TIMBERx

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TIMBERx TIMBERx is a Tree Service provider with an ISA Certified Arborist, Justin Tornatore.

We specialize in fruiting trees, but also offer pruning, planting, removal, and rehabilitation services as well as cabling and bracing.

A girdling root on a main buttress root is one of those slow failures that looks fine until it isn’t.When a root wraps a...
10/09/2026

A girdling root on a main buttress root is one of those slow failures that looks fine until it isn’t.
When a root wraps around the trunk or another major root at the flare, it doesn’t just “grow nearby.” As both thicken, that root acts like a tourniquet. It compresses the cambium, pinches the path for water and sugars, and keeps the flare from flaring the way it should. The tree can still leaf out for years. Then the canopy thins on one side, growth slows, the trunk looks pinched or flat where the root crosses, and decline shows up suddenly.

Most of these start at planting: a circling root that never got cut, the tree set too deep, or soil and mulch piled over the flare so roots grow up and around instead of out. By the time the canopy looks sick, the constriction has often been there a long time.

If you can see the root flare, look for a root crossing the trunk or another buttress and biting in. Don’t just chop at it with a shovel. A main girdling root sometimes has to come out in stages, and sometimes the damage is already structural. Caught early, removal can save the tree. Left alone, that root usually wins.
Right tree, right depth, flare visible at the soil line. Most girdling problems are planted in, not inherited.

Structural pruning can be a giant nightmare or a little one. Intervening when the tree is younger is the best way to set...
10/08/2026

Structural pruning can be a giant nightmare or a little one. Intervening when the tree is younger is the best way to set up a successful structure. Understanding the natural growth patterns of individual species and the effects that pruning will have on them is paramount in achieving a strong tree with good structure. These hybrid Mesquites have both been planted too deeply and over-pruned in the past, which stripped the inner and lower canopies. Over time, the inner branches were left to compete and forced to grow as quickly as possible to compensate for lost light.

By continually removing the lowest branches on your trees, forces them to grow elsewhere. In most cases, that means upwards, and at a quicker pace. These branches usually become co-dominant, competitive and entangled. Over time, we are left with the only choice of needing to reduce the redundant branches without compromising the overall health of the tree. This delicate process can easily be overdone, so we approach it in stages. We may remove or reduce select branches more and more with each pruning, until eventually afforded a safe removal without stressing the tree due to rapid defoliation.

This was our first time pruning these two mesquites, and we believe with one more thorough pruning next year, we'll have them in a much better state. Once they're in a happy place, we won't need to intervene as frequently, as the trees will hold their prune for longer, requiring much less maintenance.

Always have a tend to your trees!

This Arizona Ash tree came in with two problems that show up together more often than people realize: multiple co-domina...
09/21/2026

This Arizona Ash tree came in with two problems that show up together more often than people realize: multiple co-dominant leaders and the early stages of collar rot from a buried root flare.

We removed the deadwood throughout the canopy and reduced the competing leaders. There were several of them fighting for the same space. Co-dominant stems of similar size that originate from the same point often form a weak union with included bark. That union is a common failure point in monsoon winds and heavy rain. Reduction pruning takes weight and leverage off those unions now so the tree has a better chance of developing a more dominant structure over time.

The buried flare was the other issue. When soil or mulch stays piled against the trunk, the bark stays wet and decay starts right at the base. Exposing the flare and keeping it clear is one of the simplest things you can do for long-term health.

This tree may still be a candidate for support cables later, but good reduction work now can delay or reduce that need. Structure and the root collar are two of the first things we look at on every tree. If you can’t see the flare or your tree has several leaders of similar size coming out of the same crotch, it’s worth addressing before the next storm season.

Don’t bury your new tree! Planting depth is everything. One of the most common (and most costly) mistakes with young or ...
09/19/2026

Don’t bury your new tree!

Planting depth is everything. One of the most common (and most costly) mistakes with young or newly installed trees is planting them too deep. A tree that looks fine for a year or two can quietly decline, then fail years later. The rule is simple: find the root flare and keep it visible. The root flare is where the trunk widens out into the main roots; like a neck meeting shoulders.

After planting, that flare should sit at soil level or about 1–2 inches above grade. That extra height accounts for settling.

Why it matters:
• Roots need oxygen. Most fine roots live in the top several inches of soil. Bury them and they'll suffocate.
• Buried bark stays wet and can rot.
• Roots grow upward searching for air, then circle the trunk and become girdling roots that slowly strangle the tree.

Quick check: if the trunk goes straight into the ground like a telephone pole with no visible flare, it’s too deep.

How to plant it right: Remove extra nursery soil from the top of the root ball until you find the flare and the first major roots. Ideally, you'd perform an entire root wash, which removes nearly ALL of the organic matter from the roots, and perform an inspection.

Pro tip: I usually dig my holes about 8-10 inches deep for 5 and even some 15 gallon trees. But I've met a lot of people who brag about getting several feet down and punching through that blasted caliche! (This is such a waste of your time, and excessively difficult to do!!)

Dig a wide hole (2–3 times the width of the root ball), but only as deep as the root ball from flare to bottom.
Set the root ball on undisturbed soil so the tree doesn’t sink.
Backfill with the soil you dug out. Don’t pile extra soil over the flare.
Mulch 2–4 inches deep in a wide ring, but keep mulch a few inches away from the trunk. No “mulch volcanoes.”

A tree planted at the right depth establishes faster, stands stronger, and lives longer. Get the depth right on day one and you give that young tree its best shot. This ensures you never have to call me out, and can save a lot of money through not caring for a sick or dying tree, or ultimately replacing it!

Is your Root Flare exposed properly? As Arborists, we're always yapping on and on about the importance of this often ove...
09/19/2026

Is your Root Flare exposed properly? As Arborists, we're always yapping on and on about the importance of this often overlooked issue.

Here, this Arizona Ash tree's flare is clearly smothered with some dirt and decorative stone. By simply raking away and carefully removing the excess material that built upon the trunk and buttress roots, we can ensure no further harm will come to the trunk and roots. You can clearly see where the soil line went to, and that difference in color is an indicator of health. We see the beginning of rot setting in.

Imagine if fungus and pests were able to eat at the rotting bark and wood underneath, what may have happened to this otherwise beautiful (40 ft) tall tree.

For a root flare to be healthy, it needs to be ABOVE surrounding grade, and hopefully its just covered up; not planted too deeply. This root flare exposure turned out beautifully because the owner never planted it too deeply in the first place.

Exciting find today! This behemoth was hiding in some Desert Willow branches. I believe it to be a Sphinx Moth Hornworm....
09/04/2026

Exciting find today! This behemoth was hiding in some Desert Willow branches. I believe it to be a Sphinx Moth Hornworm. This is exactly why we don’t have a chipper.

So. Much. Mulch. So ready for planting!!
08/19/2026

So. Much. Mulch. So ready for planting!!

None of these trees on our property have ever suffered storm damage, can you guess why?Palo Verde, Velvet Mesquite, Dese...
08/08/2026

None of these trees on our property have ever suffered storm damage, can you guess why?

Palo Verde, Velvet Mesquite, Desert Willow.

This African Sumac had prior storm damage, we gave it a reduction pruning to mitigate further damage. About a month lat...
08/08/2026

This African Sumac had prior storm damage, we gave it a reduction pruning to mitigate further damage. About a month later, we get a call that the tree fell over. We came to find a huge pocket of rotting wood within the stem. The heart wood is gone.

As we were grinding out the stump, we came across three irrigation emitters that were embedded within the trunk and still delivering water. The tree grew around them and contained them within for the last decade or more.

We always stress how vital it is to MOVE your watering zone and your drip emitters as the tree matures. This is a major reason for that. This tree seemed otherwise healthy, despite a poor structure. We were working on that. We didn’t even suspect rot to be present, until the entire tree failed.

Now, we removed it entirely and replaced it with a Willow Acacia. Using the old trunk grinding as mulch for the new tree. We also installed a small area sprinkler and basin to retain water. No more drip tubing getting embedded. Entire drip zones and beyond are now getting watered evenly every application.

Start the young tree out correctly, and all this headache could have been avoided.

A long day of moving lots of mulch and dirt. We added several inches to this future planting site, built berms and swale...
08/02/2026

A long day of moving lots of mulch and dirt. We added several inches to this future planting site, built berms and swales, leveled out some places, then mulched the whole thing.

We anticipate about thirty trees going into this side yard, accompanied by a row of dense jujube and pomegranate all along the border. Can’t wait for planting season!

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Sahuarita, AZ
85629

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