Girdling Root Removal
Some species of trees including many Maples are prone to a condition known as girdling. When nursery trees are planted in a loosely packed hole dug in compact soil, the roots are not able to penetrate the wall of the planting hole and begin circling around in the "pot." When the circling roots grow over each other, they begin to girdle and constrict the flow of water and nutrients to the upper canopy. Arbor Master offers a non-invasive root diagnostic procedure in which we use an Air Spade supersonic air knife to excavate the roots without damaging them. If the root system is not decaying or showing signs of rot, we will cut any girdling roots that we identify beneath the soil surface. Studies have shown that we may prune up to 25% of the cross sectional area of the trunk at breast height in cross sectional area of roots without doing vital damage to the root system. Several months after performing the "tree surgery," we recommend an application of paclobutrazol growth regulator to promote fine root hair development as part of the tree's recovery. The benefit of pruning girdling roots is a long term solution helping the tree's overall health for years to come.
