Overheard a landscaper talking about root barriers and changed my pruning strategy

I was grabbing coffee last Friday and heard this old landscaper telling a guy that most root pruning is wasted without a proper barrier. He said roots just grow right back into the same spot within a year. I've been cutting roots near my client's driveways for years thinking I was helping. Now I'm looking at putting in some good 40 mil HDPE barriers instead of just hacking away. Anyone else find barriers actually stopped their callbacks for root damage?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.mila20d ago

... but hold up, I mean isn't this just trading one problem for another? I've seen barriers crack or get pushed up by roots anyway, especially with aggressive trees like poplars or willows. You're basically just trapping the roots in a smaller space, which can mess with the tree's stability or even kill it over time if it girdles itself. Plus, if you don't have the barrier sealed perfectly at the seam, roots just find the gap and you're back to square one. Maybe I've just had bad luck, but I've had more callbacks from people complaining about dead trees or lifted pavers six years later than I ever did from just doing yearly root trims.

uma_taylor4720d ago

Tape the seams right and bury the barrier deep enough to stop them going under lol.