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Monterey Pine roots in my well.
sweyn2
Posts: 5
Hi there, perhaps somebody could help.
In the corner of my garden in Cornwall I have a lovely large tree with a protection order on it.
Right next to the tree is my well and at some point over the last 100yrs the roots have burst through at various levels and dangle down to the water 9-10m below,
Some of these roots are about 1ft in diameter and I suspect are using a lot of water. This is an issue since the well also supplies my house.
If I remove roots, will the tree die or will the tree just grow more elswhere?
How about 1 at a time over a period of years?
I love the tree, but I would quite like a higher water level too..
Many thanks in advance.
Sweyn
0
Posts
Hi Philippa, I do have access to mains water as well, though I prefer my well water both because it tastes nice and because it's free!
I'd rather just leave it be rather than get permission to seriously damage it, I'm just interested to know whether root removal is a big deal for a tree like that or something it will shrug off?
I'm guessing it must have lots of other big roots or it would just blow over. we are in a very windy spot.
Difficult problem. The native habitat of Monterey Pine is not dissimilar to the climate of Cornwall. I know the climate and habitat of Monterey County, California where where this species originates (and may be endemic). My view is that it would not need the extra water from a well so it would be unlikely to die if you were to chop off the roots into the well. The existing stability is another matter and whether you would destabilise it by cutting off all the roots, I cannot say.
It's a beautiful tree and I do not think it would come to any harm if you cut off one of those big roots each year....just my opinion. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Last edited: 20 August 2016 19:31:02
The pieces of root that are in the well are providing no stability for the tree as they are just dangling there.
If it was my tree in my well I'd be down there with a saw. There will be oodles of root still left in the ground and I can't see there being any problem.
Might it be prudent to wait for dormancy? Don't know and maybe take one at a time as others have said? Probably.
Many thanks for all your help.
I will try removing a smaller root in the autumn and see what happens.
Sweyn
One more little question, is there a best thing to do when removing a root to avoid disease?