Everything You Need to Know About Getting Rid of Tree Roots

Unless you’re in the tree industry, or you’re really fascinated by trees, you probably don’t know a whole lot about tree roots. The purpose of this post is to teach you a little bit about roots, and why ArborWest is sometimes called upon to remove them!

Why get rid of roots?

Before an arborist in Santa Ana, CA removes roots, he usually wants to know the reason behind the removal. The reasoning for the removal will also help him determine which method to use for removal (but we’ll get into that later on):

• Unwanted growth: Root growth can get out of hand pretty quickly. This becomes a big problem when the roots start growing through pipes, sewer lines and septic tanks, and under sidewalks. When this wild growth happens, an arborist can remove the root and install a blockade so that it never grows back.
• Your tree is dead: Roots don’t just automatically dry up and disappear once a tree is dead. They’ll stay in the ground for quite a long time. Dead roots hurt the grass and other vegetation around them and should be removed by a professional if you want your yard to be as healthy as possible.

How do we remove roots?

Now that you know why we’re called to remove roots, it could be helpful to know how we go about doing it! Here are a few of the most common techniques for removing tree roots:

• Manual removal: Digging down into the soil and chopping up tree roots one by one isn’t the fastest process, but it gets the job done. Cutting up roots with a handsaw or chainsaw is the only method to remove roots if you want to keep the tree itself alive. Other techniques that we’ll see below will almost certainly kill the whole tree. Keep in mind that cutting up a tree’s roots can still injure or even kill a tree. It’s always best to have a professional do this project for you.
• Poisoning: Are you tired of having a tree in your yard, or is it slowly dying? If so, you can poison the roots. Drilling a hole into the root and injecting poison will eventually kill the roots—and the tree itself. Once the tree is dead, we can come in and haul off the stump and dig out all of the roots. Before you know it, it’ll be like that tree was never even there!
• Encouraging decay: If your tree is already dead, those roots will eventually decay. Unfortunately, the decaying process typically takes a long time! The good news is that you can encourage decomposition by putting grass clippings, leaf litter and other yard waste on top of the root. Creating a compost area on top of the roots will hasten the decomposition process without you having to do much of anything else.

Regardless of why you’re choosing to remove your tree roots, be sure to call the pros at ArborWest to remove them for you. Our arborist in Santa Ana, CA will take a look at the roots and determine the best way to go about removing them. Whichever method we use, you can trust that you’ll never have to deal with those roots after we’re done with the project!

Categorised in: Arborist