The Best Ways To Plant A Tree In Your Yard To Prevent Problems With Exposed Roots In The Future

Trees are stunning focal points in landscaping, towering over plants basking in the dappled sunlight under their branches. They offer temperature-reducing shade under their canopies, and when placed thoughtfully around a house, they provide a cooling effect in the summer while also acting as a buffer against wind in the colder months. But they also become a nuisance when their roots become exposed.

Exposed tree roots pose a tripping hazard, can damage mower blades, and will break through sidewalks, foundations, driveways, irrigation systems, septic tanks, and patios in the immediate vicinity. Exposed roots also put the tree's health at risk if they become damaged, and they're often vulnerable to diseases and pests. While it may be impossible to completely avoid having exposed tree roots, there are ways to plant the tree that can mitigate the issue. For one, maintaining a certain distance between trees and structures or hardscaping elements on your property eliminates the risk of root-related damage to the latter. At the same time, installing a perforated piping system when planting the trees can encourage their roots to grow deeper. Apart from emplying these two methods, you can also opt for trees that don't normally have aggressive roots in the first place.

To avert future problems with exposed roots, avoid planting certain trees too close to your house and consider their mature height and breadth. Trees reaching a height of 25 feet and less when mature should be planted about 10 feet away from your home, driveway, walkways, or other elements that could be harmed by growing roots. Medium-sized trees, growing up to 40 feet at maturity, should be 15 feet away, and large trees over 40 feet should be at least 20 feet away. These spacing guidelines keep the structures on your property safe from the roots' spread. 

You can also encourage a tree to grow deeper roots. Normally, trees' roots stay close to the soil surface because that's where most of the water, oxygen, and nutrients are. When you install a perforated piping system at the base of the tree while planting it, you enable water and oxygen to penetrate deeper into the soil. With this method, you encourage the tree's roots to seek these life essentials deeper in the substrate instead of spreading close to the surface. If adding a piping system at the time of planting isn't an option, deep waterings can be a viable alternative. Getting moisture deep enough underground while letting the surface soil dry out will also train your tree roots to seek water below rather than above.

Most trees' roots grow 12 inches underground or less, although, as mentioned above, you can train the roots to grow deeper. However, certain trees are notorious for having aggressive, and often destructive roots; it's best to avoid planting these in your yard. Some examples include weeping willow (Salix babylonica), silver poplar (Populus alba), and silver maple (Acer saccharinum). 

On the other hand, planting trees with less aggressive roots is a valid strategy for averting future damage. If you'd like to grow a maple but are worried about its roots getting unruly, the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) offers an excellent compromise — you get a smaller maple tree, but one with well-behaved roots. Note that the Japanese maple is invasive in several Eastern states and growing it there could cause harm to local habitats. Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), along with several juniper species are also worth considering because of their manageable root systems. All of these trees will add visual interest to your landscape without damaging your home or driveway. 

Even if you've chosen the right tree and planted it properly, you may see some root exposure due to soil erosion from heavy rainfall, runoff, or wind. Controlling erosion in your yard — particularly if the trees are planted on a slope — should be a priority. On the flip side, certain trees can reduce the effects of erosion by stabilizing the soil with their root systems.