Root Pruning
Save the life of your young tree!
Although not the ideal approach, root pruning can be essential for young trees experiencing root issues. If girdling roots—where roots encircle the tree trunk—are identified early, root pruning can improve the tree's chances of survival.
Girdling roots typically result from poor nursery practices, such as planting too deeply or excessive volcano mulching, where mulch is piled around the trunk. Over time, these roots can constrict and suffocate the tree.
As the tree and its roots grow together, the compression of the vascular area just beneath the bark restricts the flow of water and nutrients from the roots to the tree.
Removing such roots and bringing the soil down to the trunk flair (where the trunk of the tree ends and the roots begin) can decrease trunk decay, stop new girdling roots from forming, and prevent the tree from getting choked by its own roots.