i don't understand the question .. roots grow where roots want to grow.. and they grow on the surface if there is heavy mulch ... and at maturity on top of the lawn .. its the maples nature ..

that said.. it looks like these are going in circles based on growth in a pot .. before you planted it...

when did you plant it?? .. did you sever any of the pot bound roots???

where are you.. what zone.. and what is your soil type???

ken

PS: the trunk indicates it is not a 1st year tree .. perhaps you mean first year in your garden???? any extra facts you can supply will help ...

Thanks, Ken. You are correct. It's a 1st year tree only in that it was purchased last April and stuck in the ground then. It was potted. I planted it high, and made vertical cuts through the roots, and also across the bottom. There's no more than 2" of mulch, and it wasn't in direct contact with the trunk.
I've watered it religiously, and there has been considerable growth. I'm in Eastern Iowa, which I believe is zone 5.
Do I leave it alone, or can any of the circling roots still be cut - or should they be?
Thanks again.

its kinda hard to see the roots from the straw.. but that one that makes a 45 degree angle doesnt look perfect ... whats your take on it ..

what is your soil? in my sand.. roots go everywhere in every direction ... if you are fooling in clay ... clay has a bigger propensity to encourage the circling ...

i want to hear what others have to say .... before i am committed.. lol..

ken

Doesn't look good.

I'd rather pay 100 bucks for trees in 5 gallon whitcomb container that produce excellent root system with no girdling problem at all than 15 gallon in ordinary container with root girdling problems. It seems to get worse the bigger the container/tree gets. 30g trees are a mess.

Okay. So what do I do?
Quit wasting water on it and wait for the funeral?
Or can I do surgery?

I see numerous roots wrapped around the base of the stem. Or is some of that the straw mulch?

If those are roots, it would be worth cutting them now, before they start to compromise the trunk.

Further, the base of the stem appears to enter the ground as if it is a telephone pole. That is, no flare at the base. Even though it's a young tree, it should have some flare.

Also, as has been said, I see an obvious kinked root at the left side.

ok.. zone 5 .. right.. new tree ...

AFTER IT LOSES ITS LEAVES .... it is dormant above ... this has to be done when it is dormant above.. but still in root growing phase

DIG IT OUT .... about twice the width of the old pot .... hose off all the soil .. if you can .... and go at it with the pruner shears .... secateurs for those in Canada .... lol ...

any root that is not going straight away from the trunk ... trim it where it bends ... leaving as much as you can ....

i plant 6 to 8 foot bare roots trees .. dug and moved on my property .. in October.. in z5 .. all the time.. the root ball .. oh never mind ... here is a picture .. all live.. timing is everything ...

{{gwi:331094}}

yeah i know.. the date on the picture.. you can do it as soon as the soil thaws in april .. but its cold work on the hands with a hose in april .... but its too late by may ....

replant, as noted according to the trunk flare ... water deeply .. and don't water again until the soil dries ... mulch well .. you are responsible for all water next year ...

clean cuts.. with sharp shears are best ..

bottom line.. what do you have to lose???

ken

PS: ask ???'s if i am not clear enough this morning ...

Agree with Ken and with Jean. Circling roots will be a problem, and the tree does look like it is planted too deep. Need to see the root flare.

Better pics (I hope) taken from opposite sides.

{{gwi:431513}}
{{gwi:431514}}

Tree looks like it was really really potbound. It also looks like it was planted too deeply in the pot, and, as a result, roots grew above the initial root flare to compensate. You probably planted it as if the plant was potted OK in the pot, which means that you would have planted it too deep.

I would agree with Ken; once the leaves fall off, dig it up, clean the roots, prune off the kinked ones, leaving as much of the fine roots as you can, and replant in a wide hole, making sure the root flare is at ground level. Since you will, I assume, be replanting in the same hole, you may want to plant it slightly higher than otherwise - backfilling at the bottom of the hole before replacing the tree - so any settling will leave the root flare at ground level. You can make up any immediate difference in height between the root flare/top of the root ball and ground level with extra dirt and mulch. Mulch as widely as you can, no deeper than 4", and put no mulch in the 2-3" next to the trunk. A barely-there sprinkling to help the whole area look the same won't hurt, but no more than a quarter to a half an inch.

You will need to keep the root ball well watered - check the moisture in the soil, not according to a schedule - until the ground freezes. Try NOT to water just before the ground does freeze - you aren't trying to make an over-wintering icecube! Do realize that the ground will freeze well after you have been getting frosts, so be vigilant. And also remember that you now have a newly planted tree, so start counting the 3 years that you are responsible for watering from when you RE-plant it, not from the initial date of planting.

Thank you. I really appreciate the help. Didn't think things looked right, but I'm new at this.
2 more questions.
I'm not sure what the root flare is. The trunk on this one does flare out at one side at the bottom (it's in the shadow of the trunk on the pic directly above), and I made sure that was above the ground. Guess that isn't the root flare. Wish the folks who stuck it in the pot would have done better.
Also, what should I use to backfill? Is compost okay?
Thanks again very much.

The root flare is the area where the trunk and the roots differentiate - the shape of the tree spreads out there, especially as it gets older. You may need to brush/wash away the existing dirt from the area in question to see where the actual flare is. If any roots are sprouting from the trunk above the root flare - in response to it being covered - remove them.

It would be better to use "native soil" to back fill - the latest studies have shown that trees and shrubs do better without any amendments to the soil they are planted in. If you don't have any 'extra' soil (even taken from elsewhere in your yard), then use the soil from the edges of the hole to backfill and raise the bottom of the hole, and use the compost to fill out the top of the hole and the root ball or as a thin layer under the mulch - it may encourage tree roots to grow into it, but being on the surface, it won't do the tree too much harm as most of the roots will hopefully be under that.

Good luck. And don't be too discouraged - after all, you noticed something was wrong, and are acting to fix it!

notes,

You wrote:
"Didn't think things looked right, but I'm new at this."

So were the rest of us at one time. But we became smarter with every oops that we took time to learn from.

Gardening is one of those learn-by-doing things. It's important to have fun while doing. And learning!

The root flare is the area where the roots meet the trunk. This should be at or a tad above the ground level.
And yes it is best to refill with the soil you dug out because if you add materials to the hole the roots will tend to stay in that area and not spread out well. Especially in clay soil where it can become too wet, and be kind of like a tree in a pot.
{{gwi:431515}}

Fantastic help from all - and greatly appreciated.
I'm not discouraged. I don't mind problems, as long as I know what they are. If the tree would have died in a few years because of the screwed up roots - then I would have been discouraged.
I'm wondering if it would be better to do the "fix" in the spring. ???
I dunno.
Thanks again - and the drawing is great!

I'd suggest fixing the tree as has been suggested this fall. That way, new roots will have time to grow and extend into the soil before spring's heat hits.

I really suggest dunking the whole rootball in a big tub of water and washing out all of that potting mix. By doing that you can gently unwind the circling roots and spread them out properly. You will find that the tree will grow better because the potting mix dries out more quickly than the surrounding soil. I do this now every time I buy a container grown tree (only when dormant though).

OMGosh, I've learned a lot from this discussion, Thanks. I'm going out to check my walmart pot of King of Norway maple right now.
Kat

Orig question... "Are these surface roots okay in a young (1st year) tree?
Fremanni (Autumn Fantasy) "

Yes, acer fremaniis seem to have surface roots at a very early age. The front of my neighb is lined with them, maybe 20 or more trees that planted maybe 3-4 yrs ago and are now roughly 4" caliper. A fair number of them have surface roots extending several feet or more from the tree.

quirky wrote:
"Orig question... "Are these surface roots okay in a young (1st year) tree?
Fremanni (Autumn Fantasy) "
Yes, acer fremaniis seem to have surface roots at a very early age."

Surface roots are one thing. But surface roots which are circling or kinked are another. So it's important to know where they are and what they are doing.

They're not okay when they tightly circle the base of the trunk, even though only part way.

And they're not okay when they turn at a sharp angle of 90 degrees or less.

Trees with these problems seldom are in trouble in 3-4 years. It may take as long as 10 or more years at which time some are blowdowns or just plain topple, while others are stressed to the point of no return.

When I do the "surgery" would that be a good time for root stimulizer?

don't waste your money on foo foo gardening stuff ...

in general ... buy stock .. dig hole... remove from pot... check and fix circling roots ... insert in hole ... refill with native soil halfway ... fill with water ... when the water is gone fill the rest of the way with soil ... water again .. tamp down .. walk away ... water again when your finger inserted to about 3 inches.. [where the roots are suppose to be] indicates hot or dry soil .. in fall .. maybe never again ... mulch a 3 foot ring and walk away ... you are respnonsible for proper water all next year ...

you do not need soil amendments....
you don't need fertilizer ....

you need spend no more money that the tree itself cost ...

save your money for the next plant ...

as noted.. we were all new once.. i have killed more plants.. than would probably fit in your yard ... you can read everything .. and fail miserably . until you just go do it ...

as far as your plant. ... i would get mad .. and just use the hose at full power and blast all the potting medium off it... i don't have time for gentle soaks ... lol .. root prune heavily .. and plant as noted above ...
ken