When trees are near -- what to do with roots?

[bagsmom]

Hi there! I'm planning my first pond. It will be a small pond, just something to be decorative, relaxing, and attractive to birds and frogs and such. I am thinking 8' x 10 feet. We live in a neighborhood with lots of old, established trees. Although I am trying my best to not put the pond directly under a tree, it is inevitable that I will run into some roots. For those of you in a similar situation -- when you were digging, what did you do when you ran into roots? Is it best to dig around them carefully and just let the contour of the pond bottom be determined by the roots (if they are large?) Or should I prune the roots, do my pond, and assume the tree will be totally fine? I did landscape my yard myself, adding planting beds. I had to cut out roots then, so I could till up the red clay and add amendments. That didn't seem to hurt anything, and it was 20 years ago. I figured I would attempt to site my deeper area (for fish to hide) in a place where there were no deep roots. I'm going to use a rubber liner, so that will at least allow me to be a little flexible with what I do.

I know there it can be a problem to put excess dirt on tree roots -- it can kill a tree. But I thought the weight of the water would be similar to the weight of the removed dirt and rocks. Maybe not?

If any of you had a similar experience, I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!

 

[Mmathis]

@bagsmom I can tell you what we did, but what I would suggest [as a starting point] is finding out what kind of trees you have, then researching something about their root systems -- maybe check with your state's horticulturalist. I say this because trees are different and their root systems can vary as can the way they respond to stress. We weren't too concerned. Too many trees, and at that time, digging the pond was highest priority. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE trees, but....

We dug out maybe 30' to 40' from most trees [oaks], but there was one that was closer, like maybe 10'. Roots weren't that much of an issue, but we did destroy some. Two of the trees later died and we had them removed -- whether it was from root-kill, not sure. They had a "disease" and weakening the roots may have been a factor. The closest-in tree -- thriving. Oddly, the biggest problem we've had is that the area of soil where the roots were [we have clay] has the strangest consistency which made shoring up that side a real pain.

 

[bagsmom]

@bagsmom I can tell you what we did, but what I would suggest [as a starting point] is finding out what kind of trees you have, then researching something about their root systems -- maybe check with your state's horticulturalist. I say this because trees are different and their root systems can vary as can the way they respond to stress. We weren't too concerned. Too many trees, and at that time, digging the pond was highest priority. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE trees, but....

We dug out maybe 30' to 40' from most trees [oaks], but there was one that was closer, like maybe 10'. Roots weren't that much of an issue, but we did destroy some. Two of the trees later died and we had them removed -- whether it was from root-kill, not sure. They had a "disease" and weakening the roots may have been a factor. The closest-in tree -- thriving. Oddly, the biggest problem we've had is that the area of soil where the roots were [we have clay] has the strangest consistency which made shoring up that side a real pain.

Thanks, Turtlemommy! I'm in GA, with hard red clay and lots of oaks. I also have a black gum tree, which sends up root suckers like crazy, all over the yard. I think that tree has really resilient roots, since the roots are intent on sending up new trees from underground. Is your pond really large? I'm hoping my small pond won't do too much damage.

 

[Mmathis]

@bagsmom My pond is about 15'x20' -- not really sure now because we did a major renovation a couple years ago which changed the dimensions somewhat [it might be closer to 11'x17']. I'm not familiar with black gum trees.

How deep are you planning to go?

 

[bagsmom]

@bagsmom My pond is about 15'x20' -- not really sure now because we did a major renovation a couple years ago which changed the dimensions somewhat [it might be closer to 11'x17']. I'm not familiar with black gum trees.

How deep are you planning to go?

The pond will be about 8 x 11, I think. I really just want to have some run-of-the-mill goldfish and a few plants. My guess (I haven't fully researched yet) is that I'll have a shelf about 1 foot deep, then the center about 2 feet deep, and a deeper hole to hide out from cats or raccoons.

 

[Mmathis]

The pond will be about 8 x 11, I think. I really just want to have some run-of-the-mill goldfish and a few plants. My guess (I haven't fully researched yet) is that I'll have a shelf about 1 foot deep, then the center about 2 feet deep, and a deeper hole to hide out from cats or raccoons.

Sounds like mine for the most part. I have "steps" at various depths and the deepest is about 31/2' to 4' deep -- but it's an area only a couple of feet wide. The deeper you can go, the better and one reason has to do with water temperature. I'm in NW Louisiana where winter freezes aren't an issue, but in the summer the water can heat up. I've kept thermometers at various depths and the temps at 4' aren't much different than at the surface, but the depth make me feel better, LOL. You will be OK with 2' since you'll have shade.

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that you mention "research!!!!" That's the most important step -- planning and research! Ask questions and question the answers [that's my motto]!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I have yet to install a pond that it wasn't necessary to cut out a few tree roots...small and large. The tree roots should be removed. Even large roots. Leaving them will only cause problems in liner installation and possible future issues as the roots continue to grow. The amount of root structure removed to install a pond us usually a very small percentage of a trees total root structure and should not adversely affect the health of the tree.

 

[Lisak1]

What we've found over many years of landscaping (including building our pond) is that some trees, shrubs, bushes, etc. actually improve after some root pruning. We've yet to have anything die because we cut out or cut back roots - even major ones. We did lose a tree once after heavy equipment was driven over the yard numerous times, though.

 

[bagsmom]

Sounds like mine for the most part. I have "steps" at various depths and the deepest is about 31/2' to 4' deep -- but it's an area only a couple of feet wide. The deeper you can go, the better and one reason has to do with water temperature. I'm in NW Louisiana where winter freezes aren't an issue, but in the summer the water can heat up. I've kept thermometers at various depths and the temps at 4' aren't much different than at the surface, but the depth make me feel better, LOL. You will be OK with 2' since you'll have shade.

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that you mention "research!!!!" That's the most important step -- planning and research! Ask questions and question the answers [that's my motto]!

I am a researching weirdo! Half the fun is planning and learning. I got on Amazon (always dangerous) and have about 8 to 10 really good books on pond-building and pond-keeping. I have my own little library! They are all good books. Some are more visual, with pretty photos and inspiration. Others are VERY practical, with lots of diagrams about installing equipment, running electricity, troubleshooting, etc. I'm having lots of fun dreaming and reading!

 

[addy1]

I had to cut maple and apple tree roots, the trees did just fine. I cut some big ones to.

 

[Usman]

I had to cut roots too and i tryed cleaning more then i needed to ensure they dont grow into liner
if u dont harm the main centre roots below trunk , it never harms the tree , may be start after 2 feets òf trunk bcz tree wil grow too , mayb u can trim nd leave some space deeper and as u come near the surface u can spread liner closer to the trunk. Its safer to trim surface roots then the deeper ones.

what i did is i added some padding like tiles and garden border to secure liner