Re-paving walkway near oak tree (root concerns)

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Hello,

I would like to redo this walkway as it is starting to slope and crack, but I am concerned about the oak tree roots. Is it possible to do this without hurting them too much? Any advice on the process?

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
as long as you do it by hand .. rather than heavy equipment or backhoe .... you should be able to work it out... without significant damage to the roots

where are you.. big city name... is snow load... shoveling... etc ... an issue ...

invest in a good underlayment to make the repair last longer ... there are a lot better options than just dirt ....

ken
rpstevenson76
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks, Ken. The property is near Austin, Texas.
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This is my opinion of stuff posted above, so take it for whatever it means to you personally, you guys will need new Live oaks planted every now and then, the old ones will die out eventually, so you will want SOME new plantings, right? Roots of trees planted in clay soil arou nd cement buildings and maybe a cement pool, or a parking spot, will cause problems in a drought, from what I've read anyway, not by personal experience, because clay soil holds onto moisture more than sandy soil or loamy soil, so I think that clay soil will cause a problem with the moisture balance, and the result will be cracking of the cement, OR something else, I just know FOR SURE for SOME GOOD reason clay soil and tree roots around a house foundation or slab made from cement is said to cause a problem. If you've got sandy or loam soil, both free draining soil, it should be fine. Nettlesmith, if you have clay soil, I would say to plant at least 80-90 ft away from your foundation, and I'm no expert, but, that's a good guesstimate by me, most oaks are about 100-120 feet wide in mature width of their crown, sme more or less. If you get lottsa rain drought should'nt be an issue, but, there are droughts sometimes in places that are usually good about rainfall, I hope I've helped you, but, I am a REALLY NOVICE gardener, so don't take anything I've said for the gospel. Lets hope for more info from the ones in the know, but, to anyone who wants a real pro's opinion, you need to tell us where you are from, so we know your climate.
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It is paved. There are only 8 houses on my alley with 2 entry/exit points, so not too many cars. I'm concerned they'll get so large they will need to be pruned oddly to avoid encroaching on my neighbor's property (20 ft. away) or to clear the 14 ft. height requirement over the alley. I'm by no means a tree or pruning expert, so my fears may be for nothing. I live just 30 miles north of Dallas, TX. Do they live oaks in this zone tend to be on the smaller size when they reach maturity?
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Thanks for this, Caldwell: "Roots are 2x the spread of the crown on ANY healthy/non-root-bound plant." Toronado asked, "how much are you going to have to water it and is it legal or a good idea in your part of the world." Probably once a month during this 5th year of drought where there has been no rain for months at a time in the very hot summers. Yes, it's legal on two days of the week during restricted hours. Ken asked: "why are you presuming it needs water???" No rain for several months during the last 5 hot summers. "why think you need to fix it ..." Lately some oak trees are dropping branches. Locals say that watering the trees may help. We will water once a month. We do this for our pine trees too, to help them produce sap to fight off the bark beetle. "i dont quite understand the street tree story.. based on this pic". The pic attached earlier was of the oak trees we are concerned about on our property. Attached to this message is a photo of the tree that dropped a HUGE limb on a public road; the limb landed on a passing vehicle; driver was okay but his vehicle was not.
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salicaceae I realize this thread is five years old but hope it might pop back up on top. I have a similar situation with a 30 year old oak, but no one has mentioned how to stop it from infecting other trees. When i purchased this property 3 years ago, there was a maple that had obvious signs of illness: bracket fungus, mushrooms, exposed rotting wood. We had it removed earlier this year. Just months later, bracket fungus developed on the oak that was its neighbor 20 feet away. This tree had large mushrooms at its base in our first year here. This oak isn’t looking very healthy and i understand that it is already lost, just a matter if time. However… I have two more 30 year old oaks and 3 maples that I would like to protect from infestation. I am not interested in fighting nature, but if there is a preventative, I would like to give it a try. I thought the maple had been infected because there was heavy cover on its roots from nearby cedar, keeping the area wet. With the maple gone, and the cedars, it stays quite sunny, so i thought it would improve the fungus issues. I live in the Huntsville, AL area. No need to reiterate the need for certidied arborist. This theead has been quite educational on that point. I would appreciate input on what if anything can be done to prevent spread. Thank you.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
and.. btw... i wouldnt lay down cement.. and i wonder if you can do better than those patio stones that are there ... if they are the inch and a half ones ...

but your intuition is correct.. dont go in there and start axing out roots in any significant manner ...

and.. an ID of the oak might help dictate if there are any limitations on pruning the oak tree in your area .. which i presume would include cutting roots ...

we can probably ID it with some good pix of the leaves ...

ken
rpstevenson76
Original Author
2 years ago
You wouldn’t lay down cement? What would you suggest as an alternative?

This is my friend’s property, I’m helping her. I think it’s a live oak, but not sure which kind.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
id probably reset what she has there.. with a proper underlayment ... and call it done ...

a proper cement pad would need to be rather thick.. and by that point.. you will probably be doing some major root damage ...

cement colored paving stones would be better than those though.. if they are the red they appear to be ...

i doubt this spot needs to support a car weight .. so patio blocks or paving stones should be just fine for the application ... isnt the use of that surface.. simply for getting out of a car and not stepping in dirt/mud/grass ....

your original concern is the tree ... and to be safe with the tree.. you cant go doing significant digging in the root mass ... the only saving grace.. is that it looks like the soil level falls away.. enough that you could add some fresh underlayment on top.. to properly lay/set the patio stones ... and it being such a small area.. i doubt the thickness will harm the tree ....

pix of the tree leaves will get you the ID ... as i said above .... it probably doesnt matter ... but knowledge is power ...

ken
rpstevenson76
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks for all the great feedback. I’ll ask her for pics of the leaves and see what we can understand from that. Thank you!

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Re-paving walkway near oak tree (root concerns)

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Re-paving walkway near oak tree (root concerns)

Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

rpstevenson76Original Author

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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rpstevenson76
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