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shobha

By Shobha

London, United Kingdom Gb

I have planted 8 golden elm in the front garden very near to the wall.
My question is -can the roots damage the foundation or wall of my house?
Shobha




Answers

 

roots never destroy anything unless there is a crack In the walls or foundations then they will push through (only big cracks)

17 Dec, 2014

 

Plant first and ask questions later. In the old American west we call that shooting from the hip. Yes, damage can be done well beyond what you have mentioned, but, first things first. As the trees grow root pressure can cause the wall of the house foundation to buckle inward weakening it. Also it will cause cracks in the foundation which if you have a basement, will lead to water weeping though those cracks causing further damage. Tree roots will find their way into your sewer pipes causing clogging and backups. Roots growing under your foundation will cause uneven settling of your house foundation leading to wall cracking inside your home. Roots growing under walkways around the home will cause them rise, crack and buckle. Above ground you will find tree limbs scraping against your house making harm to its siding. Leaves, broken branches and other tree debris will clog the house gutters and downspouts leading to further water damage to your house foundation. Squirrels, mice, raccoons and rats will use the tree limbs as a ladder to find a way to get into your home. Now, since you have planted 8 trees, how was your spacing? Planting them too close together will cause root system so tangled and dense the soil will be as hard as concrete and water will not percolate through the soil well enough for adequate hydration. Tree limbs will be tangled and rub against each other to cause bark damage leading to insect infestations and fungal growth. The trees themselves will be competing for light causing limb entanglement and deformity.
This is just to name a few of the problems encountered when one considers planting trees close to a home or wall in general.
Of course, you have just planted these trees and you will see none of this now but in the years to come some of the problems I have mentioned will occur and when the time comes for you to sell your home, there not only could be structural problems but financial ones too.

17 Dec, 2014

 

I'm back, had to take my pups for their morning compfort walk. One more thing I thought of while walking them.....Never underestimate the power of a plant. :)

17 Dec, 2014

 

thought you overestimated it...

17 Dec, 2014

 

From overestimating to underestimating, the proper balance lies somewhere in between.

17 Dec, 2014

 

My advice would be to move them apsap before they get established. Apart from the root damage you may get later there wil be no room for the branches to develop properly. This plant attains an ultimate height of 10 metres with a wide spread. As Loosetrife says, investigate a plant before you buy it. Even if you intend to keep them clipped as a hedge they are stillmuch too near the house.

Roots can indeed cause cracks in walls and undermine foundations whether the wall was sound or not.
Even a tree planted several metres from a building can cause damage to sewer pipes if not the walls. (Speaking from experience here, not theory)

Also we have a 5-6foot beech hedge alongside our veg garden and I can assure you the roots go a long way.

Or have you bought the fastigiate variety that grow very narrow like a poplar?

17 Dec, 2014

 

roots don't destroy walls unless there are already cracks in the wall -.-

17 Dec, 2014

 

its most likely to keep changing the soil composition under the foundations than actually attack them directly at first . when the soil dries it will shrink and wet it will grow . your whole house will crack not just a wall and then the roots will go into the cracks . a shrub did this to my mother in laws bungalow and she had to cut the one shrub down and have the corner of her abode underpinned which was very costly . imagine what all those trees will do .

17 Dec, 2014

 

WLB sorry a tree's roots can destroy a perfectly good wall over time as NP's mother in law knows to her cost it would seem. I've seen retaining walls damaged to the point of needing replacing and sewers blocked with tree roots, all very costly to repair or replace. I'd be removing those trees immediately.

17 Dec, 2014

 

Wlb sorry to be blunt but you are mistaken. It can be expensive for enquirers when replies insist on wrong advice. I have seen sewers blocked and sound concrete cracked and lifted by tree roots.

17 Dec, 2014

 

I agree with sg and mg just put the common green bamboo and plant it near a path,wall,house and or sewers and watch what that does let alone tree roots .

17 Dec, 2014

 

I am thinking of some tarmac roads around here with trees along the verge. The surface of the road is corrugated where the roots have lifted the tarmac and broken through in places. This damage is visible and easily identified as being caused by the trees. Damage to the foundations of a house will not show for some time.

17 Dec, 2014

 

Wlb, I agree with Mg , Sg, Bh, Np, and loosestrife, tree roots can certainly damage walls, and as has already been said, the damage will not be seen for a while, but tree roots are definitely stronger than bricks and mortar, Derek.

17 Dec, 2014

 

I'll add my two-penny worth too.
the water the roots remove can cause the soil to dry and crack leading to subsidence. as the ground moves the stresses placed on a sound wall/foundation will in time 'move' causing the wall to crack /collapse.

19 Dec, 2014

How do I say thanks?

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