Conifer Health

[HoosierHunter07]

I planted some white pine and norway spruce last spring. It was my first year planting trees and I really didn't know what I was doing. I put them in with a 4" auger. Some went in fine, and some had some pretty large roots that I ended up cramming in there. Now the ones that have survived are waking up. Id say 50-60% died, but some are putting on new growth.

Should I still be concerned about J-rooting in the future? I didn't know about it at the time of planting. I've read mixed opinions online. Just thought i might get some opinions from others with more experience. I have more trees to plant this spring, so I'm wondering if I should be optimistic about these surviving, or if I should replace them with better plantings.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I transplanted a decent amount of eastern red cedar for screening purposes. I don’t know the answer because I run about 50% failure rate too. I try to transplant late winter when they are dormant but that doesn’t seem to be the smoking gun. I transplanted about 25 Sunday. Maybe a little late in the season but they are free so why not. I had a guy at a nursery tell me take a little triple 10 fertilizer and throw it in the whole when you plant but I haven’t tried that yet.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Those trees are sending up new growth this year, so they should live. It is possible that the J-shaped root will cause issues somewhere down the line, but I think that there is a better chance that they will be fine. I wouldn't consider pulling up trees that look as good as yours pictured.

 

[Brian662]

For future plantings, if your tree roots are too big and won't lay into your dug hole correctly, you can trim the roots to fit. I've trimmed back anywhere up to ~30% of the roots before planting. Either way your first year is a root establishment year and the transplant won't put on much growth.

I wouldn't dig up your trees from last year, let them ride. Digging them up can shock them again without helping much, IMO.

 

[HoosierHunter07]

For future plantings, if your tree roots are too big and won't lay into your dug hole correctly, you can trim the roots to fit. I've trimmed back anywhere up to ~30% of the roots before planting. Either way your first year is a root establishment year and the transplant won't put on much growth.

I wouldn't dig up your trees from last year, let them ride. Digging them up can shock them again without helping much, IMO.

I wasn't thinking about digging them up. I was just considering adding more to the area, anticipating some of the existing to die off in the next couple years due to j-rooting.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

They look good! I would say, just based on what I've learned after my second season of planting, a bigger auger is better. I hand dug everything last year and probably lost 10-15%. This year I went to an 8" auger and it made things so easy and gave the roots plenty of room. It really isn't that bad to use.