Norway Maple Dmaged by Truck

[dan021353]

Norway Maple Damaged by Truck

OK - getting some conflicting opinions here; dig - don't dig; prune roots - don't prune roots yet. Oh boy! Well since this morning I went after another of the three maples my ex-nurseryman planted. Carefully removed mulch and excess dirt pile and promptly found a 1/4 inch root wrapped tightly around 1/2 the circumference of the trunk about four inches below the top of the excavated dirt pile. I cut it, revealing a small but noticeable impression in the trunk. I'm not a happy camper.

As I dug deeper, I found just a mess and never got down to the promised land - the almighty flare. Look at the pic to see this disaster waiting to happen. If you look closely, you can see rounded wire coming out of the ground which I assume was part of the original B&B wrapping. (Aren't they supposed to remove the wire??)

Don't know where to begin to cut. I'm thinking I need to hire an expert to help out. Thoughts appreciated.

 

[Grenfell]

Yikes, that's a mess! I'm guessing they left the entire wire basket in there?

I won't offer further advice, that's for the pros.

I've had the same problems with a maple I bought. Good luck!

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Try looking for a tree service that owns an air spade or similar device, and has some experience doing root excavations. The air spade is a brand name for a tool that shoots compressed air out a long tube and blows the soil away in just a few seconds without damaging roots. This give the arborist a chance to see the whole picture and decide what to do.
Fall is probably the best time to cut roots, but if it's not a large percentage of the total root system, go ahead, but don't prune when it's hot and/or dry. The trees have been in this state, more or less, since planting, a few more weeks won't hurt.
Our company has a small nursery. We were approached buy a guy, with tree digging experience, this last spring who was looking for some work. He offered to dig and ball some spruce for us to facilitate selling them. He was charing something like $10 or $15 per tree, and could dig and ball the 6' trees in about 15 minutes.
If you could somehow find somebody with such know how, that might be a good way to get those trees raised, once you figure out how high they need to go.

 

[whitenack]

OK - getting some conflicting opinions here; dig - don't dig; prune roots - don't prune roots yet. Oh boy!

Don't give my advice as much weight as the others on here. I am just a Homeowner, like you. I was thinking that since you had already made some root pruning you should go ahead and find the flare, instead of quiting halfway.

I snipped some big roots off the maple pictured above a few weeks ago. The tree is stressed (some leaf tips are dying) but still producing new leaves. It is still too early to tell if I have killed it, but I (and my 15 month old son--see avatar) am watering it a couple times a week to keep it hydrated.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

It is still too early to tell if I have killed it, but I (and my 15 month old son--see avatar) am watering it a couple times a week to keep it hydrated.

Watering trees is great, but let the soil dry out between waterings, you don't want to end up with root rot.

 

[whitenack]

Watering trees is great, but let the soil dry out between waterings, you don't want to end up with root rot.

Gotcha. I was taking the dead/dry leaf tips as a sign it needed more water.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I was thinking that since you had already made some root pruning you should go ahead and find the flare, instead of quiting halfway.

I don't see a problem with quiting halfway, to give it some recovery time in between root removals, but don't just quit there and not come back to address the rest of the problem. The exception is if the tree needs to be raised (replanted). So at least figure out how deep the flare is.
Like trimming a tree's limbs, if it needs a lot of work, do it in stages. I don't like to see more than 15% of a tree's total foliage or roots taken at one time. Most times, less is more.
Same with trimming just a limb, if you need to take more than 15% of a limb you want to save, do it in increments, leaving a year or more between pruning.
If you are removing a big limb, also do it in increments if possible. It will give the tree time to set up barriers at the stem.
My guess is that doing the same thing with a large root that needs removal is the best way to go. You cut it back, wait a year or more, then come back and remove more. Thus giving the tree time to set up its' chemical and physical barriers to decay, as well as giving it time to adjust to the loss of roots.
Waiting too long can be problematic. New plantings with root problems can almost always be helped, while 10 or 15 year old plantings are hit and miss at best.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Gotcha. I was taking the dead/dry leaf tips as a sign it needed more water.

If the leaves are wilting, it's dry. If they are turning brown or dry, that's different.
Poke a finger or wooden dowel a few inches into the soil to see if it's dry. New plantings should be checked in the ball, because it typically dries out much faster than the surrounding soil.

 

[dan021353]

Norway Maple Damaged by Truck

Well, I got a local arborist to take a look at my maples. Sure enough the diagnosis is girdling roots, which I now know is common to Norway maples, especially those planted in a high clay content soil. Boy do we have a heavy clay soil in WNY.

Anyway, we are going to leave well enough alone for now since the trees appear healthy - even the one bent over by the truck. We'll go root hunting in the fall.

Thanks for all those who have posted on this thread. You have been very helpful. As the arborist said, "you know more about girdling roots than some of then nurserymen that I try to explain the concept to". I thank you for this increase in knowledge.

 

[whitenack]

come back in the fall and let us know what your experiences are.