Breaking the tap root?
 

"Jones" wrote in message
news:2006081510422216807-at@yourhousenet...
Hello all,

I have a big mahan pecan tree in my yard. This is a self-fertile cultivar,
and every year about this time, I find lots of baby seedling pecan trees
growing under it.

I want to transplant some, but I keep finding that I cannot dig them up
deep enough to get all of the tap root, especially among the seedlings
that are last year's stock. These "trees" are only maybe 12" tall and 1/8"
or less thick, but their tap roots are often more than 12" long and 1/4"
thick.

I've always heard that if you break the tap root of a young tree, that it
will either die or fail to thrive, but I wondered whether that's true or
just an old wive's tale.

I mean, we can take cuttings of trees and woody shrubs, and they will
grow, so why can't a tap root regenerate itself?

Thanks for any help or info.

J


I don't know the answer, but considering what you said about "lots of baby
seedlings", this seems like a great opportunity to just experiment. What do
you have to lose except a little time and some potting soil?