When it comes to tree care, the roots are often times overlooked. This is often due to the very fact that you can't see them! Despite this, root care is very important. Without proper care for your tree's roots, you may have to call upon a tree removal service to remove your tree. Throughout the course of this brief guide, you will learn of just a few problems that can befall your tree's roots.
Soil Compaction
Like the rest of your tree, your tree's roots need to breathe. Some people believe that the soil around a tree's roots must be tightly compacted so it can easily hold a tree down. This is not the case. Soil should be porous enough to allow oxygen to enter the earth such that your tree's roots can breathe. Not only this, but soil that is not porous enough can create conditions in which the tree's roots cannot receive water, which will effectively dehydrate them. These two factors together can also create a condition in which the tree's roots will be robbed of the nutrients that a tree needs to grow strong and healthy, and the roots will cease growing and begin to wither.
Root Pruning
This is perhaps a sin committed by all neophyte tree owners: improper root pruning. Improperly pruning your tree's roots – most notably by cutting them far too short – can rob them from the nutrients they need. When pruning your tree's roots, it is highly recommended that you do not cut roots that are larger than two inches in diameter or cut close to the tree's trunk. If you cut too deeply, then you can wind up severely damaging the tree. It is also recommended that you wait a couple of years in between root pruning sessions as to allow the tree an adequate recovery time.
Root Rot
Root rot is a bit of an uncommon issue, but it is a problem that can befall your tree nonetheless. Root rot tends to occur during times in which certain trees receive too much water and their roots essentially drown. When floods or other forms of over-watering occur, the tree's roots can essentially suffocate due to the amount of water they soak up. Make sure to examine your tree's roots if flooding or other forms of over-watering become an issue for your tree.
This brief guide should have given you some idea of issues that can cause problems for your tree's roots.
For further assistance, contact local professionals, such as those from Gene's Tree Service.
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