We have a 20ft Black Pine. The roots of this tree have pushed up three of our paving stones. Can we safely cut the roots in order to re-lay the stones without harming the tree. The patio stones in question are approx 10 feet from the trunk of the tree. Many thanks Barry Gardner
I would advise against it. You will be risking the longevity of your tree's life, especially cutting roots that close to the tree. If they have gone as far as to push up pavers, they must be quite large and a substantial portion of the tree's root system. Could you post a picture so we could see? It is definitely a gamble. It might not hurt anything, but it is a huge risk to take. You need to evaluate if the pine is worth the sidewalk damage by leaving it alone or cutting it's roots to repair your sidewalk. Could the sidewalk possibly be re-routed?
WOW, what a beautiful patio! I see your what you are wanting to do now. It is so hard to say if cutting this root would harm the tree. If you were to cut it, make sure to use a sharp tool that would make a clean cut without leaving jagged edges. It does look like you have a second pine near the one of question. If cutting the root were to harm it, that one could act as the replacement. It would probably be fine and live a long life, but you never know. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Thanks for your assistance. I am thinking now that I might remove a number in the offending cement slabs and replace same with a short ground cover of some kind, in a pattern of some kind. Barry
Hi, consider that there may be more roots in future, and think about replacing the slabs with pea gravel, or even bark chips, allowing water to get down in there, and roots to emerge if necessary in future.
Sorry to disagree, Rima, but I think pea gravel is an awful surface for a patio, especially under trees where tree debris will mulch into the gravel and make it a weed-infested and irretrievable mess in no time, not to mention that you can't place a bench or table on it securely. Bark chips have some of the same problems (too soft for good furniture placement) but can at least be re-mulched as necessary and you don't have to separate tree debris from the chips. It looks as if the tree root problem is mostly in the pathway area, not in the patio proper, and so removing some or all of the slabs there might be an option, making the path to the patio a woodland path rather than a sidewalk. But in the longer run, if you live near trees you have to decide who does the landscape designing, you or the trees. If you are determined to have slabs in this area, I think you are better off to cut those roots now than waiting till the tree is bigger (mind you I think fall or spring would be a better time than summer).
Lift the slabs, put down a few centimetres of sand, and re-lay the slabs. Put the sand only very loosely around the roots to give them more expansion space so they don't start pushing against the slabs again soon.
