Are Japanese Maple trees safe to plant around plumbing?

Question

I have taken a bunch of saplings that were growing in my garden. I put them in a pot last year and they are growing nicely.

I was thinking of planting one of them in my yard, but I have heard horror stories about roots damaging the pipes that run from the street to people's homes. And it is a costly repair.

I do not want a tree that will grow too big.

I also love weeping trees!!!!!

Which one, if any, is a good and safe tree to plant in my yard?

Thank you!!!

Answer 1

Japanese maples are Acer palmatum and are only considered a small tree.  You can buy them in sizes that range from 3 ft tall to 20 ft tall depending on the variety.  Weeping varieties available that don't grow very big at all.  Some are really shrub size.

Some other Acers can grow very large so stick to palmatum as they are pretty 'house yard trained'.

Trees don't become shallow rooted usually unless they are watered lightly frequently.  If you water deeply this encourages trees to become deep rooted and drought hardy.

With a small tree such as this you shouldn't get any root invasion, but the type of pipes at your house can contribute.

If your drainage pipes are made of the old terracotta, they always have fine 'hairline' cracks in them, over the years the tree searches for water and finds the cracks and invades them with their roots. If you have the new plastic type pipes you shouldn't have any problems unless the joints aren't sealed properly.

The solution is too pick a variety or two of acer palmatum that you are happy with and water deeply on a weekly basis after establishment.  They usually like a morning sun position unless you live in a very cold climate.  Good varieties to look at are Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki' , Acer p. 'Shindesholjo', Acer p. 'Trompenburg', Acer p. 'Bloodgood' and for weeping Acer p. disssectum 'red filagree lace' or Acer p. dissectum 'ever red'.  I design gardens and have three planted next to may home and I'm not worried about foundations or pipes from roots, but remember to water deeply, light watering causes lots of problems right through the garden.  Good hunting

Answer 2

NO

Answer 3

Tree roots will grow to the radius of the branches of the tree. It is a good idea to keep that far away from anything that you don't want to have costly repairs on.

Answer 4

Well roots do seek moisture. Maples are fast, have surface roots,  and thus notorious for invading pipelines where available..

Japanese Maple are much smaller than our natives, They grow 20-25' So they are much smaller, and therefore less invasive. But I would still try to plant it at least 10' away from the drain lines.