Tree question

gerky

A neighbor has asked me to get them a few trees so I was thinking hazel,silver birch,and oak.
The only thing I'd be concerned about is to make sure the roots wont get to big I'm not concerned about the oak as they wont be near the buildings.
So does anyone know how far the roots on hazel,birch go out and would they do any damage to water pipes and such Thanks for any info.

The_Conductor

Hazel developes roots that are both large and deep (going down over a meter), and can both spread by rhyzomes and will readily do so also from coppicing (if you cut it down loads will sprout from the stump). Hazel, along with Hawthorn, are often suggested as excellent examples of native shrubs/trees to plant in gardens, as they have not been problematic with pipe/structural damage (some insurance companies keep track of the species of trees which cause problems).

Birch on the other hand has an extremely shallow but wide rooting system- but is a lot more picky about where it will grow. It needs a well drained soil, high in organic matter- soil with a very high clay content is not ideal. The root system is between round and heart shaped, and up to 15-20m in diameter (note: if the soil is particularly poor- birch roots can be quite startlingly long- perhaps up to 40m diameter). Despite the vast network of birch roots- they tend to stop altogether if they hit an obstacle (a pipe/concrete/compacted soil etc)- they do not tend to try to tunnel into/through things. Birch is also an excellent choice for residential planting.

Note: of late there have been a number of diseases attacking particularly birch trees (fungal, bacterial and less common in Ireland, pests). Birch is particularly susceptible to cankers. Just something to keep in mind.

Shane

Oldtree

tree roots only invade broken or damaged pipework, but to be on the safe side plant as far as possible away from known pipes. Also take into consideration the eventual mature size of the trees you are planting as well as space for them to grow properly. Birch can grow very rapidly once they settle in and are known as a pioneer species. keep them away from driveways and cars as their catkins and seeds are prolific.

gerky

Thanks for the great info.
I had been thinking of putting the hazel in the garden as they don't grow to tall they'd be pipes about 4-5meters away and they'd be about 7-8m from the house.
The birch would be in a corner with peat type soil.

tampopo

Shane, Oldtree,

do you know if Lilac has a propensity for pipe damage. I ask in fear of an answer, cos I have pipe I fear is damaged, over which is a Lilac tree. A pipe that carries brown stuff that hits fans.

regards.
t

The_Conductor

Little bit of bad news for you- lilac is considered a problem species particularly with concrete or clay tile type piping (other common garden species that cause sewer pipe problems would include Maple/Sycamore, Ash, Apple, Honeysuckle along with larger trees such as Poplar, birch, elm, willow etc)

If you think the pipe might be damaged already- you really should schedule urgent maintenance on it. Once inside a pipe roots have the perfect environment in which to grow and are guaranteed to eventually cause a blockage.

Ideally- if it is a clay pipe/concrete pipe it should be repaired (or even replaced with a heavy duty PVC pipe).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.......

tampopo

Yeah, Shane,

not so much a bearer of bad news, just confirming what I'd already suspected. So, much trouble/expense lies ahead.Fyuk it anyway.
there is definite subsidence already. I imagine the pipe is badly damaged as blockages occur regularly.

ta much