I'm working on a trident maple right now, and man, those roots can drive you nuts. I bought it two years ago, and back then, it just looked like a tangled mess. I didn't know how critical it was to start working on that root flare, or nebari, early on. When I finally got to it, I had to carefully untangle and cut back a bunch of crossing roots. It's like a puzzle sometimes, figuring out which roots to keep and which ones to snip. I use a root rake, but I also find my hands work best for feeling through the soil when I'm sifting through the roots. This June, with the growing season in full swing, I repotted it into a wider, shallower container. The idea is to encourage those roots to spread out more horizontally, not dive straight down. It's a slow process, but I can already see a difference compared to last year. Also, watch out for rot. One corner of the root ball seemed a bit mushy. I had to cut away the soft parts and treat it immediately. Anyone else been through this?