Exposing the root flare on the trees in my garden.

[pilsner_urquel]

Hello, I planted 6 trees in the 5 years we lived here, but never though to expose the root flares. 3 of them (the 2 magnolias and the persian ironwood) have been growing poorly. Mold diseases for the magnolia's which I have succesfully treated with a sulfur spray, and early leaf fall in the summer for the persian ironwood. They are all planted in heavy-ish clay soil. Aside not exposing the root flare, I like to think I did everyone else right. I planted them in a huge enough hole, amended the soil with good soil, water enough. Note that all trees except for the magnolia's seem to have been planted by the nurseries in heavy clay soil, so exposing the root flare on the Holm Oaks and the Persian Ironwood was not easy.

So now I exposed all of the root flares on the trees and would like to know if I did it well enough. So I was hoping anyone could advise my on that. I'll post all the pictures below:

Magnolia Grandiflora 1:

Magnolia Grandiflora 2:

Holm Oak 1 (quercus ilex)

Holm Oak 2:

Holm Oak:

Persian Ironwood (might not be a good enough picture because I had just sprayed water on it to loosen the soil in order to remove it further. Note the bamboo stick still hanging on it. That's a bamboo stick the nursery attached to to stabilize the tree. I should've removed it when I planted it. the underpart snapped off and is now stuck in the soil right next to the tree. Should I go and dig it all the way out?

 

[Chuck]

All of the root flares look good and that bamboo stick is OK too. The only thing I have any concern over is you stated that you amended the soil at planting. Any amendments should not be to the soil that is removed to make the hole. It should be done on the surface of the soil. By doing so you will encourage circling roots and for the tree's roots to stay in the amended soil. But I would not worry about it now as it will take many years for this to become apparent if it ever does.