Stumbled on a stat about root shock that made me cringe

I was reading an ISA article last night and found out that over 70% of newly planted tree failures in urban settings come from improper root handling during installation. That got me thinking about every time I’ve seen guys just toss a tree in a hole without teasing the roots. Has anyone else run into this stat and changed how they prep root balls?

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.leo6d agoMost Upvoted

Right? A little root teasing goes a long way.

charles_baker287d ago

Man that stat is brutal but so true. I started cutting the burlap off and actually roughing up the root ball on every install after I saw roots circling inside a nursery pot like a coiled spring. Now I use a knife to score the sides and bottom, then gently pull any circling roots outward before backfilling. Made a huge difference in survival rates on my jobs, especially for maples and oaks.

nancy_king297d ago

My buddy Dave tried this on a red maple he planted last spring. He scored the root ball and loosened everything up real good before putting it in the ground. That tree took off like crazy while his neighbor's one from the same nursery is still looking stunted and sad.