What does tree pruning do to the roots?

[Bundle 2]

You could put this on yer favorites list.../

There's a monthly newsletter. Most of this goes straight over my head but maybe it will plant a seed of enquiry within or scratch that itch....?

 

Clay Research Group

 

 

cheers.

[Bundle 2]

This still appears to be getting viewed.

Some may find this interesting...an online calculator to measure SWD with your tensiometer....

 

Water Moisture - Tensiometers

[Kentish Man]

any 1 out there into their bonsi? i'm not but a good friend is & he has to prune their roots regularly as the canopy pruning does not prevent them from growing!

 

Bonsai tree roots (and obviously, shoots) need to be cut back regularly as part of their maintenance regime to maintain the small stature of the tree. A pot-bound bonsai with too many fine roots would soon die if not watered regularly. Cutting the roots back by a third and repotting would keep the plant in fine health. As I'm only just getting into full-size trees, the principles must be similar if not identical - too many roots and over frequent removal of shoots to support them must eventually lead to some level of die-back in the roots.

 

Lack of water at the root level leads to fine roots hardening and subsequent inability to suck up the water and nutrients. Pruning the canopy cuts off the photosynthesis which in turn stops the progression to the destination of the nutrients to the point at which the new growth was required. These resources I guess are then redeployed elsewhere (normally the shortest possible distance, e.g., the nearest epicormic bud/s or as adventitious buds, further back), unless overly frequent, over-pruning wipes these now localised nutrients out.

 

Perhaps the most obvious thing to point out is that coppiceable trees spring back up in severe "tree pruning" - showing that the roots are doing more than just fine below!

[daltontrees]

If so the answer to the original question must be 'yes, more or less'...

 

Regarding clays and the one year/2 year debate, wet clay is plastic and maybe the idea is that slow rehydration will allow expanding clays under foundations to expand sideways around the foundation rather than jacking up the building?