This week I discovered that one of our center’s landscape trees is ready to bite the dust. I was sad – but also happy. It’s a wonderful teaching moment and if the tree has to give up its life to save others, I guess that’s okay.
As the video will show you, this Japanese maple was planted some years ago with a root circling the trunk. As both the trunk and root have developed in girth, we’ve reached a point where the trunk is constricted and the weight of the tree is splitting this V-shaped specimen down the middle just like a turkey wishbone. We’ll just have to see how long it takes.
Bottom line: even though it takes a little more time to correct a flawed woody root system, it’s well worth the effort.