Pics of root flares on young trees?

[Elmore]

If you keep this excavation up you might lose them. Heed my warnings here or grow hydroponically...that way you can keep an eye on the developing root crown a.k.a. root flare...heh heh heh

 

[Elmore]

Trunk Flare

Is this Ginkgo #1?
http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34378&d=1148681676

That stub is coming off of the crown. Place soil and level the grade between that stub and the top-most root.

This :
<img src="http://wwwstatic.kern.org/images/urbanforestkernorg/rootflare.jpg">

Not this : http://www.tcara.org/images/photo/Safty_first/emerg_flare_was_in_trunk.gif

 

[whitenack]

Yes, that is #1.

My concern was that the stem seems to keep going straight down on all sides, even under this root, instead of stopping after putting out this root.

Can't see that link. Says I can't view it because I'm a free account.

 

[whitenack]

pics with arrows

arrow points to same root in both pics.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

When you do these excavations, you don't know what you'll find. Many times you find planting depth several inches too deep, a few small adventitious roots, and a nice flare, just too deep. The remedy is simple, cut off the small adventitious roots, and dish it out or replant.
Then there are cases like this Ginko, where the adventitious root has become a major root, and its removal could easily kill the tree. The other option is to ignore the problem and in years to come the other side of the trunk may become girdled and kill the tree. At some point in time the trunk lower than this adventitious root will become girdled, and you will loose the lower part of the root system.
You might get lucky and that little root on the other side might grow into something, but that still means you only have two buttress roots.

Trees planted too deep is a horrible disease. Sometimes root pruning and replanting is as risky as leaving the tree alone. The easiest thing is to do, is inspect the root system and choose stock without these problems.

 

[whitenack]

Mike & Elmore,

Thanks for your help.

I will just cover the ginkgos up at this level and hope for the best.

Other than mulching and water, is there anything else I can do to help them along? Do they need more water than usual for a little while now that I have disturbed the roots (esp. the maple, where I had to cut some larger roots)?

Will I see some whithering of leaves/branches because of the cutting of roots?

 

[whitenack]

In case anyone else is following this thread for help with flare ID, here are the final pics (unless anyone has further instructions)

Ginkgo #1. Covered with soil up to the first root. Thin layer of mulch. Hoping this is good enough.

Ginkgo #2 Only had to take off about an inch of soil. There seemed to be a large, wide root coming out of the stem on the right side. Seemed to span 1/3rd of the stem. Thin layer of mulch.

Next two pics are the red maple. I feel pretty good about the depth of bury on this one, as long as I didn't kill it during the excavation. Very obvious root flare. Thicker layer of mulch.

ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS: This is what your newly planted tree should look like!

Even if I killed all three trees, I feel good about what I did. I have learned a lot of things, and I have confidence that the next tree I plant will be a lot better.

 

[Elmore]

Yesterday, 5-29-06, I was out potting up some Japanese Maples and some Ginkgoes and I made some photos. Here is a Ginkgo biloba 'Todd's Broom' that has been in a trade gallon for some time. I grafted it in July of last year but the under stock, I'm sure, is a few years old. The focus (not of the camera) is on the root crown or root flare and shows the final level of the planting into a 3g container. I may bring the level up just slightly as the media settles.

<img src="http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34592&stc=1&d=1149006299">

 

[treeseer]

Nice work whitenack.

 

[whitenack]

Nice work whitenack.

Thanks. Hopefully this thread can be used for others as well.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Yesterday, 5-29-06, I was out potting up some Japanese Maples and some Ginkgoes and I made some photos. Here is a Ginkgo biloba 'Todd's Broom' that has been in a trade gallon for some time. I grafted it in July of last year but the under stock, I'm sure, is a few years old. The focus (not of the camera) is on the root crown or root flare and shows the final level of the planting into a 3g container. I may bring the level up just slightly as the media settles.

<img src="http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34590&d=1149006113">

How is your root stock developed?
Are stems wrapped in rooting medium while still attached to the tree and then cut once roots grow, or are they just root cuttings?
The reason I ask, is the root stock doesn't have a natural flare like you would expect to find with most common nursery stock.

 

[Elmore]

How is your root stock developed?
Are stems wrapped in rooting medium while still attached to the tree and then cut once roots grow, or are they just root cuttings?
The reason I ask, is the root stock doesn't have a natural flare like you would expect to find with most common nursery stock.

How is your root stock developed? Developed from seed, planted in container from very early on and grown on in container. I don't think that Ginkgo biloba is all that common in the nursery trade. It is gaining though. The foremost problem with it's being grown more is it is too slow of a grower.

 

[whitenack]

Hey Elmore, do my ginkgos look grafted to you? And, if they are grafted, does that mean they are male, or is it still a gamble?

 

[Elmore]

Hey Elmore, do my ginkgos look grafted to you? And, if they are grafted, does that mean they are male, or is it still a gamble?

Like I said in an earlier post, "I find it difficult to decisively locate a graft union on older Ginkgo trees. Many grown from seed will look like they have a union. It's not as apparent as on smooth barked trees i.e. Acer palmatum."

Even if they were grafted it could be a female. That is why it is so important to deal with a reputable nursery or nurseryman. There is a very good and reputable tree nursery in a southern state that was selling the cultivar 'Fairmount' and many of these turned out to be female. I am sure that they bought in the liners, grew them in the field and sold them WB or b&b. I don't know how they reconciled with the customers but I am confident that they took care of them. It was an embarrassment, I'm sure. There is a retail nursery near me that has some good sized Ginkgoes for a reasonable price and looking at them with the son of the owner, he related that they are budded after looking at the trunk but I have an apple tree in my yard that came from them and it was sold as a quince. You just never know. I visited another local retail shop a few weeks back and they had some smaller trees, about 3 to 4 feet tall. Reasonably priced and I noticed some "Buddy Tape" on the lower trunk that gave me the impression that these were budded but there was no description as to the cultivar or even a designation of being male. All these Ginkgoes and the ones at the other nursery had tags that simply said Ginkgo biloba/Maidenhair Tree. When I produce one I do my best to label it properly. When small I put a tag or two in the pot and when larger I put a label on the branches or trunk in addition to the tags in the container. Still mistakes can happen. The graft union on this species is more evident on a very small tree than on an older, larger tree.

 

[whitenack]

Ah, I see. I didn't realize that when you said "older trees" you were talking about trees my size. I thought you meant older older. Like 20-30 years.

 

[Elmore]

Here are some pics of a young grafted Japanese Maple cultivar, Acer palmatum linearilobum 'Aekan Ie's'. This is a rare cultivar. It's not even listed in most texts on Japanese Maples. This was grafted onto root stock that was root bound in a small 3 1/2" pot. The last picture shows the roots spread out and untangled just prior to potting up. Notice the root crown.

Nice Leaves

<img src="http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34651&stc=1&d=1149118406">

 

[Elmore]

Here is another small Japanese Maple.

<img src="http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34672&stc=1&d=1149165592">

 

[whitenack]

Update:

The red sunset has started to show minor stress. It started a little last week. A few leaves (5-10%) started to dry at the tips. Seems to be exactly what you would expect (You snip a lot of roots, less water is able to get up the trunk, the tree can't water the whole leaf).

Checked it tonight and more leaves (30-50%) have dead tips.

We have had some good rain lately, so I thought there would have been enough rain. I guess not? I don't want to drown it.

BTW, this is the same maple I trimmed a little this spring and it is really flushing out! It's like I woke it up and it decided to take off. Its hard to tell if the form is correct because of all the leaves. We'll see what it looks like this fall.

So, do I just start pouring the water to it, or continue with the 1" a week schedule?