Planting trees DESPITE septic tank/leach lines
fenix
14 years ago
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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
14 years agoRelated Discussions
willow tree vs. septic tank
Comments (15)"Our state septic specialist says that only grasses, and shallow rooted flowers be on a septic field. No trees or shrubs. Not ever. Unless, of course, you have room to put the replacement septic field. " Although Salix herbacea is a shrub, most people wouldn't really think of it as one (even the person who named it . . . no less than Linnaeus himself!). A 20cm tall Salix herbacea is a giant. Lots of herbaceous plants would have much more aggressive roots. Resin...See MorePlanting around septic tanks???
Comments (3)Cherries and Crabapples tend to run shallow roots. The tree to avoid at all costs, is a Maple. Maples have a way of finding sewer lines and their roots can penetrate even concrete pipes. At ten feet away, you should be safe with medium sized ornamentals. Just remember, you will eventually need to have the tank pumped at some time, so leave room for access to the tank lid or access pipe(whichever you have)....See MoreHow close to septic/leach lines are your trees?
Comments (2)Your cedar may have already penetrated your septic system, but it won't necessarily cause it to fail. Depends on how long the roots are and how far from your tank the tree sits. Septic tanks have to be pumped out every couple of years, so your service guy may be able to tell you if you have a problem. If your system does fail, you'll know eventually because it may pool in your yard somewhere along the line. We removed the trees that were within 20' of the leach field, and have left a second swath clear of trees that is at a 45 degree angle from the current leach field. DH works for the health department and one of the things he does is helps people determine where to put their field so it is least likely to fail. Everything depends of proper and timely maintenance, though. I'd say if you have a very large tree right on top of your leach field, your system must be pretty old, and if it still is working OK, you're lucky, or else the trees roots aren't too invasive. Cheryl...See Moreadvice on old septic & leach field
Comments (4)First, if there is a lot of large debris in there they may not be able to pump it out. And second, if you ever go to sell the place, it would need to be fixed properly before selling (especially if someone needs to get a loan which requires an inspection). It's better to fix it right. It currently sounds like a health and safety hazard. Do it while the weather is decent. I'm not sure what zone you're in, but if the ground freezes you may not be able to address the problem. If you hire someone to put in a new tank they may need to do a percolation test to determine the absorption rate of the soil. You could be talking thousands of dollars (for removal, new tank, install, etc.) so do some homework. We had a septic tank collapse on us. We didn't really notice it, except when all the kids came home to visit we had a slight back-up through the basement floor drain in storage room. Went outside to find a soggy mess on top of the tank location and a slight indent. The septic guys came the same day to tear out the old tank and install the new. It was during the first gentle snow of the winter season....See Moretree_oracle
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