How to Cut Surface Roots
- 1). Dig around the roots to expose them for cutting and to determine how long the roots are.
- 2). Start as far away from the main trunk of the tree as you can to prune the roots back, cutting straight down through them. Do not cut away more than 1/3 of the entire root.
- 3). Wait a year. You must give the plant time to heal from the root pruning because the large surface roots are crucial to the plant's survival.
- 4). Trim another 1/3 of the root back. Wait a second year, then trim the remaining third.
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