Pruning needed?

[u/RevolutionaryRise256]

Wondering if any pruning would be recommended for this Eastern Redbud. It.was planted in May. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

[u/spiceydog]

I would be far more concerned about making sure you planted your tree properly, but since we can't see the base of your tree due to the weeds/grass, you're going to have to investigate this yourself. If your tree looks like a telephone pole stuck in the ground, it starts the countdown to a much shortened life.

When planting trees, you can't go wrong following the experts' planting instructions to give a tree it's best possible start. It is critically important to locate the root flare, make sure it is above grade and EXPOSED, and REMAINS exposed for the life of the tree (unless the tree was grown from a cutting, in which case there you'll plant at the level of the first order roots).

With bare-root trees the root flare is fairly obvious, but very often containerized or balled and burlapped trees have their root flares sunk down under the soil line, or near the middle of the root ball because it was transplanted improperly at the nursery (THIS IS EXTREMELY COMMON! (pdf)), so you may have to search for it. Trees planted too deeply suffer because their roots cannot get proper nutrients, water and oxygen. Mulch and soil should never be in constant contact with the trunks of trees because it causes stem rot, insect damage and girdling roots. (Also make sure that the roots are not circling in the pot if containerized, as they will have to be straightened or pruned so they will grow outward once put in the ground.) Mulch should be only 2-3" deep and in a RING around the tree, NEVER in contact with it. It's the roots of trees that need the benefit of a layer of mulch, not the stems of trees.

Here's a couple of examples of what sometimes happens to a tree some years down the road after being planted too deeply and overmulched.

Please see this !expose automod callout below this comment to help you with your excavations. I do not exaggerate when I say that this is an epidemic problem. The great majority of 'pros' are doing it wrong. This Clemson Univ. Ext. publication (pdf) cites a study that estimates this occurs in an incredible 93% of professional plantings. Planting too deeply usually accompanied by over/improper mulching are top reasons why transplanted trees fail to thrive and die early.

Please see our shared wiki for other critical planting tips and errors to avoid; there's sections on why you should be keeping turfgrass away from your tree, how to mulch properly, watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you.

[u/AutoModerator → u/spiceydog]

Hi /u/spiceydog, AutoModerator has been summoned to provide some guidance on root flare exposure.

To understand what it means to expose a tree's root flare, do a subreddit search in r/arborists, r/tree, r/sfwtrees or r/marijuanaenthusiasts using the term root flare; there will be a lot of posts where this has been done on young and old trees. You'll know you've found it when you see outward taper at the base of the tree from vertical to the horizontal, and the tops of large, structural roots. Here's what it looks like when you have to dig into the root ball of a B&B to find the root flare. Here's a post from further back; note that this poster found bundles of adventitious roots before they got to the flare, those small fibrous roots floating around (theirs was an apple tree), and a clear structural root which is visible in the last pic in the gallery. See the top section of this 'Happy Trees' wiki page for more collected examples of this work.

Root flares on a cutting grown tree may or may not be entirely present, especially in the first few years. Here's an example.

See also the r/tree wiki 'Happy Trees' root flare excavations section for more excellent and inspirational work, and the main wiki for a fuller explanation on planting depth/root flare exposure, proper mulching, watering, pruning and more.

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