Here is another photo. I didn't know how to do both in the same post.

Is the red arrow root part of the elm, or from some other plant?

The white arrow root should probably be removed before it gets much bigger.

Can you put a ruler in the picture for scale please.

This post was edited by tenacre on Sun, Aug 3, 14 at 13:51

The red arrow is part of the elm, yes. I hope this pic helps. Also, the photos are pictures of two different sides of the tree. I will attach a photo of the other side after I post this. Thanks. I hope the new photo helps.

Other side. those two long roots running parallel to the ruler are what I'm worried about.

I've got some trees that looked like that 10 years ago, and I wish I'd removed those roots back then. Now it's too late.

If I were you, I'd remove the 3 white-arrow roots.

Others' opinions may differ.

Not sure of the proper root-pruning procedure though.

Thanks. This is what I was thinking, too. But like I said, I'm a bit nervous and wondering how cutting those back will affect the tree now. Also, I wonder if I need to wait until a different season. Does it matter? I think I know how to do it - I've watched some videos of people trimming even bigger ones. I hope others will weigh in. Thanks for your opinion. :-)

Cutting a large root is going to compromise the tree's ability to supply water to itself, I would think. Not something to do in August in a warm climate.

Not sure what's optimal, but if you do it in Fall when it's cool, maybe the tree with have maximum time to grow new roots before the heat of summer next year, while not compromising survival now?

Richard.

That's a good point. Thanks for your input. I also wonder if I should do only one root at time and then wait a while before cutting the next.

drrich2 6 Sun, Aug 3, 14 at 14:28 wrote:
> Cutting a large root is going to compromise the tree's ability
> to supply water to itself, I would think.
> Not something to do in August in a warm climate.

Please look at the 3 white arrows in the pictures above.

We weren't contemplating cutting a large root. We were talking about cutting 3 very small roots that are right up against the trunk.

Tenacre:

I see your point; I wasn't specifically knocking your plan. I had my eye on that big root.

Richard.

Cutting the miniscule roots shown by the white arrows will not harm the tree and can be done at any time of year.

For what it's worth, it appears quite possible that what we are looking at is not the primary root flare, but rather a secondary flare produced by adventitious root growth following excessively deep planting.

Okay - looks like I'll be cutting those roots. Should I try to remove more dirt to look for the real root flare or just leave it alone at this point?

This may sound strange, but I would post your question on the Bonsai Forum. Those people deal with root pruning all the time and know the proper way and time of year.

Jane

Here is a link that might be useful: Bonsai Forum

"Should I try to remove more dirt to look for the real root flare or just leave it alone at this point?"

I'd definitely leave it at its current level. The tree has adjusted to the new level (if my limited observation is correct), and there would be no advantage in readjusting things now. I would get rid of the small future girdlers though.

Thanks for everyone's help! I'm feeling better about my tree. Jane, I'll check out that forum. My daughter just bought a bonsai tree anyway, so it may be worthwhile to check out. :)

Bonsai growers know so many technical things about trees. People tend to think Bonsai is only for pot culture. Think Japanese gardens, full of beautiful trees growing in the ground.

Whenever I have questions about trees, I always turn to experienced Bonsai growers. They do a lot of root trimming, pruning (in the ground) but know the right time and what and when not to cut.

I am presently playing with bonsai on two trees growing on my property. Both are considered nuisance trees, so instead of cutting them down, I decided to train them to look good. One is a Golden Rain Tree, the other Ficus.

I would still post your question to the forum even if your trimming is a wise idea. You might get more advice.

Jane

Jane, it sounds like you are getting bonsai and niwaki (which is NOT bonsai) mixed up. Bonsai is fairly specialized and I'm not sure there's a ton of knowledge about bonsai root pruning that can be transferred over to this type of application. I mean people that do any kind of work with trees are probably more likely to know something about trees than someone who doesn't, but I'm just thinking that bonsai is a very very different situation than what we have here. Asking in the Bonsai Forum won't hurt, but it might be beneficial to realize the scope of reference there.

Brandon, you are correct. But the reason I trust this type of experience is that they know roots. They know how they affect the overall growth of a tree. They know the right time to work on roots and prune.

I have had gardens for most of my life (65yrs). I have grown trees and shrubs and have learned more from Bonsai/niwaki specialists than from tree contractors.

The OP had concerns about the proper timing in his growing zone. I feel that is a legitimate concern.

Jane