id be very interested in what the seller says about that ...

ken

Indeed. Depending on how that goes, let's pretend not well, how can I best deal with this?

I cut the one off that was against the trunk. Not exactly sure how to deal with the larger one further from the trunk. It is quite substantial.

If all the main roots got misdirected by spending too much time in a tiny container at a production facility, as appears to be common then there is only so much you can do - I would not arbitrarily cut any of these off, without exposing and studying the entire mess first.

The thing is I didn't notice until I planted. I took a little water to wash it off but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at here. Is just normal rootflare or circling roots?

Also noticed, if that is them circling, that they just do it in that one spot then head elsewhere. In addition I'm having trouble identifying the rootflare. Are they growing over it or what I think is roots is the rootflare? I realize some of this may be impossible to answer without actually looking at it

Another

I emailed those pics to the Garden Centre where I purchased it and their response was...

It looks like they have become part of the trunk? Doesn't look like it is strangling the trunk. don't be afraid to cut them. Just one cut in each one will stop any girdling action.

Thoughts?

I agree. Unless you soak that root ball into a pail of water and hose all the roots clean, there is no way you can see what you're dealing with. It's like being a surgeon with a blindfold on.