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Girdled roots? White pine

6 years ago

Two years ago I planned a ~3ft white pine in the front yard. I dutifully amended the soil with peat moss, just like the nursery staffperson instructed...

And then I discovered this forum. These days the white pine is growing beautifully, but it does appear to have girdled roots. See pics. Its this tree doomed? Should I attempt surgery, or just chill out and let it be?

I'm in Minneapolis, zone 4a. Can't tell you much about the native soil, but I don't believe it's clay. Lots of big happy trees around.

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Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
is it all the same root??? what happens on the other side???

i would cut one side or the other.. and see how it responds ... just stop the strangling.. is my idea ....

no need to remove it all.. right now ...

ya know.. for me.. in MI ... strobus can grow 3 to 5 feet per year.. once it gets settled in ... perhaps you wouldnt need to buy such a large specimen .... since the whole reason it was so badly root bound.. was because of its aggressive growth rate ... eh ... next buy smaller ...

live and learn .... btw.. it might make a neat cut xmas tree .. you probably paid less for this one.. than you would a cut tree in xmas season ...

ken
Embothrium
6 years ago
I would at least cut the ones that are wrapped around the trunk. The others that are visible are more or less in a natural configuration, that is radiating out from the center. And are visible because the tree is sitting too high, needs to have the soil level around it raised a bit.

If there might be more significant deformity out of view you definitely want to dig it up at end of winter and do what you can, as otherwise it might fall over or pinch itself off sometime in the future. I've had what turned out to be root-bound shrubs laid flat by snow about 25 years after planting.
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bonsaikc- The soil is very fast draining. Is it safe to bare root the tree twice in one spring or did you mean to do this over two seasons? I did not remove all of the old soil (the soil that came with the tree from wild collecting.)Are these pines sensitive to repotting or are they vigerous root growers? stephenl- I live in Rockford, IL. There is a bonsai club at Rock Valley Greenhouse which I have been wanting to attend. I will take your advice and leave the tree alone for a while. Should the tree be out of the wind and kept on the dry side? Is it safe to pinch the fresh needles down to two or three per bud?
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>It's hard to believe they don't realize there's a problem. Makes one wonder if they can really be that out of touch, or, if they just don't care< You could be talking about most of the industry - pretty much anything woody that has been in a band, liner or 4 inch pot at some point in the production cycle is very likely to end up being offered to the retail public with terrible root deformities right at the base of the stem, where you often can't do anything about it. Despite being a retailer Burnt Ridge is an actual grower that produces their own finished stock. I have been to their property at least a couple of times, the quality and value of the trees their field growing operation generates can be stunning. And they have a hillside planted with all manner of chestnut cultivars and other edible theme trees; if they were located in Britain they might be the holders of the National Collection of just the chestnuts alone. So I would keep watching what they offer over the years (catalag seems to have a number of new and interesting items every year), and just keep in mind that - same as elsewhere - there is a tendency for bare-rooted dormant stock to have better roots than potted stock. Also with mail order in general, because you are not able to inspect the plants before purchase it is a good idea to limit your catalog/internet purchases to those items it appears you really can't get somewhere you are willing or able to travel to yourself. I've been known to drive as far as the San Diego area to shop plants myself.
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how far down to remove girdling roots go????
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Comments (11)
Hi, I don't know if you are still following this I just came across it. I'm sorry but you are far from the depth you need to be. As for the trees you are 100% going to loose these if you do nothing. I have done extensive work on trees like this with success, other times a small disturbance will finish them off. Sometimes for a tree this bad I will do one side then wait a season and do the other side. At this point though it would be hard to do more harm then good, the tree is getting no sustenance where the roots girdle it. You have to cut them off, you need not gouge them out of the trunk, though I would, you can just cut them off at both ends. It is almost impossible to do this kind of work and get deep enough with rakes shovels and the like. You really need to have these done with and air spade. Quite an expensive proposition I charge $650/day and could probably do two trees this size in a day. You could build one I did for around $50. Here in NH it costs me $90/day + about $30 in fuel to rent the big diesel compressor needed to power the tool. Before you do any of this though make sure the trees are not loaded with Verticillium wilt, or Armillaria fungus, if they are you are wasting your time. On my blog are some plans on how to build your own air spade, and a video of it at work. Good luck, it's really a big job Here is a link that might be useful: Build your own air spade
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girdled roots?
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Comments (9)
Is the offending root right at the collar of the pine? ==>>> i would say.. yes.. basically.. close enough ... kinda tells you a lot about who jammed it in that pot... dont you think.. what.. potted 6 to 8 inches too deep???? and had you not broken up the media.. and found this.. you would have planted it about 6 inches too deep.. and it would have died long before it strangled itself.. tree bark is not made to be constantly wet ... as ... lets call it.. root bark ... one likes dampness.. one rots in dampness ... just plant it with the offender at soil surface.... so you can see it ... and cut offender in fall or next spring.. but lets be clear.. that root has probably been there many years.. it did not get that big from spring delivery.. to fall bargain ... yes.. it was your picture.. because... as i told you.. i found the HTML code and pasted it where i typed .... ken
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
you definitely want to dig it up at end of winter and do what you can

==>> i would agree if it were some prime specimen ... but crikey.. this is a weed tree .. lol ...

it was 3 feet two years ago ... what is it now ... maybe 5 or 6 .. i dont know about bare rooting and major surgery on that size plant ..

EXCEPT ... exercise and experiments are always worthwhile ... if you are interested in trying ... and want to learn about it all ...

ken
plantkiller_il_5
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Embo , soil level looks almost perfect to me

a guy on radio sun. mornings is touting DRAMATICLY exposing root flares on all trees,,,he is going around texas with crews & air spades working on heritage trees

howard garett the dirt doctor dot com,,,though I've never looked at his site , this looks like what he describes,,,thoughts ?

ron

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