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Tree Roots
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Posted by
tomg NC (
My Page) on
Thu, Aug 30, 12 at 14:26
| I think I know the answer, but . . . . . . I live in Charlotte, NC, and have a bermuda Tif419 lawn. The roots of my maple tree are starting to show through the lawn in a few spots. I was thinking that (next year) maybe I'd bring in some dirt and lay some Tif Grand under the tree (and on top of the roots). Is that fighting a battle I'll never win (i.e., will the roots poke through again)? Or should I just forget about grass there and lay down some more pine straw? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Tree Roots
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| This is more of a tree question than a lawn question but I happen to have some experience with tree roots. I have live oak trees in the front and an elm in the back. When the tree was young those same tree roots that you see now might have been three inches underground. Now the tree is older and those roots might be six inches in diameter. That puts them right at the soil level and that's what you are seeing. They will continue to grow in diameter, so it is possible to cover them with enough soil to keep them buried for many years. If you do it right you will have a soil surface profile that rises gradually over where the root(s) is/are without putting soil right up against the base of the tree. Many years ago I used zeolite kitty litter to bury a root. It is working great so far. |
RE: Tree Roots
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| Thanks dchall. OK, I'll bite, why did you use zeolite kitty litter? Is that better than sand/peat? |
RE: Tree Roots
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| LOL. I used it to prove a point to someone else. I needed the bulk. The claim was that zeolite was good for storing nutrients and giving it back to the plants slowly. BS! I piled up the zeolite to cover the root and I would defy anyone to find that spot based on the health of the grass on top. Zeolite in this instance is a special clay mined about 30 miles from where I live during the week. What an interesting journey to find that out. Someone else claimed that No, the kittylitter was the wrong zeolite that it had to be zeolite from a certain vendor. When I chased it all down, it turns out the kitty litter vendor and the vendor of choice get their zeolite from the same hole in the ground near Tilden, TX. Other than that, I would have used sand. Peat is an organic product that will eventually disappear completely leaving you with roots again. You need minerals that do not decompose. |
RE: Tree Roots
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| Zeolite from kitty litter is pretty good source to make Al's 5-1-1 mix for the container. VERY COST EFFECTIVE for sure, lol. If you had gotten it from nursery, it'd be 2-4 times the cost! |
RE: Tree Roots
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| I would look into mulching the area of the roots instead of growing grass. Besides the above ground roots, the grass will lose a battle for moisture and nutrients to the tree. You may win the battle for a year or two, but you can't win the war. |
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