Tree roots seeking moisture and nutrients often become intrusive, causing significant property damage that necessitates their removal. These aggressive root systems can exploit weaknesses in underground infrastructure, cracking and clogging water lines, sewer pipes, and septic systems. Above ground, expanding roots can cause hardscaping to heave, resulting in cracked driveways, sidewalks, and patios, and destabilizing retaining walls. Eliminating problematic roots safely and effectively requires a systematic approach to ensure the root’s destruction and the protection of surrounding property and utilities.
Determining the Root’s Source and Location
The first step in addressing an intrusive root is to confirm its source and whether it is still alive. A healthy, living root appears lighter in color, moist, and firm when cut or scraped, while a dead root is dark brown or black, brittle, and shriveled. Roots attached to a living tree require a cautious removal strategy; cutting too many roots too close to the trunk can compromise the tree’s health, leading to instability or death.
Before any digging or cutting occurs, locating underground utilities is an absolute requirement. Homeowners must call 811, the national call-before-you-dig service, to have all buried lines, including gas, electric, water, and communication cables, professionally marked at no cost. This service ensures that the root’s path is mapped relative to utility lines, preventing catastrophic damage or injury during the removal process. Understanding the root’s path relative to your property line is also important, especially if it originates from a neighbor’s tree, as this involves potential legal considerations.
Methods for Physical Root Removal
For surface roots or exposed root masses, physical removal offers the most immediate results, though it is often the most labor-intensive approach. Smaller roots can be severed using manual tools like loppers or a sharp pruning saw, while thicker roots may require a reciprocating saw or an axe. When cutting roots, aim to make clean cuts to prevent tearing the wood, which makes removal easier and reduces stress on the remaining root system.
Roots exposed after a tree has been cut down can often be removed by stump grinding. A stump grinder chips away the remaining stump and accessible root crown, eliminating the source of future sprouts and surface tripping hazards. For larger root systems, a shovel and mattock can be used to manually dig a trench around the root ball, exposing the roots so they can be cut, pried loose, and physically removed. Following removal, a root barrier can be installed vertically into the ground to provide an obstruction against future root growth in a specific area.
Accelerating Root Decay Using Chemical Treatments
To kill the remaining root tissue and accelerate its natural decomposition, two primary chemical treatment approaches are effective. The most powerful method involves applying a systemic herbicide, such as one containing a high concentration of glyphosate, directly to freshly cut root surfaces. The herbicide must be applied immediately to the living tissue (sapwood) to ensure the chemical is transported down to the rest of the root system. This technique is typically used only on roots belonging to a tree that has already been cut down, as applying it to a root attached to a living tree risks killing the parent tree.
A less aggressive, non-herbicide method uses substances to accelerate natural decay by drawing out moisture and promoting microbial activity. High-nitrogen fertilizer, such as a granular formula with a high first number in the NPK ratio, can be drilled into holes in the root or stump. This influx of nitrogen feeds decay-causing fungi and bacteria, speeding up the decomposition of the wood tissue. Similarly, Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) can be packed into drilled holes. The salt acts as a desiccant, drawing moisture out of the root cells, which encourages dieback.
Essential Safety and Property Line Precautions
Exercising caution is paramount when undertaking any root removal project, especially concerning underground infrastructure. Reconfirming that a utility locator service, like 811, has marked all buried lines is necessary before breaking ground with any digging or drilling tool. Striking a utility line can result in severe injury, service outages, or costly repairs. Always wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including heavy gloves, safety glasses, and sturdy footwear, particularly when using power tools or handling chemical agents.
Chemical application demands extreme care to prevent environmental damage and harm to desirable plants. Systemic herbicides should be applied precisely to the target area, avoiding runoff or overspray that could affect surrounding vegetation through soil contamination or root uptake.
When dealing with roots that cross property lines, you generally have the right to trim or remove roots only up to the boundary. However, if your action causes the neighbor’s living tree to die or become unstable, you can be held legally liable for the damage.