Can I remove a four inch root?

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I've got a sugar maple tree. I'm building a small raised bed approximately 3 feet x 20 feet. I found a four inch root in that bed and would like to remove it. I want to eliminate as many tree roots so that they don't invade my new raised garden too soon. My husband says not to cut that root because it helps stabilize our tree. Our maple tree is approximately 12 feet away and it has the diameter of about 20 inches. I would say it is over 60 years old and it is very close to our house. Removing this one larger root wouldn't make that much difference would it? I can't see our tree falling because one root was removed.

Featured Answer

callirhoe123

6 years ago

I once forgot about a plastic bag of compost under a maple tree. When I later tried to pick it up, it couldn't be removed due to all the tree roots that had grown into it. Is there anywhere else you can put the new bed?

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Comments (7)

whaas_5a
6 years ago
Its a crap shoot - you could get rot or it will respond with putting out many fiborous roots.

Lose lose if you remove it.

This also tells me you‘re putting this raised bed on the root system - bad news for almost any tree.

Find another spot.
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked whaas_5a
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
probably wouldnt hurt the tree ...

but it will cause the tree to put out a bazillion new feeder roots ... right in your new bed ... been thee.. done that ...

imo.. leave it there.. and work around it ...

ken
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
Original Author
6 years ago
New feeder roots is not what I want! I guess I remember a couple of folks mentioning that they had cleared an area of roots and then built a raised bed. I believe they also used spin out fabric to line the bed. Not sure how long the area remained tree root free.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
its i your name.. hosta... and you know those peeps have all the experience working under trees ...

and i suspect you are praying for a different answer from the tree peeps ... lol.. good luck with that ...

im not sure i ever heard of lining a whole bed with spinout material .. but.. to be honest ... i dont pay a lot of attention to those type posts/replies ... so maybe it is a thing ...

see you in the hosta forum ....

ken
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
Embothrium
6 years ago
Dump well aerated (high organic content) topsoil on top of existing ground and plant in that, instead of digging into the root filled level below.
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada thanked Embothrium
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
Original Author
6 years ago
Sorry whaas, I didn't see your comment. "Find another spot." There are no other spots.

Callirhoe, I perfectly understand about the compost bag and the tree roots going into it.

Embothrium, dumping topsoil on top of existing ground---that helps the tree, but how does that help my plants? The roots will just grow into that new topsoil as it did Callirhoe's compost bag. Don't forget, I have a drainage problem as the property beside me and the property behind me are higher than I am. So the raised bed should help a lot with that.

There's not much you can do when your backyard has two 40 foot trees within a yard that is 50 feet by 40 feet.

And you know what I am most surprised about? No one has ever said (friends, relatives or arborists): How do you manage to grow so many plants under these trees?