I received five trees today and I am surprised at the condition of the roots. One had almost none, but the others have roots-a-plenty, but dang they are messed up. Exhibit A shows the problem shared by all: the main roots were chopped (?) and the roots that then grew from them grow up. Many are too stiff for most of their length to bend down. I don’t get it. The instructions seemed old school, as in, dig a really big hole and add a variety of amendments and different soil, and don’t cut or break any roots. How can one help it when all the roots grow up? One photo shows the bottom end of the root clump in the other photo. They are all healthy looking specimens. Some have already budded out. (Cont.)
(Cont.) Two have big buds, and one has seriously leafed (?) out already (shown) and is already fading as well; that one having the least roots of all the units. (The leafing [or ?] branch is on a 2x6.) Maybe this is all cool. I’m too new at this to know; it just looks very odd to me.
First is Hican, second is Hickory.
I think they’ll probably be fine in regards to the root twist, but I agree, it looks damned unusual to me also. As far as the leafing out and already fading, that’s not good for sure, but they will most likely pull through I think, but I know squat about nut trees.
Where did these come from?
The leaf buds might not actually be fading. They may have leafed out in the dark and not yet have chlorophyll action going. I received several fruit trees like that in a late shipment last year. My leaves greened up much more quickly than I expected when kept shaded for just a couple of days. I can’t give you a well reasoned comment on the roots. I’m looking forward to reading what root and nut people have to say about those weird sculptures.
I agree, they look a little abused but should green up when they get some light.
Well, the whole thing just surprises me because these (mostly) healthy, bigger trees (cost extra) end up with their tap roots (very important for these nuts trees) severely cut or curtailed somehow, and the roots that result are growing up…no way to really spread them out. They end up in a state that every trees tries hard to not end up like.
Re: the leaf situation and the other trees well budded out, I bought a tree like that once, at a discount because I didn’t have high hopes for it, and it barely survived…in fact, I thought I had lost it to disease, but it came back this year.
Thanks for the replies!