My bradford pear I planted two years ago is not doing so good. No visible root flare, planted to deep, & poor drainage I'm sure are the cause.

I wish to remove the top soil & roots to get down to the flare, raise the tree so that the flare is above ground, & improve drainage.

My main question is, how much soil & roots can I remove to get to the flare before really shocking & killing the tree completely...only trim away a few roots or can I trim as many roots as it takes to get down to the flare?

I tried finding flare of tree by removing soil around trunk, but I was running into alot of roots growing from below; I dug down 4 to 5 inches or so & still did not reach flare. This is why I'm asking the question above.

Thanks,

The leaves on bradford pear are turning black after all the rain we got this week.

Lee Harris
Little Elm, TX

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Lee Harris
Little Elm, TX

leeharrisz7b-
You should be removing as much soil as you can, ASAP. If you run into some circling roots before you get to the main root ball, cut them. They are not doing much good anyway being right up close to the trunk like they are, and could begin to girdle the tree. The best tool is an air spade to blow the dirt away but that is not something you can borrow from your neighbor down the street. You can do it yourself with garden tools but be careful not to nick the main roots too badly. Go out about 12-24 inches if you can. Provide an exit place for water to drain. After that do the sick tree treatment and add some extra cornmeal. Let me know if you need a recommendation for commercial service.
Tony M

I concur with Tony's appraisal.

Especially on a mature tree, you really can't easily over-do the root exposing process. most of the cautions given out on mature tree's root zones are for not adding too much on top of them.

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Shepherd of the Trees
It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields we know so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.

I too have a bradford pear (about 1.5-2 inches diameter)- very low. (in a new build).

I dug 2-4 inches and thought i found the flare. Then a few weeks later, while listening to "The Natural Way" on Sunday on the radio, I decided to dig down deeper. After another 6 inches of "digging" (using my leather work gloves and a stick) I found girdling roots and tore them from the tree. Just below them - about 2 inches down - i found some roots about 3/4 inch diameter - not girdling.

Question? Should I keep digging? Or are those roots the top of the root ball?
How far out should the roots be exposed before I put mulch on the ground?

I have a really good picture of this. should I send it?

Keep going until you get to the flare. Remove all the roots above that point.