Dealing with roots from neighbours' trees
 

There are a few trees, mostly ash trees, growing right next to the fence in a
neighbour's garden. The ash trees are not old- about 20 feet high and
apparently seeded in the wrong place and allowed to grow there. Only when I
tried to dig a hole to plant a rose (in my garden) did I realise the extent
of the problem- those roots are seriously invading my garden! My neoighbour
does not want to remove these tress and says she loves them. This could well
be true.

I need to dig down next to the fence and cut them off and then install some
sort of barier to prevent further incursions. it is not a well-maintaned
garden next door and there are brambles and bindweed that I also want to
block off.

As it is I think I'll dig down to the clay (not more than about a foot down)
making a trench along my side of the fence and put some heavy duty black
polythene in there as a barrier, probably folded double. Right next to the
trees I might also insert some leftover laminate flooring planks as they are
mostly synthetic (a veneer of real wood, the rest is fibreglass or similar)
and will be impermeable to roots- just as an extra safeguard- the polythene
could be enough but I might as well be sure.

Any feedback on this- is there anything I've forgotten or not considered or
any warnings of how this can all go horribly wrong?

The only thing I can think of is that if I cut off 40% of a tree's roots on
one side it could possibly die, or without those roots to anchor it on that
side it could get blown over- luckily not in my direction though! And maybe I
should paint the cut-off root surfaces with somethng to seal them.

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

"VX" wrote in message
s.com...
There are a few trees, mostly ash trees, growing right next to the fence
in a
neighbour's garden. The ash trees are not old- about 20 feet high and
apparently seeded in the wrong place and allowed to grow there. Only when
I
tried to dig a hole to plant a rose (in my garden) did I realise the
extent
of the problem- those roots are seriously invading my garden! My
neoighbour
does not want to remove these tress and says she loves them. This could
well
be true.

I need to dig down next to the fence and cut them off and then install
some
sort of barier to prevent further incursions. it is not a well-maintaned
garden next door and there are brambles and bindweed that I also want to
block off.

As it is I think I'll dig down to the clay (not more than about a foot
down)
making a trench along my side of the fence and put some heavy duty black
polythene in there as a barrier, probably folded double. Right next to the
trees I might also insert some leftover laminate flooring planks as they
are
mostly synthetic (a veneer of real wood, the rest is fibreglass or
similar)
and will be impermeable to roots- just as an extra safeguard- the
polythene
could be enough but I might as well be sure.

Any feedback on this- is there anything I've forgotten or not considered
or
any warnings of how this can all go horribly wrong?


dont underestimate the ability of roots to work their way through a barrier.
Make it twice as impermeable as you think it ought to be :-) I have roots
from a silver birch coming 20ft or so into my garden.

The only thing I can think of is that if I cut off 40% of a tree's roots
on
one side it could possibly die, or without those roots to anchor it on
that
side it could get blown over- luckily not in my direction though! And
maybe I
should paint the cut-off root surfaces with somethng to seal them.

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

You are right it could possibly die. Have no idea what the legal
implications would be if that happened. I doubt painting the root ends would
work there would be far too many to be practical its not like cutting off
one branch.


--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

"VX" wrote in message
s.com...
There are a few trees, mostly ash trees, growing right next to the
fence in a
neighbour's garden. The ash trees are not old- about 20 feet high and
apparently seeded in the wrong place and allowed to grow there. Only
when I
tried to dig a hole to plant a rose (in my garden) did I realise the
extent
of the problem- those roots are seriously invading my garden! My
neoighbour
does not want to remove these tress and says she loves them. This
could well
be true.

I need to dig down next to the fence and cut them off and then install
some
sort of barier to prevent further incursions. it is not a
well-maintaned
garden next door and there are brambles and bindweed that I also want
to
block off.

As it is I think I'll dig down to the clay (not more than about a foot
down)
making a trench along my side of the fence and put some heavy duty
black
polythene in there as a barrier, probably folded double. Right next to
the
trees I might also insert some leftover laminate flooring planks as
they are
mostly synthetic (a veneer of real wood, the rest is fibreglass or
similar)
and will be impermeable to roots- just as an extra safeguard- the
polythene
could be enough but I might as well be sure.

Any feedback on this- is there anything I've forgotten or not
considered or
any warnings of how this can all go horribly wrong?

The only thing I can think of is that if I cut off 40% of a tree's
roots on
one side it could possibly die, or without those roots to anchor it on
that
side it could get blown over- luckily not in my direction though! And
maybe I
should paint the cut-off root surfaces with somethng to seal them.

--
VX (remove alcohol for email

This site should help you solve your problem:

http://tinyurl.com/bts4g

More of the same:

http://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/planning/trees.htm

Regards,
Emrys Davies.




Regards,
Emrys Davies.

Emrys Davies wrote:

This site should help you solve your problem:

http://tinyurl.com/bts4g

More of the same:

http://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/planning/trees.htm

Regards,
Emrys Davies.




Is New Zealand part of the UK now?

On Tue, 31 May 2005 10:55:52 +0100, VX
wrote:

There are a few trees, mostly ash trees, growing right next to the fence in a
neighbour's garden. The ash trees are not old- about 20 feet high and
apparently seeded in the wrong place and allowed to grow there. Only when I
tried to dig a hole to plant a rose (in my garden) did I realise the extent
of the problem- those roots are seriously invading my garden! My neoighbour
does not want to remove these tress and says she loves them. This could well
be true.

I need to dig down next to the fence and cut them off and then install some
sort of barier to prevent further incursions. it is not a well-maintaned
garden next door and there are brambles and bindweed that I also want to
block off.

As it is I think I'll dig down to the clay (not more than about a foot down)
making a trench along my side of the fence and put some heavy duty black
polythene in there as a barrier, probably folded double. Right next to the
trees I might also insert some leftover laminate flooring planks as they are
mostly synthetic (a veneer of real wood, the rest is fibreglass or similar)
and will be impermeable to roots- just as an extra safeguard- the polythene
could be enough but I might as well be sure.

Any feedback on this- is there anything I've forgotten or not considered or
any warnings of how this can all go horribly wrong?

The only thing I can think of is that if I cut off 40% of a tree's roots on
one side it could possibly die, or without those roots to anchor it on that
side it could get blown over- luckily not in my direction though! And maybe I
should paint the cut-off root surfaces with somethng to seal them.

These 20 foot ash trees are capable of growing to more than 100 feet
and often do!
I have a similar problem with municipal lime trees outside my fence on
a highway verge. I suspect my entire garden has a root network from
them. Certainly every time I dig I find them. I just cut off and pull
out as much as I can. I've got cherry, pear and plum trees of my own
and neither side seems to suffer from the presence of the other and
I've never attacked the roots of the Council trees anywhere like
enough to damage them. I just regard it as occasional 'root pruning'.
I think that trying to stop horizontally spreading shallow tree roots
is doomed to be a constantly losing battle. Obviously they will draw
moisture and nutrients from the soil (that's why they're there) but
they don't seem to affect too much what I grow, apart from making
digging hard work. Add to that the massive autumnal leaf fall and the
prolific spring seedlings from them. Such is gardening life!
Bindweed is probably unblockable. It just goes deeper and deeper and
pops up everywhere. Brambles can be a nuisance too because their
roots throw up suckers often at quite a distance from the parent
plant, and the canes will root where they touch ground. At least ash
trees don't do that.

On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:39:42 +0100, Emrys Davies wrote
(in message ):

This site should help you solve your problem:

http://tinyurl.com/bts4g

More of the same:

http://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/planning/trees.htm

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

Thanks for that- although ts probably a good thing that i didn't print it out
and give it to my neighbour as a clear explanation of the legal situation-
which was what I was considering- unitl I realised it wasn't UK law but NZ
law! Anyway this inspired me to find a UK equivalent and i found these:

http://www.letsgogardening.co.uk/Inf...deninglaws.htm

http://www.boundary-problems.co.uk/mainneighbours.htm

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/fol/trees_law.html

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

"VX" wrote in message
s.com...
On Tue, 31 May 2005 11:39:42 +0100, Emrys Davies wrote
(in message ):

This site should help you solve your problem:

http://tinyurl.com/bts4g

More of the same:

http://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/planning/trees.htm

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

Thanks for that- although ts probably a good thing that i didn't print
it out
and give it to my neighbour as a clear explanation of the legal
situation-
which was what I was considering- unitl I realised it wasn't UK law
but NZ
law! Anyway this inspired me to find a UK equivalent and i found
these:

http://www.letsgogardening.co.uk/Inf...deninglaws.htm

http://www.boundary-problems.co.uk/mainneighbours.htm

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/fol/trees_law.html

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

Glad you sussed that out in time. I got carried away thinking they were
relevant sites, but I should have spotted the NZ aspects.

Good luck.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.