Problem with roots in a Chinese Elm tree?

Question

We have a 40 or so year old Chinese Elm which has raised the sidewalk that is 3' away. Now I must repair the sidewalk. Can I cut the offending root(s) and put in a root barrier? Are the roots done growing since it's full sized?? Either that or I must remove the whole tree, which I hear is not too simple with these type of trees and is fairly expensive.

Answer 1

If the roots have just now raised the sidewalk, it may indicate that they are still quite capable of active growth. I do not know if they regularly stop growing when a tree gets full size or not.

I did just read a thread that says the Chinese Elm is pretty forgiving when it comes to recovering from root pruning:

http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/f14/root-pru...

although that thread is talking about bonsai, i believe ALL the tips offered in it are very valuable for your situation. The one tip about not watering too much...take that with a small grain of salt because of course the tree is going to need full hydration before and after the pruning..but they mean the roots need oxygen maybe. like do not let a root basin remain undrained for more than 24 hours because then anaerobic bacteria/root rot gets the environmental edge on water softened tissues.

they also talk about pruning or defoliating the top to match the pruning on the bottom.

If u prune the top instead of, or in addition to, partial defoliation, then you should, of course, follow standard pruning guidlines. like taking it down to healthy points/angles from which it can easily recover and possibly regrow. and it will need sealent on the raw wood maybe. Sealant is usually not necessary if a tree is pruned in season, but in summer it kind of needs it to protect against the entry of bugs and disease. also it helps a great deal with decreasing dehydration. Latex paint or roof tar work good but also they have products made especially for sealing cuts.

just an idea...but is it important to make the sidewalk flat? I mean, repairing it may not necessarily require making it the same as it used to be. maybe you could make it a smooth gentle hump. <<that may not be everyone's cup of aesthetic tea but i bet the neighborhood skateboard riders would like it.

To get more tree advice, you can try a tree forum like arborday:

http://forums.arborday.org/forum/index.p...

and or this place:

http://www.treeworld.info/

and this might be a good place although it has much convo about general gardening as well:

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/

says plastic barriers may eventually fail:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/treeroots...

coating the root barrier in a chemical that repels roots is maybe an option...i forget how long that stuff lasts. maybe search sewer pipes/roots for options there.

elms are notorious for having roots that will surface sometimes. and i do not know if it would help, but shallow hardpans sometimes make roots surface. also shallow watering can force a tree to utilize shallow rooting.

if u remove all possibility of a tree having extensive roots on one entire side...maybe the tree would be weak? like non-resistant to high winds or falling over? These trees are tall right? and 3 feet of root length really doesn't seem like a lot of anchor.

maybe i am being paranoid, but it might be that u should ask some pros about this, especially if u have structures/cars/people this tree can hit.

this might be the best place to ask that::

http://www.asca-consultants.org/askExper...

also ask here maybe:

http://www.arboristsite.com/

it's good to get diverse replies because most often i have found the experts to be wrong in at least one way. so what u are looking for is any one dude who says h**l yes i have heard of trees falling over even if u get 10 other dudes who say it's safe as anything. That 10 to 1 ratio is about what i find when talking to pro growers. Even tho they are all experienced, that one dude is often not wrong.  

maybe less specialized on trees than the pro arborists would be your state master gardener program and ur extension office but they would know if disease was a danger in ur area for pruned trees at this time of the year:

http://www.northerngardening.com/extensi...