Mature trees grow big roots, and those roots can cause harm to your home or property. The roots might grow above the ground and create liability issues with trip hazards. The roots can burrow under your driveway and cause the asphalt or concrete to heave and split. Even worse, big tree roots can grow under the foundation of your home and cause expensive foundation damage. If you're having problems with tree roots, call a tree service for help. Here are some possible solutions.
Remove The Tree Along With The Roots
The tree service might recommend removing the tree, especially if it is growing near your home as it could be an ongoing source of problems. Tree and stump removal can be done even if a tree is close against the house. However, stump removal can have some limitations when it comes to getting rid of all of the roots. Grinding can be done several inches deep, but it may not be possible to get roots much deeper than that. It might be necessary to kill the roots or pull them out depending on your situation.
In some cases, the tree service might recommend pulling out the stump rather than grinding it away. Pulling the stump out also pulls up the roots so the problem roots are eliminated. The drawback is that pulling out a stump takes a lot more disruptive work than grinding does.
Remove Some Roots Without Removing The Tree
It is sometimes possible to remove problem roots without killing the tree. However, this has to be done carefully since removing roots that are too large or removing too many roots at once could kill the tree. You don't want a dying tree to be close to your home. If a tree service determines removing some roots would solve your problem, they can cut away a certain percentage of the problem roots, making sure the health of the tree isn't in jeopardy.
Sometimes, tree roots support each other. The roots of the problem tree might share nutrients with a nearby tree. That means cutting down the tree or cutting away roots might not kill the roots deep under the ground.
Chemical treatments might be a solution for killing roots that can't be removed another way, but there's a risk the treatments will kill the nearby tree too. The tree service has to weigh the risks and benefits of each type of root removal technique before choosing the best way to end the situation with problem roots on your property.