Heavy Equipment Diagnostics

Posted by: Curtis Utley, Jefferson County Extension

Last month I was asked to visit a property to give my professional opinion as to why a specific Vanderwolf’s pyramidal limber pine decided to just up and die. A curious problem to be sure. As the story goes, the tree started to look a little off the 3^rd week of July and by the 3^rd week of August all the needles turned completely brown but, the branches remained limber. When I got to the site I noticed that the ground was nice and moist, possibly a little too wet but not so wet to cause oxygen starvation in one tree and not the others. I forgot to mention, the dead tree was one of a group of 6 or 7 Vanderwolf’s all planted in the same area roughly 12 years ago.

Stem elongation without full needle expansion "Pushed and Puked"

Next, I began to evaluate the twig growth increments and inspect the condition of the newest growth. What I found was a common problem I see in trees that don’t know they're dead yet, I affectionately describe this condition as “pushed and puked”. By this I mean the tree broke bud in the spring normally and the new growth expanded for a short time then ran out of water resources to maintain that new growth. Because the new growth is soft and succulent it is the first tissue to desiccate and turn brown and sure enough, the land manager mentioned that there were many dead branch tips in early July.

Another view of the arrested development

My conclusion was one that all too often I must utter, “Well it’s probably a root problem. For some reason, this tree is no longer able to move water out of the soil through the vascular system up the trunk and out to the needles.” It is so frustrating when I can't give people a definitive answer. The land manager really wanted a more solid answer as well and told me he would have to remove the tree anyway so if I was willing to come back on Thursday he would pull the tree out of the ground. Really? “Yea, I have equipment.” “Okay I’ll be back Thursday”

I show up on Thursday and the land manager drives up on the lawn with this huge loader. I ask him why on earth do you have such a big loader? (You see most landscape contractors use small, light maneuverable skid-steer loaders which are handy and have a million different attachments to do all kinds of different jobs.) His answer “We do snow removal here too.” Of course. I assumed he was going to dig up the tree but that was silly; to dig up the tree would have wrecked a whole lot of irrigation and nobody in their right mind would want to make more work for themselves. Instead, he wrapped a chain around the trunk and attached the end to the hook on the bucket and carefully pulled the tree out of the ground.

Check out the video:

The tree popped out of the ground like plucking a mushroom from the lawn and we had our answer, circling roots, the result of a missed step on planting day. 

Circling roots left in the ground after tree removal.

Constricted trunk, note the lack of  scaffold roots.

As a tree is transplanted the planting team should try to cut all visible circling roots or better yet, as our very own Alison O’Conner determined during her Ph.D. research, cutting the entire outer inch of the rootball off corrects all circling root problems. I call it a “root reboot” Check out Alison’s blog article:
Even Horties Make Mistakes: Tree Planting posted on Monday, August 5, 2013 for more great information about circling roots.

A Tale of Two Honey Locusts

Posted by: Mary Small, CSU Extension State Master Gardener Coordinator

One troubled Honey Locust!

Trekking across campus I came upon these two honey locust trees. They represent the kind of question I really dislike answering - especially when you can’t actually see the plants in question. Why does one look great and the other one, well - awful? They were planted at the same time. They were purchased from the same company. They both looked good the first few years. And so on…..

So let’s go see what’s wrong with the tree in question, even though I want to shout “Hello, it’s trying to grow in a parking lot!”

First I found weak-looking leaves that were minimal in number. Twig growth increments aren’t (and haven't been) very long either, telling me that the plant hasn't been growing well. It makes sense – few leaves produce few carbohydrates resulting in little growth. On top of that, since mid-August, the tree has been experiencing “early fall”. Another bad sign, indicating some kind of stress that has caused photosynthesis to slow or cease.

Gummosis - not good

Uh-oh – there’s some gumming on the trunk and many of the larger branches I can see. Not a good sign. Right off the bat, it means the tree is stressed. The stressors include but are not limited to drought, sunscald, canker diseases and collar rot. 

The lower trunk has no flare and is flattened on a couple sides.  You can see one of those sides in the photo below. That signals girdling roots, so it’s time to do some excavating. Having only a twig for digging, I find one root just under the soil. Although I couldn’t dig deep enough, with the appropriate tools, I’m pretty sure I would have found more girdling roots.

Flat side and sprinkler too close to trunk



Girdling root



I will admit to not being astute when it comes to automatic tree irrigation, but I have a hard time understanding how one emitter adequately irrigates a tree of this size. Having it so close to the trunk of a honey locust can invite root collar rot infection, too, by keeping the collar area moist and conducive to pathogen growth and development. 

Narrowing trunk and slightly excavated trunk flare (right)

I was able to find only the beginning of the trunk flare and it’s at least 3 inches too deep. It's just showing there on the right side of the photo.  This tells me the root system is also planted too deep. Roots need oxygen to carry on various processes and when they can't get the oxygen they need, processes slow or shut down. They can't resist pathogen infection well or at all, either. 

For fun, compare this deeply planted trunk to the healthier tree’s trunk (below)– it has a comparatively good flare. And you can see it without any excavation.

Better trunk flare of healthier tree

So why does the one tree look healthy and the other awful? The nearly dead tree was planted too deep, causing oxygen starvation and a slow decline. I strongly suspect girdling roots, which would restrict water, nutrient and carbohydrate movement, are also at work here. The heat generated by the asphalt parking lot isn’t helping things, either.  Poor tree!

Sixty Second Secrets for Gardening Success: Master Gardener Plant Clinics

Today on Sixty-Second Secrets for Gardening Success: Master Gardener Plant Clinics.

Have you ever seen a flower and wanted to know what it is, or ever had your lawn or favorite plant suddenly start looking sick and wanted to know why?

You may not realize it, but expert help may be right around the corner!

Colorado Master Gardener volunteers are trained to help you in plant ID as well aiding in diagnosing what is wrong with a sick plant or lawn.

Plant clinics take place at many locations around the area. Many are held at the County Extension Office while others may be at the local nursery or garden center, your favorite big box store, or at your community farmers market.

For more information on plant clinics, contact your local CSU Extension Office  or visit http://sixtysecondgardeningsecrets.podbean.com/

Sixty-Second Secrets for Gardening Success is a production of Colorado State University Extension.
CSU Extension: Extending knowledge, changing lives.