I recently bought this tree, but I’m not sure it has a chance to survive. It looks like the grafting union — if that’s what it is — was buried too deep in the container, and it has swollen and developed some girdled roots. I can’t find any visible root flare in this tangled mess. Should I try to prune it and plant it anyway? Unfortunately, the garden store won’t accept a return. The tree looks otherwise healthy. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
by vonvanka
7 Comments
Yes you have nothing to lose. Soaking it in water a few hours before planting
I think most trees i purchased look this way. I would soak the root ball in a bucket for 6 hours or so, remove as much of the compacted dirt and give it a go with nicely amended soil.
Exactly, you can’t return it so why not give it a go? There’s no reason not to
Cut the end of the large roots over a few cm to encourage the creation of rootlets, then you plant it with suitable potting soil mixed with the soil from your garden, and I assure you that it should recover very well.
It will quickly die if it’s going to fail. Dig it a big hole and soak it and lay out the roots. Have a ho you have nothing to lose.
You should remove the rest of the soil at the core at this point to try and see what’s really happening there. There may still be a chance that you can prune some of the worst encircling roots and still have enough fine root mass to keep the tree alive while it adapts to it’s new environment.
How much did you pay for the tree? I’m going to disagree somewhat with others here saying to just throw it in the ground anyway. Time is also money, so to speak. If you plant a tree and it survives for 5 years before getting blown over in a rainstorm or it just starts to decline with branches not leafing out after 10 years that is a lot worse than losing some money. Why can’t you return this to the garden store?
Jap. Maple, right?