On 7/12/13 9:24 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
Cheryl writes:

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.

OKay I'm in southern NH and this root wasn't there went I built the
bed 20 years ago. I want to do a serious overhaul of the whole thing,
but this root is making this old lady achy.

You can leave them or remove them.
Depends at least partly on how much you value the trees.

I tend to remove them.

If you grab hold and pull, you're likely to make a big mess besides
all the hard work. If you just cut it, it's essentially gone.
A few years and it will grow back, but the downstream end is dead.

I use either loppers or an axe to cut the root.
Cut the segment under the flower bed at both ends, and it's pretty
easy to pull out.


I'll use the loppers as I find it in digging stuff up. Next week is
start marking more daylilies to either remove permanently from the
garden or just divide most of it. Ditto for the Siberian irises.

I'm just amazed that any tree would send out that long a root and it not
be a foot or more deep - like right to the water table.


C