OT - An arboreal question - OT

Botch · July 2020

I bought this place 25 years ago, and there was a beautiful big ol' Birch tree in the backyard, shaded most of my lawn. Either a wind storm, or a lightning strike, broke off a major upper limb quite a few years ago, and I had to climb halfway up and use a pole saw, and a lot of protein/fat/water, to cut the broken remnants off. The whole tree died the next spring.

The tree remover, next spring, told me "No wonder it died, someone sawed off one of its limbs, up there!"

He cut down the rest of the tree, and used a large, loud thingamabob to grind out most of the roots, which I filled in with soil (sand) and got my lawn, eventually, to grow over. He missed one root, and now there's an 8" sapling growing out of my lawn, which I mowed around last Thursday.

My question is this: if you let a tree grow out of an old root, does it send down new, strong roots, or use the old root system, thereby weakening it? I'd love to have another beautiful big ol' Birch tree shading my house, but if it's weak and blows onto my house, when I'm 70, I'm gonna be pissed.

Any advice?

sumoconnell · July 2020

I’d see where it goes - I had a live oak take root in a planter box, and we just transplanted it to the yard, 8ft tall right now, about an inch in diameter at the base. What the heck else do we have going on? Let’s watch trees grow.

Gulfcoastguy · July 2020

Botch said:

I bought this place 25 years ago, and there was a beautiful big ol' Birch tree in the backyard, shaded most of my lawn. Either a wind storm, or a lightning strike, broke off a major upper limb quite a few years ago, and I had to climb halfway up and use a pole saw, and a lot of protein/fat/water, to cut the broken remnants off. The whole tree died the next spring.

The tree remover, next spring, told me "No wonder it died, someone sawed off one of its limbs, up there!" He cut down the rest of the tree, and used a large, loud thingamabob to grind out most of the roots, which I filled in with soil (sand) and got my lawn, eventually, to grow over. He missed one root, and now there's an 8" sapling growing out of my lawn, which I mowed around last Thursday.

My question is this: if you let a tree grow out of an old root, does it send down new, strong roots, or use the old root system, thereby weakening it? I'd love to have another beautiful big ol' Birch tree shading my house, but if it's weak and blows onto my house, when I'm 70, I'm gonna be pissed.

Any advice?

It kind of depends on how close it is to the house as to the problems. I live in hurricane alley and don’t want anything higher than a bush in my yard. Two problems that I can think of come from roots spreading. First they can burrow under concrete driveways, house foundations, and sidewalks bucking them up and cracking them. Second they can infiltrate sewer lines looking for water and fertilizer. Both of these can be expensive. But only you can decide your risk level.

RRP · July 2020

Botch said:

I bought this place 25 years ago, and there was a beautiful big ol' Birch tree in the backyard, shaded most of my lawn. Either a wind storm, or a lightning strike, broke off a major upper limb quite a few years ago, and I had to climb halfway up and use a pole saw, and a lot of protein/fat/water, to cut the broken remnants off. The whole tree died the next spring.

The tree remover, next spring, told me "No wonder it died, someone sawed off one of its limbs, up there!" He cut down the rest of the tree, and used a large, loud thingamabob to grind out most of the roots, which I filled in with soil (sand) and got my lawn, eventually, to grow over. He missed one root, and now there's an 8" sapling growing out of my lawn, which I mowed around last Thursday.

My question is this: if you let a tree grow out of an old root, does it send down new, strong roots, or use the old root system, thereby weakening it? I'd love to have another beautiful big ol' Birch tree shading my house, but if it's weak and blows onto my house, when I'm 70, I'm gonna be pissed.

Any advice?

Well Sir...at you being 70 and that is a mere 8" which I assume you mean 8" in diameter and not 8" in circumference...and you didn't say how many years that has taken to get to be 8" whatever then my guess is you will be shaded by grass on your grave long before that birch provides much shade! Besides that a birch is actually a soft and weak wood. Another storm and it may be history as well!

BTW I have a red oak tree that I planted as an acorn the month we moved into this home 40 years ago in October. It is straight up, 6" in diameter when measured at a 5 foot height - leaves on up as it is trying to reach the sky, but shade? Not really.

alaskanassasin · July 2020

Water it, mulch it. I have planted trees that died and a green sprout popped up from the roots. They grow fast because of the established roots and eventually will grow new roots as needed.

OT - An arboreal question - OT

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