I've just purchased a brand new home! It's been 6 years in the making for someone with my income. It's taking a lot of planning but we finally purchased a new construction in the perfect neighborhood with a great school system for the kids. I want to preserve this investment as my intention is to keep this home in good condition for its entire lifetime. We have lovely new free standing oak tree in the front lawn and I'm nervous that 10, maybe 15 years down the line -- the roots will damage the side walk or the driveway. I'm researching root walls as well as strategies for keeping the roots of the tree deep. This video has given me hope that its possible! I look forward to exploring more content on this channel as well as the products that your company offers.
Depending on where you live (if there's been excessive drought and/or flooding), you might want to get an arborist to assess the health of the tree. Unfortunately, there have been several reports of injuries, property damage and even death cause by stressed and unhealthy trees toppling over.
You have given me renewed hope for planting a Sunburst honeylocust just a few feet from my patio (small backyard). It is unbearable in the summer sun but my husband refuses to plant a tree bc he says it will ruin the patio. This might be a game changer! Thank you for an excellent video.
I'm currently looking for a solution for planting a thorny plant (bush, tree/standard form, climber, etc) underneath 2 widows on the side of my house. The windows on this side of the house are a security vulnerability, and that's why I want to plant something thorny (but attractive) like bougainvillea or rosa rugosa. Two challenges: (1) I want to be able to plant far enough away from the house's wall/foundation (at least 3 inches? more?) so that roots don't become a problem for the foundation, but still have the above-ground thorny portion grow close enough to the window to deter any attempts to break in. (2) About 15" from the house's wall is the sewer later and clean-out. Since I've already had to replace the sewer lateral ($$$ !!), I am extremely concerned about any roots migrating toward it. Between protecting the house wall/foundation and protecting the sewer lateral, and allowing for at least 3 inches of clearance for each, I figure I have about a 9" width available for a planting area. My idea is to choose a plant for that narrow space, enclose the planting area with root barriers (all 4 sides, yes?) to drive any root growth downward. I'm assuming the sewer later is buried 12-18" deep, so would need root barriers at least 18" tall. Am I on the right track? Possible pitfalls? Words of caution? =======|window|=======SIDE OF HOUSE=========|window|=========== ^ ~ thorny bush/tree~ ~thorny bush/tree~ ^///////// clean-out////sewer lateral ^15” away from side of house^
Yes, you are on the right track. You can add Pyracantha to your list of plant considerations. To be safe use 24" root barriers which are commonly available. I like the idea of utilizing the root barriers, but even without, the plants you mention pose minimal problems for potential damage to foundations and sewer lines.
😬 Should be alright if installed properly. Might be smart to consult a professional just to make sure the roots don't cause damage to the gas line in the future!
This was so insightful. New subscriber from 🇬🇭 . We have a problem in my city with old mahogany and iroko trees with thick roots pushing up all the pavements. Good to know there are solutions. Would love to know your recommendations on tree species that are suitable for narrow spaces to prevent fence/wall damage too.
Woo! 🙌🙌 Welcome to the J&B fam 💚🌱 Generally large trees have large roots and are problematic in terms of root damage. Smaller trees are better behaved, such as Chionanthus retusa, Nyssa sylvatica, Lagerstroemia indica, Arbutus 'Marina', etc.
Quick question: How do these relatively thin, plastic root barriers keep roots from breaking through and doing exactly what you're trying to prevent when the reason you're trying to prevent it is those roots are strong enough to break through and break up concrete? It sems like a gimmick, so I'm just trying to get some clarification on how it is roots that won't be stopped by concrete that's inches or even feet thick but instead will tear right through it, cracking and breaking up foundations and upheaving houses, driveways, sidewalks, etc., will be stopped by a sheet of plastic a fraction of an inch thick. It seems like roots that can punch holes into concrete could easily punch a hole through a thin piece of plastic. Am I wrong? What's the science here? Have studies proven these are effective or is it just one of those things people try but end up having the same chances of root problems as they would've if they hadn't? Because it's A LOT of trouble and expense to install root barriers if they don't really work.
I got invasive roots from a giant maple sucking the life out of my garden. Three years of fighting them, and I'm about to switch to containers. Going to dig trenches around my garden until I cut every last root. I don't care if the tree dies, or if my home is rented, we gave our landlord countless chances.
Jordan, If it's a tree with aggressive or semi aggressive roots and is near paving that you'd like to protect, then it's a good idea. Happy planting, J&B's
@@JohnandBobs I had my county sewer department out to take a look at my line and he said replacing it with a PVC line would make it essentially bulletproof to tree roots … I wasn’t so enthusiastic about that and wondered if this as an additional protection would win my best interest, thanks for the info
@@jfire5118 Maybe even better than using a root barrier to protect your new pvc mainline would be to use a large pvc sleeve so that your mainline is protected by a larger pvc pipe acting as a sleeve for the pipe that is actually transporting water. - J&B'S
Here's my root story! We live in Tower and have beautiful deodor cedars in our yard, probably 80' tall. Unfortunately they are about 2' from the brick patio near our small pool house and have raised the brick about 8" over the last 7 years. I can't imagine how big the root is to be able to do that. Any suggestions? I took pictures but don't see a way to post them!
Call an excellent arborist like John Pape from Cobb's Tree Service to do root pruning and root barrier installation like we referenced in the video. He is very qualified to address your tree root problem!
Yes! The ones mentioned in the video from Deep Root are marketed for trees, but there are some sold specifically for bamboo. I believe either would work though because they are the same idea!
@@danielcarmona9243 absolutely! Most people use root barriers for protecting driveways/cement/etc but you could use them to protect anything from tree roots - like a french drain system! 😀
