I would try to find a different spot to plant.

Routing it away would involve a lot of digging and that sounds like work. Plus you woukd have to replace it correctly.

For sure these pvc pipes are better than old school pipes. But right where a huge trunk and its roots are going to be is no doubt too close.

See if the guy won't come over and explain his drawings. Maybe you found a different pvc pipe. Still don't wanna plant ON it.

Depending on what the pvc pipe is for, and your planned layout landscaping of your yard of where you want that tree, re-route the pipe if possible. Square the piping around the area of where you want to plant the tree. Lot of work I know, but the payoff is it's done right and your tree is where you want it for once that tree roots in and takes off, its in.

Until you figure out what it is, watch out for a control cable while digging around the pipe in case it turns out to be one of your sprinkler circuit supply lines. They usually try to keep the cable underneath the pipe for a bit of protection, but doesn't work everywhere and can be easily damaged by a shovel wherever it loops out to the side.

i never heard of hard PVC for irrigation .... so weird in fact.. i am baffled ... it just doesnt make sense... i feel that i.. we... might be missing something ..... maybe its a TX thing ....

irrigation pipe is usually black..one inch.. and rather soft.. compared to pvc ...

and i dont understand.. why you cant just move a few feet over ... why is the 'plan' so imperative????

tree roots are not going to invade ... an intact.. chemically welded pvc ... ever .. its not the issue ... IMHO ...

but a shovel will break it easy enough ....

nor have you explained.. what trees... a hundred year old oak is much different than say a rather small.. int hat it might heave teh line in 75 years or so .... in comparison to ???? ... redbud ... in other words.. what tree... might make a difference in how close ...

i think of gardening.. more as an art.. than a science... and i would never be stymied by not being able.. to plant a tree .. in some precise spot .... based on some drawing or chart .... find a spot.. dig a hole.. plant the tree ..

then go get the eraser.. and change the design.. lol ...

your work pants.. remind me on mine..

good luck

ken

yeah.. yeah.. yeah.. i saw what tree after i hit send ...

ken

Ken, PVC is still used extensively for sprinkler/spray head type lawn irrigation systems in much (most?) of Texas. Believe flex tube is becoming more common, but mainly between the PVC circuit branches and spray heads.

Roots don't invade, but do occasionally grow close enough to a pipe to cause trouble over time. An enlarging root on our Shumard gradually deformed the pipe and eventually caused leaks in a line passing 8 or 10 feet from the trunk. Only root damage we've ever had and was largely a freak of luck that the root grew close to a bend that limited the pipe's flexibility.