By Lija
United States 
I just purchaced a 4 foot monkey puzzle tree and want to plant it in the middle of my front lawn. I've dug 2 holes now and both times located the black plastic hose that feeds individual stations to my sprinkler system. I also have septic tanks under my front lawn. Are the root systems of the puzzle very aggressive. Can I plant the tree along side these lines?
Since the tree looks like a sculpture I'm trying to plant it to accent the front of my house.
2nd question. A few years back I planted 2 beautiful evergreens, one being a blue spruce in the ground in the large plastic containers they came in(3 ft diameter). They were in the ground like this for several years. Last summer, once the house was completed I freed them and both are doing beautifully. I read online I think, that the puzzle does well in containers. Can any one confirm this? And would this limit the growth and maturation or the tree? Thanks
19 Jun, 2016
Answers
There nice but..... they get Enormous, rather you than me, also I hope you have a big front garden :o))
19 Jun, 2016
Nothing should be planted over the drain field of a septic tank. You need to find a different (large) space for your tree.
19 Jun, 2016
Agree with Ladyessex and Stera not a good place to plant any tree and, as already said unless you have an very large front garden not a tree to plant at all...
19 Jun, 2016
Just a thought - why not use a real sculpture to do the accenting job? Won't get too big & won't damage the septic tank.
21 Jun, 2016
A large greenhouse grower, Barbara Rogers at Stonehedge Gardens in MA has a 7-ft Monkey Puzzle Tree successfully growing in a 2 1/2 ft. planter. She was going to harvest seeds for me put passed away.
Yes you can grow it in a container,
28 Sep, 2018
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the tree will become very large in time, living longer than the avregae human [or two!] so it will develop a large root system in time. They wont do well in containers. as for invading the septic tank etc I don't know. But I suspect they may well undermine the established lines.
see what any one else thinks.
welcome to GoY too :o)
19 Jun, 2016