I have 3 1/2 lots of yard to play with, and about 5 1/2 lots of tree roots! They are all over the place! I am getting so frustrated with trying to find a spot to plant something, and almost immediately hitting roots. And we're not talking about those little wimpy things, these are thick and extremely hardy!
What do I do?? I have thought about putting in more dirt in some areas, but I can't afford to cover my whole yard with it. And even if I do put dirt in, will the plants grow "around" the roots, or will this affect their growth?
Thanks for the advice!
Rhonda
Tree Roots A'Plenty!
I hope someone else has a suggestion.... My yard is clay. I do have some hosta planted under some trees and I just kept poking around till I could find a spot that they would fit... I also made a wood frame and have a raised bed. . .and lots of containers. Wish I could tell you more. Some trees don't like dirt on top of the roots that are showing. I'm sure someone here will offer more help.
Thanks, Aunt B..the raised beds are a good idea, tho!
Luv2dig---- what kind of trees you talking about and what kind of plants you want to put in. some plants will grow fine in tree roots. Raised bed and pots like AuntB suggest work real well. In time however the tree roots will come up into the raised beds.
AuntB---- My Hosta exist very well with tree roots. I also have extremely rocky ground and they do well in that also. I think they would have a lot more trouble in clay. I do not think hosta require nearly as much water as some people think and clay soil can cause a lot of problems related to drainage. I only keep minis and small hosta in pots. The rest from medium to giants are all out in the ground.
I guess that maybe seedlings or seeds would do better to plant around the roots? I have been trying to either plant large plants, or clear areas for trellis', posts, that sort of thing were I need it to be deeper. I have a range of trees, ozarkian....pine, cedar, magnolia, elm, maple(trees you have to lean back to look up at!) and then I have lots of bushes that were planted probably when the house was built in the 60's. The roots from the bushes are still a pain to deal with, but much easier to get rid of......I keep hoping it will kill the bushes, but no luck with that so far!
luv, apply Tordon RTU mixed with equal parts diesel fuel(I know Oz, here I go again with that diesel fuel)to killl out shrubs, small trees, etc. Cut them off at ground lever and give the stump a good big dose of the mixture. Seldom will you have to apply it a second time.
I also just take a hatchet, saw, or sharp spade to cut off roots. If you remove a section of root, most of the ends will just die and decay. A few kinds of shrubs and trees will make new growth anyway. If you will treat the cut surface of the end section it is less likely to survive. The more cuts you make in a root and remove sections & treat the surfaces of the pieces left in the ground the less likely it is to survive.
Thanks, leaflady.....I think that will definately give me something to do this fall/winter!