I have 4 large (15-year-old) liquid amber trees whose surface roots are wreaking havoc with my lawn and sidewalks. Can I remove these surface roots without hurting the trees?
eskie lover
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I killed mine trying to cut out the surface roots. It was a real bummer, too. The roots were invading my patio, a retaining wall and heading toward the foundation of my house. Plus, it was really hard to cut out the roots! I didn't realize that I damaged the plant until the next season when branches started to die. My arborist had to come out and remove the tree, which was really expensive. Evidently, I cut into a feeder root.
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Before you try to do it yourself, I would call a tree specialist to analyze the situation. I wish I had, they may have been able to accomplish my goals without killing the tree.
Anonymous
Liquid Amber Tree
Nathanial
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RE:
Can I cut surface roots of liquid amber trees without compromising their health?
I have 4 large (15-year-old) liquid amber trees whose surface roots are wreaking havoc with my lawn and sidewalks. Can I remove these surface roots without hurting the trees?
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The roots of maples can be covered with mulch or soil 2-3" deep, however, maple roots will soon come up into any soil you put over them, and you will have the same problem all over again. They are to an extent self-weeding (called alleopathy) like black walnuts, and don't like grass to be growing under them. I have an old one in my yard, with surface roots that prevent my mowing under it. I planted violets under it as a ground cover, which the tree doesn't seem to mind, as they are still alive. I have tried ajuga and hostas, with little success. Your other option is just to mulch under it with wood chips or bark a couple of inches deep, being sure to keep it away from the trunk where it could cause disease and insect problems. You won't hurt your tree with that amount of mulch. Sod just won't work, it will gradually die out, as much from the competition from those greedy maple roots as the alleopathy. I would not use fresh chips as their decaying process depletes the nitrogen in the soil. Composted wood chips or bark is better.