Ridding ones yard of exposed tree roots?

[Fred Voorhees]

I live in an area with a high water table. Because of that, I have had an increasing amount of exposed tree roots making their way through the surface of my yard over the years. It has become increasingly hard to mow the entire yard without avoiding certain areas because the mower now clips the tops of the roots and I would like to avoid any damage to the mower (especially since I bought a brand new Simplicity last year). I have thought of renting a stump grinder to grind them away, but I have so many spots in the yard to do and a stump grinder - as much as I know - is a cumbersome and just plain heavy machine to be trudging all around the yard to gring up little roots here and there. Does anyone have any ideas about how to move forward with this problem or know of a smaller, more maneuverable stump grinder that I might be able to rent? I'm tired of this problem.

[James Stokes]

There are several differant types of stump grinders. Some are less than 3 ft wide and self propelled. That will do what you need the other option is to bring in dirt and cover everything.
I am in the process of clearing a lot that I have that is over grown with trees, I am doing it the hard way with a grubbing hoe, ax and shovel. I have been working on it a little every day for about 3 weeks now. Today I dug out 3 stumps and cut all of the roots around the stump to get it out. A stump grinder would save me a lot of work but I need the exercise.

[Kevin Barnett]

Maples? I think they're just going to be that way. My experience says Silver Maples are the worst. If that's what you have, get rid of the Silver Maples. They're not a strong tree anyway.

[David G Baker]

Fred,
I have similar problems that have plagued me for several years. My solution was top-soil. I knew that I couldn't risk taking out a bunch of roots without the risk of having trees fall during a wind storm. Most of my trees in the problem areas are quite healthy and are very nice to look at during the Summer and Fall (Maple). Cutting the roots and digging them out could do serious harm to the trees. If I dug up the roots I would also damage the existing lawn so I took what I considered was the best approach for my situation. I brought in a bunch of top soil and lightly covered the exposed roots with around 1/2 inch of top-soil. I waited until the existing grass grew through the new soil and was well established, then I added another 1/2 inch of top-soil. I kept this up for two seasons. Eventually I ended up with nicely covered roots and a nice looking grassy area where the roots were.
I kept the top-soil that I had delivered covered with a heavy tarp so it wouldn't start raising a crop of weeds.
I also tear up my lawn when I pull out junk bushes with my old John Deere. The wheels spin and create a trench of torn up lawn. I use a similar method to repair this damage.

[Leigh Costello]

We had a HUGE silver maple - 39" in diam. - cut down last spring. Our insurance agent breathed sigh of relief as did our collective household. The roots just seem to rise for no good reason. We have other maples that do the same thing. We just chop them out. Might be bad for the tree, might even kill the tree, but that is what we do.

[Scott Shepherd]

I've heard that they rise to reach oxygen. If the soil is compact or clayish, I think it starves them of oxygen, which makes them rise to the surface for it. Whether or not that's true, I don't know, but it's what I was told by a guy that's into that world.

[Brent Leonard]

I've not been able to find a stump grinder to rent. I havn't looked too terribly hard, but I was told they are so dangerous for the layman (just think of your mechanically challenged neighbor or brother in law!!), the liability was more than most rental owners are willing to assume.
I'm sure they are out there to rent somewhere though.

I too have the problem, but it is not near as bad as yours is, it sounds like.

I vote stump grinder.

[Mike Wilkins]

I may have to consider a stump grinder for my tree root problem. I have some pine trees about 8 feet from the driveway, and the roots are wrecking havoc on the concrete. Would love to cut the trees down, but they are on the other side of the property line(neighbor might not care anyway, with all the tree sap and bird crap on the vehicles).

[Fred Voorhees]

I've heard that they rise to reach oxygen. If the soil is compact or clayish, I think it starves them of oxygen, which makes them rise to the surface for it. Whether or not that's true, I don't know, but it's what I was told by a guy that's into that world.

I have gone along with this line of thought for years and you are probably right because I (1) have a high water table (2) have heavy clay soil and (3) these both would contribute to a minimum oxygon content in the soil. It has just gotten so terribly worse this year and I have a new lawn tractor that is suffering due to the root problem.

[David Freed]

I always just let the lawn mower cut them down in my yard. If the mower hit a root, I would lower the blade another notch and drive over it real slow. If you go too fast you can bend a blade. :rolleyes:
I have 1 1/2 acres and have used the same cheap lawn mower for several years.

[Bob Rufener]

If there aren't too many roots exposed (and I have no clue as to what means too many), and if the roots aren't huge, you can take an axe and cut the roots and dig them out. I'd do a few at a time and wait a year in between to see if the tree is surviving ok.

[David G Baker]

Adding soil to rise above the roots works. As I posted earlier, it has worked well for me for years. It takes a while but it does work and does not harm the trees.

[Steve Southwood]

I take a axe and shave the tops off ground level. Takes a while but it works. Once this is done, over the years, the lawn mower will keep them at a good level. Like posted before go slow as not to bend a blade.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Adding soil to rise above the roots works. As I posted earlier, it has worked well for me for years. It takes a while but it does work and does not harm the trees.

That's the only route. Nicking the roots can let disease in to the tree.
he only thing you gotta keep in mind when adding earth is that the roots want to be in that part of the soil where there is aerobic microbial activity. Below that it becomes sterile and he roots don't do well. Adding earth raises this layer up by the amount of earth. it takes a little while for the feeder roots to find the higher elevations so don't add a whole foot thick of earth at a time. Chances about 4 to 6" will do you fine.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

David and Cliff's points get my vote, but if you must risk permanantly damaging the tree, look for a Toro Dingo to rent. It's a mini skid steer loader, and they can use a Toro stump grinder attachment. Your local rental place probably knows about one. I bought one not long ago, and they are one heck off a tool.

[William Payer]

Fred,

I am in the camp of keeping the roots and covering them to smooth out the yard terrain. We have 5 large maples in our yard (and two oaks) We have heavy clay soil and find the roots can be covered and the yard kept smooth enough to run my riding mower at full speed with no problems.

Add soil when you first notice a root is becoming a "speed bump", seed if necessary, and both you and the tree can coexist....

[Steve Clardy]

I always just let the lawn mower cut them down in my yard. If the mower hit a root, I would lower the blade another notch and drive over it real slow. If you go too fast you can bend a blade. :rolleyes:
I have 1 1/2 acres and have used the same cheap lawn mower for several years.


My dear departed mother did the same with an old oak tree in the front yard. She kept them trimmed off. :rolleyes:

Dad just shook his head. :D

[Ben Hatcher]

Adding more than 1" of soil on top of the roots, especially the 3' closest to the trunk can suffocate the tree and kill it. David's technique, though time consuming, is the one recommended by arborists.

[Thomas Stephenson]

Well I,ve never been to Jersey so I don,t know about your soil conditions. Here in Atl. we have dense red clay. I,ve landscaped for several yrs here and in that time I have come across this problem several times at customers homes. Any cutting or burying too deep will kill the tree. I usually prefer to keep the tree whenever possible so I recommend to my customers a large island around under the tree canopy and then plant it with a suitable groundcover. Down here people like english ivey which is o.k. but must be maintained to discourage climbing up the tree. Vinca/Lirope/Pachysandra work well but until established keeping weeds out of the island can be a lot of maint. Do not lay down black plastic it will suffocate the tree. Most of the time a 15 to 20 foot diameter island is sufficient enough and you will have less grass to mow and a place to blow leaves,just don.t smother the groundcover.Mark out a suitable size with an old hose, buy a gallon of round-up and spray inside the hose on a non-windy day. Wait a week spray any spots you missed then add a few inches of topsoil where you intend to plant. Find a reputable nursery and by either bare-root or cellpak plants and have at it, start at least a foot apart and follow the hose move in 1 foot and split your centers until you get close to the trunk. Mulch heavily to discourage weed growth and enjoy, Tommyt

[Fred Voorhees]

The only problem with adding topsoil over the roots is that I have numerous (read that upwards of maybe twenty or thirty spots) where the roots are popping through the surface.....and not only near the tree itself. Some are right out in the middle of the yard. This makes it hard to accept the cover with soil method as my yard would look like a golf course with all of the dips and mounds and without the nice green color. :( My soil is not soil, it is heavy clay and this is what makes me beleive that it's that fact that makes the roots come up for some air instead of being down in the heavy clay. I really don't think I have a choice but to go out and have at the roots with something that will cut them back to below the surface. Only then will I do anything with any topsoil - and that will be to fill in the holes left over from the remedy. I just want to accomplish the task with as little energy expelled as possible.

[Scott Shepherd]

Green Sand is one method of helping your soil become more friendly to oxygen. It will sift down into the clay and make it loose,allowing more oxygen, and less need for the roots to come up. Since they are already up at the top, it might take a combination of green sand and 1" of dirt over it, and add green sand a couple of times a year.

[David G Baker]

I don't recall if I was clear about the top soil that I add to my lawn to help with covering the tree roots. I never add any significant amount of soil, I sprinkle small amounts that go down around the existing grass and does not cover it. The process takes quite a bit of time if done correctly. I have also used sand and due to the small amount of sand or soil added it isn't visible after watering or the first rain.