Who says landscape trees don't need root work?

sparklemotion

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Article from Star Tribune, September 12, 2017, Sick Maple Trees 'becoming epidemic' in Minnesota

Many of the maple trees in distress are suffering from root girdling, a condition in which roots grow around another root or the trunk, eventually strangling the tree. “It pinches off the vascular system so it can’t provide nutrients to the tree,” McDonald said.​

Maples are prone to root girdling because they have fast-growing, shallow root systems. The condition is becoming more common because most trees sold at nurseries and garden centers are now grown in containers (as opposed to a field), resulting in roots that have already begun to spiral before the tree is even purchased and planted.
Advice for future planting -- work the roots first!

If you do have to remove a maple tree and want to replant, there’s no reason not to plant another maple. If it’s container-grown, make sure to unwind the roots before planting. “Flare them out, like an octopus,” Branhagen advised.
Here's a University of Minnesota publication [PDF] with lots of pictures of sad root systems.
 

sparklemotion

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It is a fact. I've it several times.

But why it is fatal remains a bit of a mystery to me. If two maple branches are in close contact, they will just fuse and life goes on.

Maybe it's a combination of the difference in direction between the roots and trunk and the thicker bark on the trunk.?
 

0soyoung

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Maybe it's a combination of the difference in direction between the roots and trunk and the thicker bark on the trunk.?
Possible, yes. I just don't see how/why.

From what I've seen, the circling root is, in effect, a tourniquet on the trunk, Just like trying a wire around the bole, the cambium get cut by its own growth. This means the phloem (inner bark) through which photosynthate descend to feed the roots gets cut as well. So the roots would die, just as your paper says. If this were the case, one should just plant the circling root underground and the tree should ground layer itself (i.e., make new roots coming out of the trunk just above the tourniquet/circling-root). Further, even if the ground layering fails, why id the circling root not able to sustain the tree to any degree? It has all the vascular connections in tact (and if not, how do they intrinsically get lost?).

On the other hand if the circling root grafts itself to the trunk, just a funny path of vascular transport would be created and life goes on.

Like I said before
It is a fact. I've it several times.

But why it is fatal remains a bit of a mystery to me.

Directionality only exists in the cambium's Polar Auxin Transport 'bucket brigade'. The phloem and xylem are just a series of tubes that stuff can flow through in either direction. These pipes do point in certain directions that we call 'grain', however.

... yadda, yadda, yadda.:confused:

Sorry about belaboring the point. Circling roots are, if nothing else, ugly. We don't like 'em. We don't want 'em. Get rid of 'em!
 

sorce

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Here's a University of Minnesota publication [PDF] with lots of pictures of sad root systems.

Thanks Mrs. Motion!

That's an incredible article.

Lotta good bonsai info for those looking!

I've been watching all trees for this since I heard about it .

Now I understand it more completely!

Cool!

Sorce
 
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