How I saved a park tree from choking on its roots

I was doing routine checks in the local park and spotted this oak looking REAL sad. Leaves were yellow, and it just wasn't growing right. I got down and dug a bit, and sure enough, the roots were all twisted around each other. We decided to try air spading to loosen them without hurting the tree. It took all afternoon, but seeing it perk up after was AMAZING. What do you guys do when you see root problems like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunag302mo ago

I mean, "seeing it perk up after" really makes it sound like you gave the tree therapy. Maybe it's just happier than I am.

harper_foster2mo agoProlific Poster

City park oaks deal with root issues all the time from soil compression. I've seen trees with girdling roots that still thrive for decades. Air spading sounds intense, idk if it's always needed. Sometimes just mulching and watering does the trick. Trees are pretty tough, they adapt to less than ideal conditions. This one might have been fine without the full afternoon of work.

josephmartin2mo ago

Yeah I get what you're saying about trees adapting, and maybe this one would have been okay for a while. But I had a maple in my yard showing the same stress signs, tired looking leaves and slow growth, and the air spade thing actually helped a lot. It found a bunch of roots choking each other right at the base that mulch alone wasn't gonna fix. Luna's kinda right about the therapy thing, because after we cleared that space and gave it good soil, it was like a different tree by next spring. For me, that full afternoon was worth it to actually see the problem and fix it for good.