Beach sand affect oak tree health?

15 years ago

Hi,

I am planning to install a small walkway made of broken concrete that will wind past our HUGE oak tree within three feet of the trunk at one point.

I have read that you should dig down 4 inch trench for the walkway and then spread a layer of sand to make the steps level.

My question is: if I am planning to use beach sand for the leveling, will the beach sand cause health problems for the oak tree? will the salt in the beach sand change the PH or something? I just don't know enough about it.

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Comments (8)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
I'd be much more concerned about the root system damage than the effects of salt.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
living near the great lakes.. never even conceptualized sand with salt ...

are you sure it contains such??? why presume its ocean beach sand???

is this the same tree your deck is built around..t hat is rotting from the core ... and now you want to add to that by potentially working on destroying the roots???

if it were me.. i would put in a mulch path.. and forget about the sand and bricks.. much more friendly to the tree ...and i would still hire a certified expert for his opinion about the rot ...

ken
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
Santa Cruz, ken.

Aerosol AND salt water soil intrusion would be normal in that location.
kman04
15 years ago
I would be worried about leaving damaged roots that could be susceptible to disease and rot. The weight of the bricks and people walking on them could cause some compaction problems which could kill more surrounding roots, or maybe not. I'd also be worried about the salt, but some species of Oak are better at dealing with that then others. Then again that depends on the salt levels which end up being introduced. The bigger problem is, that if you do this, the Oak might look fine for several years before it starts showing any obvious outward signs of the damage and by then it could be weakened quite a bit making it a possible hazard.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
yes rhiz

i live in the great lakes.. i never thought about salt in the sand ...

but i can NOT believe that there are no fresh water situations that generate sand in CA .. all those electric generating rivers coming west out of the mountains ....

anyway.. what about mulch paths... avoids the whole salt issue in toto ...

ken
asonnenshine
Original Author
15 years ago
hey thanks for the responses, yes I am located in Santa Cruz.

I was planning to use beach sand because its free (i live less than a mile from the beach). I would guess that one could buy sand? but is that sand any different from the sand at the beach...maybe, but where does sand come from? I just don't know. Maybe they steam clean it before they sell it to you?

I did consider the roots of the tree, but I am guessing that they are much deeper than 4 inches from the surface? I also was thinking that a broken concrete walkway would still allow the dirt to breathe and not be too impacted. I was gonna plant creeping thyme between the pieces.

Here is a link to the photo of the area (with the proposed walkway in blue).
http://www.largescaledesign.com/byard/proposed_walkway_blue.jpg

Note that since this photo was taken, I have already removed the two small tree stumps in the middle of the walkway. I dug down about two feet deep in order to remove them both.

I do currently have mulch (tree chippings) covering the entire byard, primarily for weed abatement, until I get a plan together to develop some landscaping.

Thanks again!
-a
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
"I did consider the roots of the tree, but I am guessing that they are much deeper than 4 inches from the surface? I also was thinking that a broken concrete walkway would still allow the dirt to breathe and not be too impacted. I was gonna plant creeping thyme between the pieces."

The majority of your tree's roots are in the top 12" of soil. You are very likely to run into many large roots when removing 4" of soil. Also, as kman04 mentioned, compaction problems from construction and usage may affect the roots under the area you excavate. The soil's ability to breathe because of the layer of the material itself is not an important factor in this project. Root damage and compaction (and any chemical factor possibly involved with the sand you choose) are the issues. The tree may survive (even in the long run) the path you are planning, but would probably be much better off if you used Ken's mulched path idea.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
finally.. brandon.. lol ...

never in my life would i think of going down to the ocean to get sand... lol ... worlds apart ...

i wouldnt add salt anywhere near the tree ... google the use of salt as roadway de-icer.. and i am sure you will find plenty of death associated with salt and trees ..

long live mulch paths .... ken

Beach sand affect oak tree health?

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Beach sand affect oak tree health?

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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