On 7/12/13 7:42 AM, Pat Kiewicz wrote:
Cheryl Isaak said:


Okay - this is truly a mystery. There are a series of root that run what
seems to be the length of my long garden bed (very close the entire 100+
feet of my driveway) Usual depth is about 6 inches, few have been
deeper, less often shallower

Each time I find another, it's another fresh hell. They're usually about
1/2 inch in diameter, but yesterday's approaches one full inch. Roots of
garden plants I'm trying to divide grow down on either side of this
tough root resulting in very sore muscles.


Near the top of the bed is a Manchurian Crabapple with oaks, pines and
maples at the very top (typical New England woods). At the bottom of the
drive are my snowball viburnum, a clethra (sweet spire - native shrub)
and my neighbors ornamental evergreens.

The driveway goes downhill over its length (top being the house etc)
maybe 15 degrees. The base tends to stay damp unless there is a drought.

One or more of the trees at the top of the slope are following the lovely bit
of cultivated ground you built down to the moisture at the base of the slope.
A tree's root system spreads out a lot more than you would think--much
farther than the canopy.

When we put in our second raspberry patch, we found an amazingly large
root that ran like a shot from the mulberry tree in one neighbor's yard
and across a stretch of lawn straight to my vegetable garden. There was
another root that crossed from a different neighbor's yard directly
to my compost pile.

When yet another neighbor's white poplar tree was cut down, the extent
of the area its roots covered was revealed by the shoots they sent up.
They reached outward at least as far as the tree was tall, possibly more.



Well, lets hope which ever tree is sending these roots down the slope
survives with them cut. You don't want to know how much my knee hurts
today from trying to lift one medium sized daylily. This root has to be
over 100 feet from the tree.

I've cut that sucker on either side of the hole. At least when I lift
the next few, it won't be an issue on the down side of the bed.
Thanks Pat