ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 23, 1997 TAG: 9701230010
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: hoein' & growin
SOURCE: DIANE RELF
The tree you planted 10 years ago never really did well and finally died. When you pulled it out of the ground, you found a tight mass of girdled roots - so tight you could still put the root system back into its original, one-gallon container. Several things could have happened.
Jennifer Shuster of Tech's horticulture department offers this information about what might have happened and suggestions to correct some of the problems.
All too frequently, plants that fail to thrive in the landscape or blow over during storms have root problems that probably started at the time of planting or even earlier - in the nursery where the plant was grown. Most structural root problems that lead to unhealthy or dead plants can be prevented or corrected by pruning and straightening before transplanting.
Structural root defects fall into three categories - kinked roots, J-hooked roots and circling or girdling roots. Kinked roots are twisted at sharp, abnormal angles and indicate that a plant was placed improperly in its container. J-hooked roots are sharply bent to one side which can happen during machine planting if the roots are swept to one side. Circling or girdling roots growing horizontally around the trunk or other roots can be caused when the worker fails to spread the roots while shifting the plant to a larger container or transplanting into the landscape.
All these root defects result in a poorly anchored tree or shrub. Normal water and nutrient absorption is restricted. Root defects may not directly kill a plant, but they can weaken and predispose a plant to disease and drought.
When purchasing a plant from the nursery, check the surface of the soil for kinked roots. Pull the plant from the container and inspect the root ball. The roots should be small to medium sized and supple. White root tips are a good sign indicating that the root system is growing. Black root tips indicate a dying system and rot.
There should not be large, rigid, circling roots. If there are, they should be located only at the bottom of the root ball. Check to be sure the plant stem appears centered in the container and that the root mass is symmetrical.
Root problems can be corrected at planting time. Circling roots along the edge and bottom of the root ball can be corrected by pruning and straightening the root ball. Pruning and straightening are done when the problem is minor and involves "teasing" the roots away from the ball,
pruning to remove a few roots to encourage new growth and spreading the roots out when planting.
Splitting or "butterflying" requires forcing a shovel through the bottom third or half of the root mass, creating two flaps. Then use a knife to make several vertical cuts on the top portion of the root ball, cutting through circling roots. The plant is placed with the flaps spread horizontally on the ground, and soil is placed around and over them.
Defects that occur in the trunk surface and center root zone, such as J-hooked roots, are the most difficult to correct safely without terminally injuring the plant. It is best to reject any plant that has defects in these critical areas.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB