What is on my roots!?

This is a 1 year old oak with this white growth on the roots. It seemed to do fine all last year and has been dormant all winter. It was just coming out of dormancy when I decided to bare root it to replace the old soil. I have no idea what the growth is, my guess is it is some type of fungus? and I'm guessing it is bad for the tree, but I don't know what to do. I just planted it in lava rock, so it should be easy to re-bare root if I need to scrape the fungus off or something?

middle of fall


just before bare rooting


roots with white growth


another shot



Anyone know what it is? and how to treat it?
Thanks,

Jon

Hopefully someone will move this to a different place on the Forum and it will get more attention. I don't think this is good. MY first guess is root mealy bugs, a sucking insect that is sucking the life from your tree. It you remove one of the white clumps and it seems to have a different material on the side by the root, it could this mealy bug. Quick hand removal would be my suggestion, I don't know enough about them to suggest an insecticide, I am thinking it would have to be systemic.

Hi Billy, looks like Scale to me... but normally seen on the trunk... was the soil very dry?

Tony

Yeah the soil was very dry. I left it at my parents house for winter since I live in an apartment, and when I picked it up last week it was bone dry.
Jon

Google Root Mealy Bug, there are photos.

Spray the bare root hard with water from a hose. Replant.

Billy, tony, Jim,

Thank you for your replies. From the pictures I just looked at, I believe it is scale. I'm in the process of removing them off right now. They are stuck on pretty well and it is removing the outer part of the root when I am removing them. Luckily? I think they are just on the large main root and not on the hairs. However, is there anything I can do for the damage to the root after they are removed? Should I apply rooting hormone?

Jon

Youngwirth09 wrote:Billy, tony, Jim,

Thank you for your replies. From the pictures I just looked at, I believe it is scale. I'm in the process of removing them off right now. They are stuck on pretty well and it is removing the outer part of the root when I am removing them. Luckily? I think they are just on the large main root and not on the hairs. However, is there anything I can do for the damage to the root after they are removed? Should I apply rooting hormone?

Jon

Do not use rooting hormone. Return to pot, use a balanced liquid fertilizer (according to package directions) , hopefully with trace elements, and be careful not to overwater.

thanks for your reply billy. I have a liquid miriacle gro 8-7-6 (I think the only trace mineral is iron) as well as superthrive. I know superthrive has trace elements, but it also has rooting hormone. should I use superthrive at all?

I can't remember exactly what I've read in the past, but I thought that I've read that during a pest infestatation one should wait to fertilize. Should I wait at all or begin right away?

Jon

Youngwirth09 wrote:thanks for your reply billy. I have a liquid miriacle gro 8-7-6 (I think the only trace mineral is iron) as well as superthrive. I know superthrive has trace elements, but it also has rooting hormone. should I use superthrive at all?

I can't remember exactly what I've read in the past, but I thought that I've read that during a pest infestatation one should wait to fertilize. Should I wait at all or begin right away?

Jon

The effectiveness of Superthrive is questioned by some, but if you have it use it. The Miracle Grow should not hurt anything mixed at package recommendation levels, but if you are concerned you use it 1/2 strength. The point is that your mostly/all inorganic soil doesn't do anything but hold the plant up, and now more than ever it will need food.

thanks for your insight

Update. Its only been a couple days, but I figured I would post a picture of it in leaf in case it doesn't make it.
I decided to plant it in diatomaceous earth because I've heard it cuts exoskeletons of bugs, and the medium has been working well on most of my other plants