Sooner or later, most home gardeners are faced with the decision to clear a tree. Vigorous maple species are often affected because their growth has been underestimated. Sometimes infestation with verticillium wilt or sooty bark disease makes felling unavoidable. What remains is a tree stump and massive roots that sprout happily. This guide explains how to successfully dig up maple roots.
How to remove maple roots effectively?
To successfully dig up maple roots, you should expose the tree stump with roots, cut through thinner strands and split thick roots with an axe. Alternatively, you can avoid digging up by allowing the stump to decompose.
Removing a tree stump with roots to save energy – this is how it works
You can remove shallow roots with a trunk diameter of up to 30 cm manually. Maple trees with a predominantly shallow cardiac root system fall into this category. When felling the tree, remember to leave a piece of trunk that is at least shoulder-high. How to dig up the roots with little effort:
- Exposure the roots with a sharp spade
- Cut thin strands immediately
- Cut out a spade-width segment from thick roots with an ax to make further digging easier
Once the strongest roots have been severed, press the rest of the trunk back and forth. Due to the leverage, all root strands will now break off, allowing you to lift the tree stump out of the ground. The effort required can be reduced by spraying off the adhering soil with a sharp jet of water.
Removing maple roots without digging
Digging removes maple roots from the garden within a day. With a little patience and the following instructions, you can avoid the strenuous procedure. A targeted decomposition process eliminates the annoying root strands within 6 to 12 months. This is how the plan works:
- Drill the tree stump deeply several times with a wood drill
- Alternatively, use a chainsaw to saw the wooden surface in a checkerboard pattern to the floor level
- Fill holes or grooves with a mix of compost (€12.00 on Amazon), compost accelerator and organic complete fertilizer
The fungal spores and microorganisms contained in the compost decompose the wood within a year. Once the helpers have finished their work, you can break the tree stump with a hammer or the blunt side of an ax and pull the remaining roots out of the ground.
Root barrier curbs maple roots - tip for prevention
If you take the growth of maple roots into account when planting, you won't be bothered by thick root strands in later years. By equipping the planting pit with a root barrier, you at least limit the urge to spread across the width.
Root barriers consist of various impenetrable, rot-proof materials in different thicknesses. To withstand maple roots, we recommend a thickness of 2 mm. The planting pit is lined with the geotextile to a depth of 50 to 60 cm. The ends are connected with special clamps. It is important for professional installation that the root barrier protrudes 5 to 10 cm from the ground.
Tip
Colorful underplanting flatters the appearance of maple trees. Sometimes the dense network of roots leaves no gap to plant beautiful ground cover on the tree disk. It will not affect the further growth of the tree if you remove one or two roots close to the surface.
