Any way to save old tree as well as my yard?
miraklidou
Posts: 1
Hello all,
Facing a tough dilemma and thought maybe someone here has an idea of a way out...I have a small yard with a beautiful large magnolia tree...unfortunately it seems the roots are pushing up the yard cement tiles and even cracked a marble plaque at the entrance of the house (house is old and planning its restoration, so far there is no sign of elevation inside the house). I've been in the house six months now and there is a line of tiles from the tree to the house that are visibly more elevated than before - also rain water can't flow where it should in order to drain because of this hump. Architect mentioned cutting the tree down, had a gardener come round today, only thing he offered to do is prune the tree next spring but nothing he can do about the roots, also mentioned he'd cut it down if he were me. The yard will be retiled because the overall inclination and water draining is not great but not sure how long it would last before more humps appear. I've read magnolia tree roots grow horizontally close to the surface and should be planted about 50 feet away from a house, mine is about 3 feet away from my entrance! Wondering if there is a way to block the roots from going towards the house, any way to make the tree behave?! Also thinking about alternatives to tiles, just soil wouldn't work as my entrance is the same level as the yard, also thought to replace this line of tiles with a metal grid that would be easier to remove and put in place again... I think there is also the possibility of the opposite problem if the tree is cut and the ground perhaps sinks?... Perhaps a silly question, but really love this tree and also feel I don't have the right to, is there any way to keep it and save my tiled floor? Or if cutting it proves inevitable is there another shade providing tree that would not cause such problems at such short distance to the house? Thank you for reading on!
Posts
Magnolias are forest trees sometimes growing to hundreds of feet tall. Yours was planted far too close to the house, because they are slow growing it is some time before a problem shows.
The only remedy will be to cut it down and have the lumpy bits of roots removed. It will need time to allow any soil settlement before laying tiles etc. As your yard is small, and you want shade perhaps a canvas sail type awning might be an option, could be taken down for the winter, as all trees have roots which need to spread to provide anchorage and will drop leaves in the autumn, on your newly tiled ground.