Trees add aesthetic value to your home by adding color and foliage. They also attract songbirds. From another standpoint, older trees not only add aesthetic value, the shade they offer also serves to block the sun, which will lower your energy costs in the summer. 

Tree roots can also cause damage to your home and property. With proper maintenance, though, trees can add to the value without costing you an arm and a leg. 

The roots of most trees grow down and out. As the tree grows the roots spread; they don’t care what they come in contact with, what they move or what they break in order to provide oxygen and nutrients to a tree. 

Lawn and landscape

Because the roots grow out so wide and draw so much from the soil, it deprives other plants and grasses from getting the nutrients they need to survive. Roots can cause lawn damage ranging from visible aeration roots to bare spots. Talk to the experts at your local nursery to get suggestions about soil erosion and the best seed and topsoil to help keep your lawn green and lush. 

Concrete and asphalt

Tree roots are strong and stubborn. They move practically anything with which they come into contact. They are capable of lifting or cracking sections of driveway and sidewalk, creating an unsightly and dangerous footpath. They can also break through asphalt driveways and cause them to break apart and flake away. 

Home foundations

While tree roots are unlikely to cause damage on new homes with properly sealed cement, in older homes where the foundations are cracked, invasive tree roots can imbed themselves, causing serious damage. They can cause indirect damage by causing soil shrinkage. If you think you may have a problem, call a foundation expert who may offer solutions. 

Sewers

Anyone with clay pipes running to their sewer know the damage that can be caused by tree roots. Every growing season, the roots work their way in and eventually restrict the flow of water so much that the water backs up into the home. Proactive, preventative maintenance is advised; have a plumber auger the drain line every 12-18 months.

The problem with tree roots is that if you try to remedy the situation yourself, you could cause damage to the tree (even kill it.) Be safe. Call to get an expert’s advice about how to deal with tree roots.