Root Bound Trees

[KSQ2]

We have 3 trees, one hybrid burr oak of some kind that came from a tree in Dawna’s grandparents yard, and 2 chestnuts from Matt. All were started from seed last spring. 2 of them were planted in 1 gallon root maker pots. I transplanted them all into 5 gallon buckets yesterday. The two in the 1 gallon pots were pretty root bound when I pulled them out of the pots. The main root was big and bent at the pot base; the root is MUCH bigger than the base of the tree. The trees are only 6-9” tall right now and haven’t leafed out as of yet, they are just starting to bud. Will these trees come out of it now that they are in bigger buckets, or will they be permanently damaged?

 

[Fishman]

I would try to straighten and spread the roots out as much as possible if you didn't do that when transplanting them. Trim any roots that are too bent to straighten. I would suggest planting and protecting the trees in their final resting place and skip the bucket if possible. Root bound roots usually do not straighten themselves out over time. I have been reworking some flower beds at my house and removing shrubs that were planted before I bought the house. The roots on some of the shrubs are still circular and the exact size of a 3-gallon pot after 15 years.

 

[KSQ2]

I would try to straighten and spread the roots out as much as possible if you didn't do that when transplanting them. Trim any roots that are too bent to straighten. I would suggest planting and protecting the trees in their final resting place and skip the bucket if possible. Root bound roots usually do not straighten themselves out over time. I have been reworking some flower beds at my house and removing shrubs that were planted before I bought the house. The roots on some of the shrubs are still circular and the exact size of a 3-gallon pot after 15 years.

I’ll go to work on them this week. They just aren’t big enough above ground for me to feel comfortable putting them on the farm yet. There’s not even enough to put screen on as of yet. Any specific tips for trimming roots? How much trimming is too much?

 

[Fishman]

A little curve in a root is probably okay. What you don't want is them circling. I had some pecan trees I grew last year in a tall pot. Some of them hit the bottom of the 20" pot and turned 90 degrees to follow the bottom of the pot for another 12". I cut the roots a couple of inches after they started turning. You can bend the turn a little bit, but you cannot straighten a long root that has been growing horizontally and is also circling. I cannot give specifics without seeing the situation. Try to leave as much root as possible, but try to cut out as much circling as possible.

Bur oaks have large tap roots that grow quickly. I assume it is the bur oak that has more root than above ground shoot. A 5-gallon bucket really isn't deep enough for a 1-year-old bur oak going on its second year. If you do keep it in a bucket this year, you are going to be faced with the same problem of circling roots next year with the roots only getting bigger.

 

[RGrizzzz]

++ to putting them in the ground ASAP. Use a tree tube if you can't screen/cage them yet. Just make sure you sink the tube a few inches into the ground.

If you're really against it, find a bigger rootmaker pot or air pruning bag. 5 gallon buckets sound like a bad idea. As long as you're getting some fibrous roots in an air pruning pot/bag, things should be fine.

 

[KSQ2]

Thanks guys, that gives me a good idea of a special type of tube we have. That might be the route to go.

 

[KSQ2]

A little curve in a root is probably okay. What you don't want is them circling. I had some pecan trees I grew last year in a tall pot. Some of them hit the bottom of the 20" pot and turned 90 degrees to follow the bottom of the pot for another 12". I cut the roots a couple of inches after they started turning. You can bend the turn a little bit, but you cannot straighten a long root that has been growing horizontally and is also circling. I cannot give specifics without seeing the situation. Try to leave as much root as possible, but try to cut out as much circling as possible.

Bur oaks have large tap roots that grow quickly. I assume it is the bur oak that has more root than above ground shoot. A 5-gallon bucket really isn't deep enough for a 1-year-old bur oak going on its second year. If you do keep it in a bucket this year, you are going to be faced with the same problem of circling roots next year with the roots only getting bigger.

++ to putting them in the ground ASAP. Use a tree tube if you can't screen/cage them yet. Just make sure you sink the tube a few inches into the ground.

If you're really against it, find a bigger rootmaker pot or air pruning bag. 5 gallon buckets sound like a bad idea. As long as you're getting some fibrous roots in an air pruning pot/bag, things should be fine.

One more question, if I try to get these in the ground this weekend, is it ok to shake the soil loose from the root mass to see exactly what I’m dealing with? I’m sure there will be a little bit of damage, but if I’m doing some trimming anyway, can I get away with it?

 

[RGrizzzz]

One more question, if I try to get these in the ground this weekend, is it ok to shake the soil loose from the root mass to see exactly what I’m dealing with? I’m sure there will be a little bit of damage, but if I’m doing some trimming anyway, can I get away with it?

The more you disturb the root ball, the more transplant "shock" you'll get, but overall, it's likely not a significant setback. Just make sure you don't leave any air pockets around the rootball.

 

[yoderjac]

We have 3 trees, one hybrid burr oak of some kind that came from a tree in Dawna’s grandparents yard, and 2 chestnuts from Matt. All were started from seed last spring. 2 of them were planted in 1 gallon root maker pots. I transplanted them all into 5 gallon buckets yesterday. The two in the 1 gallon pots were pretty root bound when I pulled them out of the pots. The main root was big and bent at the pot base; the root is MUCH bigger than the base of the tree. The trees are only 6-9” tall right now and haven’t leafed out as of yet, they are just starting to bud. Will these trees come out of it now that they are in bigger buckets, or will they be permanently damaged?

There is one thing that concerns me in your post. "The root is MUCH bigger than the base of the tree." If by that you mean the tap root is much larger in diameter, I begin to think of disease. There are some diseases that cause the tap root to swell.

Presuming there is no disease issue, you are correct that j-hooking and circling tap roots will negatively impact the life of the tree. What happens is that over time, the roots constrict themselves and the tree will eventually be stunted. This can take years to happen. I would manually prune and roots that are j-hooking or circling back. RGrizzzz is correct that that disturbing the root ball will put more stress on the tree. Like a bare root tree, it will likely have one year of sleep, one year of creep, and finally a year of leap. Better that then having the tree perform poorly in the long run. This is the biggest issue with growing trees in smooth-sided containers. If you use a root pruning container system, you remove any circling/j-hooking and the tree can be planted with the medium intact. This usually means the tree begins growing immediately. Keep in mind that root pruning requires a system of containers starting with 18s or the equivalent to prune the tap root at about 4". I've used larger rootmakers for clonal rootstock and that works, but it because there is no tap root on clonal root stock.

For a tree grown in a smooth container, if I wanted to use a root pruning container, I would manually prune any any j-hooking or circling roots, choose a container size that allows about 4" on the sides and below the current root ball, and keep the tree in it with good care for at least one growing season.

Best of luck,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

++ to putting them in the ground ASAP. Use a tree tube if you can't screen/cage them yet. Just make sure you sink the tube a few inches into the ground.

If you're really against it, find a bigger rootmaker pot or air pruning bag. 5 gallon buckets sound like a bad idea. As long as you're getting some fibrous roots in an air pruning pot/bag, things should be fine.

A 50 cent Walmart shopping bag will work to trap roots if you are "in a pinch"

bill

 

[KSQ2]

Got the 3 trees in the ground today. The chestnuts didn’t look too bad, but the oak had a very big tap root that made a 90 and began to circle. I can’t believe how quickly it grew last year. This how much we had to cut off, there was still a lot of fibrous root above the cut, so I hope it makes it.

 

[yoderjac]

Best of luck with it.

 

[wbpdeer]

Got the 3 trees in the ground today. The chestnuts didn’t look too bad, but the oak had a very big tap root that made a 90 and began to circle. I can’t believe how quickly it grew last year. This how much we had to cut off, there was still a lot of fibrous root above the cut, so I hope it makes it.
View attachment 25225

To me, pruning the tap root is OK with all that fibrous root system. Keep in mind the tree may drop all of it leaves in the short run as part of the shock effect. We focus on the leaves, but the roots are what we want to be solid and happy. My advice, be patient and give it plenty of time to rebound. I believe it will survive 'cause those fibrous roots gonna save the day IMO.

It is amazing how hard seedlings do everything possible to live.