What ate my roots and how to stop them

[buckdeer1]

I have now had the 3rd fruit tree that this has happened to.This was one from Turkey Creek and was growing great.Then a week ago it started turning brown and then was dead.I checked today and pulled on it and sure enough all that is left of the roots is a knob at the end of trunk.It's like something ate all the roots.Here is what a sawtooth oak that it happened to looked like

 

[Turkey Creek]

Its has to be pocket gophers or some other burrowing, root eating rodent that you guys have that I am not familiar with.

 

[buckdeer1]

We have gopher,but I am surprised there isn't any mounds right there,time to poison and trap,that 3 fruit trees and a sawtooth

 

[yoderjac]

I had something, presumably voles, that nested in the wood mulch I put around my jujube trees. I had one tree as large as my wrist in diameter blow over in a storm. When I checked, I found they had been eating roots. I righted the tree and staked it. Fortunately it did not die and is growing well since. Since then, I've stopped using organic mulch around trees. I now use landscape cloth covered with quarry stone.

If you really have a gopher issue, I doubt this will help you, but I've found it a better practice in my area.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[j-bird]

I am not sure what caused it, but if you had mulch or something that a critter can get under without burrowing I would guess voles as well. I had them kill one tree of mine, back when I used wood mulch over weed fabric at the base of my trees. Little SOB's eat every support root off and only had the tap root, which wasn't enough to sustain the tree. Since then I have removed all the mulch from my trees. I replace the weed barrier with fresh and then apply a layer of stone/gravel from my creek. This still allows rain to pass thru and provides all the benefits as the mulch, but is far more difficult for the voles to get under. I have not had an issue with voles since. Not sure if this helps or not, but that has been my experience with a similar issue.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

The limestone gravel - over - cloth method is what I've been using for 4 years with our newer trees. Rain gets thru and NO VOLES.

 

[buckdeer1]

The oak didn't have any ground cover or weed barrier,the fruit trees had mulch.thanks I will check

 

[SmallChunk]

Gophers....they are getting some of my trees too. I need to figure something out!

 

[Nova]

Gophers, I am pretty sure. I don't think voles will eat the main tap root. I have this happen on occasion and I usually find a gopher mound a ways off in the taller weeds. If you dig a hole where the tree was you will find a nice little tunnel leading away from the tree. I dump a scoop of poison in there and cover it back up. I hate those little bastards!!

 

[buckdeer1]

I am going to have poison them I guess.I just hate to in case my dog finds a dead one

 

[sandbur]

I am going to have poison them I guess.I just hate to in case my dog finds a dead one

Keep the poison underground. I prefer the poison with stychnine.

Where are you located?