buttress of merged roots going in all directions on one side, but seems in perfect health -- can grow 3 ft shoots on the top in an excellent year. I look for dead/declining limbs on the side where this buttress is, but there are none. |
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- Posted by mmajicmann 5b (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 16:16
| just do what arktrees said and your beautiful tree will be fine. |
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