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How far to Lawson/Leyland Cypress roots go?

Kty2Kty2 Posts: 12
in Plants
Hi everyone,
We have a tall Cypress tree in our garden - not sure if it is Lawson or Leyland type. We are thinking of getting it removed - it is more than 35 feet tall and casts shade over our house. Summers are ok but in winters it really blocks the daylight. But before going ahead with it want to be sure if after cutting the tree, roots could die and affect our house!
Cheers

Posts

  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I believe they are quite shallow rooting  but presumably at that height, you will be employing a professional to remove the tree ?  They should then be able to advise you on the root system.
    You don't say how close to your house the tree is sited.
    Hopefully someone else with experience will be able to offer more advice :)  
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    The roots are shallow, at an educated guess I would say about 2x the spread of the top growth.  But very wiry and quick rotting for both types.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I would take the advice of a fully qualified tree surgeon. Heave can be a problem with large trees but professional advice is what you need in my opinion.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    The roots don’t go too deep but they spread quite widely . Don’t do it yourself ! 
  • Kty2Kty2 Posts: 12
    Hiya, thanks everyone. No am not thinking of DIY. Will ask a tree surgeon to do it but prefer to learn about things before hiring someone. 

    The tree is quite old possibly not as old as the house (1930s) but may be it is. It has a diameter of 3+ meters at the bottom, but the trunk is split into 7 smaller co-dominant trunks. It was definitely trimmed (topping?) at some point in the past. So cannot say how tall it would be undisturbed. Now it is around 35-40 feet. The trunk(s) is atleast 10-12 meters away from the house. 
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