Tried scoring a root ball with a Sawzall before planting, and the tree shocked me 8 months later

Joel Martinez · 2026-10-02T01:50:03.004091+00:00

Planted a 2 inch caliper autumn blaze maple at a customer's place in Boise back in April, and the clay was so bad I could barely get the cage off. Out of frustration I took a Sawzall to the sides of the root ball, just four cuts down about 3 inches deep, which every old timer I know would say is a good way to kill the tree. I figured it was dead anyway so I mulched it and moved on. Got a call 8 months later because the thing had grown almost 4 feet and had better color than two maples I planted the same week without touching the roots. My guess is the cuts forced new feeder roots out sideways instead of that tight circling mess you get in nursery stock. Your mileage may vary on species and soil, but I'm curious if anyone else has sliced roots on purpose and what came of it.

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Tried scoring a root ball with a Sawzall before planting, and the tree shocked me 8 months later | Arborists - Babble Community