I've got a sweetgum tree and the roots are now starting to come up through the grass, killing it, and I can see where this is going. I read the comments below about building planters around a tree trunk...does anyone have any other cosmetic solutions other than cutting the tree down?
Today's Photo
Tip of the Week: Time to divide iris
Featured Gardener
Sweetgum Horror
Mulch is your friend. Just keep a nice ring of mulch around the tree. This will cover up the roots. A 3 to 4 inch layer will do just fine. It does not matter if it is 8 to 10 feet out from the trunk. This is how trees are treated in beautiful arboretums.
I am not a big of fan of removal of roots! This is the reason. Roots are the main support system and uptake for the plant. Removal of roots is an ongoing battle. If you remove one now there will be another in a year of so. With a tree that is very prone to surface roots this will be ongoing. So there is a limit to how many roots can be removed.
Hope this helps - Dennis
Johnson County Extension
I would add I'm not a fan of root removal either.
[soapbox]
As someone who lives near the base of a hill in a neighborhood where the city arborist decided to line the streets with sweetgums about 30-40 years ago resulting in a mass of those stupid *&^%# balls clogging the storm drains, twisting ankles and coming up everywhere - I AM all for removing the tree.
They are beautiful trees - in the woods.
All I can figure out is that the city arborist's relative or something must have owned the nursery.
[/soapbox]
You can say that again! The sweetgums on our block raised the sidewalks up about a foot in front of every house. Not to mention the massive yellow pollen in the spring followed by billions of balls. We moved two blocks south on the same street where there were no sweetgums. What a relief!
One can remove some surface roots (sometimes called "grubbing") and at the same time prune some of the tree to balance out what was removed.
Eventually the roots will be back and this is only a temporary solution. It is probably best left to someone who knows what they are doing.
User login
Featured Stories
I talked to a master gardener a few years back who had just paid to have her sweetgum torn out for this very reason. That seems a radical solution, though. - Craig