Most people know that tree roots stabilize a tree. However, that is only part of their job. Most people don't realize that roots absorb oxygen out of the soil. Tree roots absorb air, water and nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus from the soil then convey these elements to the rest of the tree. All of these are essential for the trees growth and overall health. Tree roots also store starches that are produced during the growing season.

The growth characteristics of many species is to develop surface roots. Silver maples are one example. Many times, surface roots occur when the tree roots are looking for water, the soil is too hard, or the soil is saturated with water. Surface roots can impact sidewalks and driveways. See similar questions...

Tree roots can normally grow to that of two and one-half times the height of the tree. The area under the canopy of the tree is commonly referred to as the critical root zone. The amount of critical root zone lost is directly related to the amount of die-back in the crown of the tree. In an oak tree, if more than 30 percent of the critical root zone is lost, the tree will die. However, soft wood trees, such as box elder, can tolerate far more root disturbance. See similar questions...

The land area over which water flows to reach a river, lake, or reservoir from which drinking water is drawn is called the watershed. Any pollution or contamination introduced into the watershed area will ultimately affect the quality of the drinking water supply, so it is important that we protect these areas. See similar questions...

Roots grow toward water vapor or moisture, by a continuous process (hydrotropism) occurring at the very end of the root. The root grows one cell at a time enabling it to enter the small cracks and joints, which may be present in your pipe. After a root enters a pipe, it divides hundreds of times to form a large mass of tender root ends. This root mass will accumulate a thick coating of grease which will collect up on the root mass until a blockage occurs. See similar questions...

No. In six years of controlled use, there has been no indication of damage caused from the spike or cross member entering the root ball. Any piercing will, at worst, cause the roots to grow around the impediment. See similar questions...

Tree roots are opportunistic. While they will not crack a sound sewer service or water line, they will exploit cracks or failures in the lines. The best defense against having tree roots in lines is to make sure that your lines are in good condition and that they're not cracked. If you suspect that tree roots are growing into your sewer line, you can have the roots cut out using a process called "rodding". See similar questions...

Local hardware stores have a chemical for removing tree roots. This will kill the roots that are in the service line. See similar questions...

Tree roots do not cause drains or sewer pipes to break, but they will invade and clog drains that have pre-existing cracks and resultant leakage. Drains are usually six to eight feet below ground level, while tree roots grow almost exclusively in the upper two feet of soil, because they not only need nutrients, but also oxygen to survive. See similar questions...

Tree roots will certainly contribute to sidewalk failure, but they are not the initial cause of heaving. There are a number of factors that contribute to sidewalk failure: the method of sidewalk construction, type of soil under and surrounding the sidewalk, proximity of the sidewalk to the tree's buttress roots, and others. There are several things that can be done to repair the sidewalk and maintain the health of the tree. See similar questions...

No! Whilst many “ home doctors” may tell you they do, there is absolutely no truth to this. Corns and callous generally occur due to friction and do not grow from roots. See our common conditions section for a full explanation. See similar questions...

Storms in all shapes and forms create havoc with trees throughout the country. It’s bad enough losing a big tree, but the greatest danger in a storm is the property damage and casualties that can occur when big trees fall. Preparing trees for these natural disasters is a must and should be done well in advance of the stormy season. To help ease these dangers, have a professional arborist evaluate your trees. Doing this will help you determine potential weaknesses and dangers. See similar questions...

The detection of rocks can be due either to your detector's ground adjust not being set correctly so that typical 'hot rocks' are ignored, or to the rock that you have just found being a truly positive reading mineral sample. Hot rocks are iron ores or magnetite, which are 'negative' with respect to normal ground signals. Their intensities can vary considerably, which makes setting the detector to get rid of all of them a little tricky. See similar questions...

Only roots that are completely dead. Roots enter sewer pipes seeking water and the rich organic food supplied by the buildup. As roots feed on the waste they grow, branch out and eventually restrict flow. Periodic use of enough BIO-CLEAN and water to reach the root area will eliminate the waste they seek. In this manner, the use of BIO-CLEAN discourages root growth in sewers. See similar questions...

If a tree is growing well, a survival mechanism is to explore the soil for supplies of oxygen, nutrients and water. It is our belief that tree roots do not cause sanitary line leaks. However, if a water vapor source or a water leak is available, the tree root will seek the water location as a survival reaction. There is doubt at this point, given an available water vapor source or a leak, that the tree root can make a minor problem significantly worse. See similar questions...

YES. Tree roots over time can grow under any type of concrete and cause it to crack and lift. If this happens to your border simply pull back the mulch on the inside and pull up the sod on the outside, cut the root on both sides and slide it out from under the border. Your border should fall back into place, and you have restored the look of your edging without replacing it. See similar questions...

When homeowners suspect they have a blocked sewer line between their home and the main City sewer, they should contact Toronto Water for assistance: 416-338-ROOT (7668). First response to sewer line blockage, inspection and emergency repair service will be provided by City staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After normal business hours, response will be limited to emergency situations where the sewer service lines are completely blocked. See similar questions...

Some homeowners have been led to believe that electric drain cleaning machines are able to cut & remove all of the roots from their drain line. This is simply not true. Once roots enter a sewer line, they can never be completely removed unless the pipe is replaced. Video inspections have revealed the true effect that these machines have on roots. See similar questions...

Structural soils appear to have the added benefit of allowing tree roots to grow deeper in the soil profile—so they are less likely to exploit the area of low resistance between compacted soil and pavement that exists in some sidewalks. As tree roots expand, the gravel has been observed to become embedded in the roots. Root morphology does change somewhat as roots grow around the gravel lattice—but root expansion is ultimately not impeded. See similar questions...

of tree roots are located in the top two feet of the soil. The other 10% of the root system can go much deeper, 12 feet and more. Tree roots need oxygen to provide nourishment to the tree. There is more oxygen in the top two feet, so that is where the majority of the roots can be found. Deep rooting depends on the species, the soil, and the availability of moisture. Very heavy and hard clay discourages deep root growth. Sandy or loamy soil allows for deeper root penetration. See similar questions...