‘Shaina’

[Arbol]

Christmas present from the wife. Anything I need to keep in mind or plan for specific to this type of Acer Palmatum?

 

[czaczaja]

Nice start of a nebari!

 

[baron]

The new leaves grow in clusters so a lot of thinning out (somewhat like shishigashira)

 

[Tieball]

I would keep those roots buried. Eventually you'll want to deal with that root that’s crossing over.

 

[Arbol]

The new leaves grow in clusters so a lot of thinning out (somewhat like shishigashira)

Would thinning out stunt some of the growth? My plan for it is to keep it in a large pot to thicken the trunk. Will the thinning out of foliage slow this process?

 

[Arbol]

I would keep those roots buried. Eventually you'll want to deal with that root that’s crossing over.

How would you deal with that root that's crossing over?

 

[Arbol]

I also decide to not prune back the branches with the larger internodes to keep the vigor up in order to thicken the trunk. Is this a good approach?

 

[Tieball]

How would you deal with that root that's crossing over?

I’ll assume the root cannot be bent as far as needed right now. What I’ve done on some other trees with problem roots like this and used different directions. With all directions I keep all of the roots fully covered. Right up to where the roots starts from the trunk.

- I've simply cut the root off leaving a short stump….buried under the substrate and let new roots grow from that stump edge.

- I have not tried but have wanted to just let the root grow while grafting a root closer to the trunk where I want it to emerge….using the root joint at the trunk as the grafting location.

- In all cases I bury the roots. I don’t seal roots chops buried under substrate and the tree tends to put out roots from the chopping. Then I just select the one or two healthy new roots in the best location and continue with tree care as normal.

- While I’m root working I slide a double-layer spacer of some type between the lower root and the overlapping root so they don’t merge together or create an unwanted depression in the lower root. I just use a slice of an old bicycle inner tube fitted between the two roots.

That’s a lot to think about. Where I live nothing could really be done until spring after my winter months. My realistic first starting point would be to wait until I’d be changing the pot and moving the tree to a wood growing box. I’d untangle this root as much as possible from the rest of the rootball. At that time I’d see how much bending the root would take and begin to bend it. I use wood boxes so I can easily attach to the sidewalls with screws. I’d pull the root as much as possible and use an underground guy wire with the root edge protected from the wire-cutting-in to hold the root in the new position. This works when I’ve already secured the rest of the rootball so it won’t turn with the root pulling. My standby protection is a double layer in inner tube.

And I’m sure others here will chime in with their experienced methods to give you guidance. Maybe very different then my methods.

 

[Arbol]

I’ll assume the root cannot be bent as far as needed right now. What I’ve done on some other trees with problem roots like this and used different directions. With all directions I keep all of the roots fully covered. Right up to where the roots starts from the trunk.

- I've simply cut the root off leaving a short stump….buried under the substrate and let new roots grow from that stump edge.

- I have not tried but have wanted to just let the root grow while grafting a root closer to the trunk where I want it to emerge….using the root joint at the trunk as the grafting location.

- In all cases I bury the roots. I don’t seal roots chops buried under substrate and the tree tends to put out roots from the chopping. Then I just select the one or two healthy new roots in the best location and continue with tree care as normal.

- While I’m root working I slide a double-layer spacer of some type between the lower root and the overlapping root so they don’t merge together or create an unwanted depression in the lower root. I just use a slice of an old bicycle inner tube fitted between the two roots.

That’s a lot to think about. Where I live nothing could really be done until spring after my winter months. My realistic first starting point would be to wait until I’d be changing the pot and moving the tree to a wood growing box. I’d untangle this root as much as possible from the rest of the rootball. At that time I’d see how much bending the root would take and begin to bend it. I use wood boxes so I can easily attach to the sidewalls with screws. I’d pull the root as much as possible and use an underground guy wire with the root edge protected from the wire-cutting-in to hold the root in the new position. This works when I’ve already secured the rest of the rootball so it won’t turn with the root pulling. My standby protection is a double layer in inner tube.

And I’m sure others here will chime in with their experienced methods to give you guidance. Maybe very different then my methods.

All amazing information thank you. I’ve tried to find the answer to this but haven’t been able to yet. Why exactly is this root considered a “problem” root?

 

[Tieball]

All amazing information thank you. I’ve tried to find the answer to this but haven’t been able to yet. Why exactly is this root considered a “problem” root?

Because it is crossing over another root.

 

[Arbol]

Because it is crossing over another root.

Gotcha. Thanks so much for your input.