To settle on the perfect shape for this simple detail, follow your heart - or.

Sep 29, Generally, you can safely prune roots that are times the diameter away from your tree. So, if your tree has a diameter of 3 feet, only cut tree roots feet away from the tree.

Mark the area you’ll cut, and dig a hole all the way around the root until it is completely exposed.

Pouring a coat of concrete is a different story.

Use a root saw to prune the tree. (Granted, mowing around surface roots can be tricky.) Covering the area around the tree with 1 to 2 inches of soil provides only temporary relief. The tree roots will continue to grow and will probably reappear in a few years. Placing 4 or more inches of soil around a tree may damage or destroy it by depriving some of the tree’s roots of oxygen. If you’re not fond of mowing around the tree roots, you could destroy the turf and apply mulch around the tree.

Ideally, you should never remove tree roots because root loss leaves a tree unstable and susceptible to disease and possibly death. Still, if you must remove surface tree roots, the farther away. Apr 28, They are known for their vigorous system of surface roots.

Yes, it is hard to kill a silver maple.

Most silver maples can take some root pruning out a ways from the trunk, but it is completely pointless. Pruning simply stimulates more root growth outward from the pruning cut. Pruning closer to the trunk will result in branch dieback because water and nutrients cannot be transported as well.

Death of the tree can even result.4/5(K). Apr 22, Well here is your sign to don’t do it. This will only allow an easy entryway for diseases and harmful insects to infect your maple.

Cutting the surface roots will also only kill tiny ‘feeder roots’ all within the tree. These help absorb water and other nutrients; therefore, getting rid of them will only hurt the growth rate of the canopy.

It could even lead to the death of the whole tree! Instead, use mulch as a cover up to your tree’s surface roots.

This will. Cutting surface roots can injure and weaken a tree and make it more susceptible to insect and disease problems that can eventually kill it. Cutting surface roots also creates a hazardous situation because they serve to support a tree. Without them, it could fall in high winds or during heavy shrubmulching.barted Reading Time: 3 mins.