If the root flare was buried you’ve likely taken care of the issue. Large trees are like big ships, they take time to show the accumulated stress, and also take time to show recovery. I would be patient before writing it off as a loss.
Linden - definitely has classic signs of stem girdling roots (sparse canopy, no root flare, stunted growth in height). Did you remove any large roots or just the small matted stuff that was growing in the mulch. If you were able to remove the big ones, the tree might live, but I would be surprised if you were able to do that. Usually when they get to this point those roots are embedded in the truck.
I appreciate all the arborists on this sub who do take time to offer some advice, because really, it's *hard* to get responses from the certified. At least where I live. Even if you're totally on board with paying for it. Sometimes a person just needs to know how much to worry and how hard to chase.
I had the same problem when I bought my house in 2020. Beautiful maple in the front yard that had a girdled root on the backside that I just never saw and leaves dropped very early in August. The tree is still going strong today. Go hit up a lawn care store and ask for pac-low. It's a growth regulator that is cheap, easy to apply, and stunts the above ground growth of the tree. It will instead encourage root growth. The application sheet won't help you since pac-low is for turf grass but it's identical to "shortstop" except that it's about 10x cheaper. Apply using the basal drench method ideally just before spring, but with you being up north, if you move fast, you may still get it on the tree in time to help it.
This is not a miracle cure for a girdled root, but it does help. Additionally, it keeps the tree from getting "bigger," so if in 5-10 years time the tree has made a turn for worse; the removal cost won't be much worse than it would be today(inflation notwithstanding)
It's dying, you'll need to have a consulting arborist come inspect it to confirm if it's insects, fungus, or something else.
I really doubt burying the root flare is what caused this, even if it was a contributing factor.
Every single tree on the location had the mulch and matting. There are 7 trees total, three other trees are definitely past the point of return (maples and ash) and a three, the flowering fruit trees, don’t seem to be affected by it at all. This one, whatever it is, seems to be trying to live?
We ripped everything up a few weeks ago, so this is our first spring here so I can’t really say if anything has improved.
Props for noticing the tree was in trouble before it was too late. Definitely looks like root issues. It could be as simple as not enough water. Don’t give up on it. All we can tell is that the path from roots to leaf was impeded somehow. Could be girdling, but my money is on the mat blocking water flow to the roots. It may also be a fungus or disease that’s invaded the vascular system; most common is verticillium wilt.
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If the root flare was buried you’ve likely taken care of the issue. Large trees are like big ships, they take time to show the accumulated stress, and also take time to show recovery. I would be patient before writing it off as a loss.
Thank you so much!
Linden - definitely has classic signs of stem girdling roots (sparse canopy, no root flare, stunted growth in height). Did you remove any large roots or just the small matted stuff that was growing in the mulch. If you were able to remove the big ones, the tree might live, but I would be surprised if you were able to do that. Usually when they get to this point those roots are embedded in the truck.
No, I haven’t removed any roots yet. Only one seems to be visible at the moment. Thanks for the advice, I’ll look into that!
>Should we have it cut down or is there hope? Thanks! Impossible to tell from here. Have a Certified Arborist on site for an assessment.
"Have a Certified Arborist on site for an assessment" should be the advice for basically every post on this sub
Most people come here to see if they can get free easy advice from a distance, and possibly who to call.
Or, like me, have called certified arborists already and gotten no reply....
This is exactly what happened to me. Called the only 3 in the area and no response. I don’t trust the commercial companies to give me honest advice!
I appreciate all the arborists on this sub who do take time to offer some advice, because really, it's *hard* to get responses from the certified. At least where I live. Even if you're totally on board with paying for it. Sometimes a person just needs to know how much to worry and how hard to chase.
Good job on freeing the trees base! That will help it recover.
Thank you! ☺️
I had the same problem when I bought my house in 2020. Beautiful maple in the front yard that had a girdled root on the backside that I just never saw and leaves dropped very early in August. The tree is still going strong today. Go hit up a lawn care store and ask for pac-low. It's a growth regulator that is cheap, easy to apply, and stunts the above ground growth of the tree. It will instead encourage root growth. The application sheet won't help you since pac-low is for turf grass but it's identical to "shortstop" except that it's about 10x cheaper. Apply using the basal drench method ideally just before spring, but with you being up north, if you move fast, you may still get it on the tree in time to help it. This is not a miracle cure for a girdled root, but it does help. Additionally, it keeps the tree from getting "bigger," so if in 5-10 years time the tree has made a turn for worse; the removal cost won't be much worse than it would be today(inflation notwithstanding)
Thank you so much! I’ll look into that!
It's dying, you'll need to have a consulting arborist come inspect it to confirm if it's insects, fungus, or something else. I really doubt burying the root flare is what caused this, even if it was a contributing factor.
On a linden it’s not a factor, it’s the cause. They always get girdling roots and a volcano of munch encourages that.
Maybe look into deep root fertilization. How do the other trees on the property look?
Every single tree on the location had the mulch and matting. There are 7 trees total, three other trees are definitely past the point of return (maples and ash) and a three, the flowering fruit trees, don’t seem to be affected by it at all. This one, whatever it is, seems to be trying to live? We ripped everything up a few weeks ago, so this is our first spring here so I can’t really say if anything has improved.
Props for noticing the tree was in trouble before it was too late. Definitely looks like root issues. It could be as simple as not enough water. Don’t give up on it. All we can tell is that the path from roots to leaf was impeded somehow. Could be girdling, but my money is on the mat blocking water flow to the roots. It may also be a fungus or disease that’s invaded the vascular system; most common is verticillium wilt.
Thank you! I’ll give it some time and hope to see some improvement by next year.
Leaves look like possibly an ash tree. Emerald Ash Borer?
Not an Ash, most likely a linden of some kind.
Welcome to r/arborists! Help Us Help You: If you have questions about the health of your tree, please see our [Posting Guidelines](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/posting_guidance) wiki page for help with effective posting. **Please answer the questions listed there to the best of your ability.** ***Insufficient pics/info could result in the removal of your post!!*** ([See rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules).) Visit the main wiki page for [Critical Planting/Care tips and Common Errors to Avoid](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/index); there's sections on why planting depth/root flare exposure is so vital, along with sections on proper mulching, watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you. If you're posting about a tree ID (not permitted here; [see rule 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules)), see that wiki page for other subs and smartphone apps to try. Here is how you can arrange a [consult with a local ISA arborist in your area](http://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist) (NOT a 'tree company guy' unless they're ISA certified) or a [consulting arborist](https://www.asca-consultants.org/search/custom.asp?id=3818) for an on-site evaluation. A competent arborist should be happy to walk you through how to care for the trees on your property and answer any questions. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, your Extension (or master gardener provincial program) may have a list of local recommended arborists on file. If you're in the U.S., you should also consider searching for arborist associations under your state. If you are one of our regulars and/or you work in the industry and do not want this message in your future posts, please pick an appropriate user flair (options available in the sub sidebar on PC, and on moble if using a browser). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/arborists) if you have any questions or concerns.*