What do you do with a knee on an oak?

[Mike Corazzi]

This knee has been on the trunk since it was a baby.
I let it be and as the tree grew, it got bigger. I thought maybe taking the bark off the top would make it grow but just have a unbarked knee top.
Question is can the knee be chopped off?
Should I wait til repot when I can see how many roots come off it?

 

[0soyoung]

My first thought was about putting a banjo on it, ...

but looking at your pic, my first thought was to cut the overly heavy root coming down-right.

So, I think I'm not understanding the situation and the question. Why do you call that a knee? Why is that a question? etc.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

My first thought was about putting a banjo on it, ...

but looking at your pic, my first thought was to cut the overly heavy root coming down-right.

So, I think I'm not understanding the situation and the question. Why do you call that a knee? Why is that a question? etc.

I guess because it looks like a knee coming out of the trunk. And that's the trunk and not a large root. Unless the trunk can be called the main root.

I'll see if I can get a better pic tomorrow or so. It's a shitty angle

 

[leatherback]

If you have a normal nebari burried below the soil line, year, go ahead and cut this off. It is max 1/20th of the trunk. It should not even notice it is gone.
This is of course assuming there is a healthy head of growth on this plant..

 

[Shibui]

Yes. In most cases just cutting one root won't affect the tree so go ahead and cut that one.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

My first thought was about putting a banjo on it, ...

but looking at your pic, my first thought was to cut the overly heavy root coming down-right.

So, I think I'm not understanding the situation and the question. Why do you call that a knee? Why is that a question? etc.

Here's the better pic.

 

[0soyoung]

Yes, like everybody else has said, I would cut it off.

 

[Oleg]

Careful, what.s underneath is important. I cut an aerial root, looked just like that one on my horse chestnut and half the trunk died. My advise, wait til repot and see what's under the soil.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Careful, what.s underneath is important. I cut an aerial root, looked just like that one on my horse chestnut and half the trunk died. My advise, wait til repot and see what's under the soil.

That might be wise. Hmmmm... I seem to recall a goodly bunch of roots on the end.
Then THAT begs the question of how TO get it gone.
dammit.
Stupid trees.

 

[Oleg]

In my case I found (later at re-pot) it had the only roots that were on that side.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

In my case I found (later at re-pot) it had the only roots that were on that side.

Well, HELL.... it's DONE! When have I ever been conservative on anything?
Look what that sumbidge was! Started exploring and found the whole damn thing crawling around in the soil .


What's the worst that can happen?
Tree dies..... I weep for a year and a half.
Then I get old and die.

Gotta run. Working on my next post to ask it it was a good idea after the fact.

 

[AaronThomas]

...and that's that.

 

[leatherback]

WHAT DID YOU DO!!!!!????

 

[leatherback]

Good decision.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

 

[leatherback]