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#1
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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) |
#2
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"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 |
#3
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"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. |
#4
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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? |
#5
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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. |
#6
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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) |
#7
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"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. |
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