i always thought.. that girdling meant the root was above the root flare.. and it might be possible that it will strangle to tree in the future.. hence the need to do something about it ...

yours looks clearly below such.. so whats the problem ... it was obviously in a pot too long.. some time in its life.. but its not anymore.. and it sure looks like it put outward roots for future stability ...

you might want to go all archeologist on it.. and move out more of the soil with brush and trowel ... to see a bit more or whats going on ... its something i might do.. simply for the fun of it ...

but im not sure what you would do about it ... i surely wouldnt dig up the tree to do root surgery at this point ... and since its put out good root growth otherwise maybe there really isnt much to do ...

i dont know about your presumption that it couldnt survive cutting it.. as it shows very aggressive root growth otherwise .. but again .. im not sure it matters .. so why do it ...

ken

Thank you dear bengz6westmd and ken_adrian

Based on your insightful advice I decided to leave all these roots alone. thank you so much! I hope everything works fine with this ginkgo

i think thats the right decision based on what you see.. but we both said:

Still, it would prb'ly be helpful at least to use a water hose to blast away more dirt and get a better view of it.

after that .. and posting the pics... you can rest easy.. and not worry about it anymore ... ever ....

ken

Thank you, That’s right, here’s a picture of when I washed it 3 months ago but It’s still hard to figure things out. I will try to dig around that root again using my finger and post the pictures, it has been raining so much and I’m afraid to put too much water in the soil

Tree · More Info

Tree · More Info

Tree · More Info

Hello again, here’s an update pic.

Im getting tempted to cut this troublesome root

ken, looks to me that the big root IS in the original root flair, only that new roots have grown above it. Lily, I might myself tackle the biggest girdler, but since you're not confident, don't do any harm. You could plant another ginkgo right nearby, making sure to address girdling root issues BEFORE planting, then when it's established after a couple years, cut the "bad" one down. Just a possibility because I think the future of this one is not good. Girdling root issues are an epidemic w/potted trees and have to be checked and dealt with before final planting.

i think i would leave it alone ... what will be will be ...

this is one reason i always tipped a tree out of a pot .. and walked away from a lot stock with poor roots .. i didnt bother with a lot of BB .. i mean you really cant look at the roots in such ... and i wasnt in that price point ....

but this was also a reason.. i bought smaller stock ... not only saved money ... but what root issues there were.. could be fixed thru root pruning after bare rooting them and planting them in native soil ... i used to say i had more money than time.. so buying small and delaying gratification was fine with me ...

go find something else to fixate on ... does it really matter if this thing dies in a couple decades because of this .. and frankly.. odds are low by now ...without the restriction of the pot.. why would it continue to grow roots in circle ??? .. unless you have terrible clay soil.. and its now restricted in reaching out.. because of such ....

live and learn.. and do no harm as noted above ...

ken

Thank you so much dear bengz6westmd and ken_adrian!

planting another one nearby was a great idea bengz6westmd

a lesson to be learned for noobie me! I bought this ginkgo cheap, I guess they knew something was wrong because it had yellowish leaves back then. I thought it was because of summer heat. although it leafed out fine and green the next spring.

to tell the truth I really would like to experiment and cut the big girdler. while putting a shade cloth over the tree in summer. one field grower told me ginkgos are really resilient with all their handling. and one research paper wrote ginkgos are prone to girdling roots just like maples.

5 years old should still be considered young for a tree that lives for 1000.

I hope to update you with good news in some years!

thank you!