Willows impress with their beautiful growth and their flowers, which appear as delicate catkins. The planting proves to be very worthwhile if it weren't for a single disadvantage: willows form such a strong and extensive root system that the surrounding area is often affected. If the roots spread too much, you should remove them immediately. Find out how to do it here.
How do I successfully remove willow roots?
Removing willow roots can be achieved using the classic approach using a spade and chainsaw or by pulling out the tree stump using a vehicle. Both methods require exposing root balls, tracing root strands and pulling severed roots out of the soil.
Why remove willow roots?
- Stones, sidewalks, driveways or terraces are lifted
- Pipes could be damaged
- distant shoots climb up house walls
- Roots withdraw water from other plants
Ways to Remove Willow Roots
There are two options to choose from for removing willow roots. Unfortunately, with both methods you cannot avoid manually pulling the separated roots out of the soil. However, under favorable conditions you can save a lot of energy.
No sweat, no gain
For the classic version you need
- a spade
- a chainsaw (€109.00 on Amazon)
- Protective clothing that can get dirty
- Saw the willow down to a few centimeters above the ground
- Expose the root ball
- Trace the individual root strands (extent up to ten meters)
- Mark the route of the underground pipes to avoid damaging them
- Expose the rhizomes
- Cut the roots into individual pieces
- Then rip them out of the ground
- Close the holes
- Choose a dry day for this procedure
- Saw the willow at the level of a tree stump
- Expose the root ball and cut off the root strands with a spade
- Wrap a chain around the stump
- Attach the other end to a vehicle hitch
- Pull the bale out of the ground using the vehicle
- Then tear the remaining roots out of the soil
Remove tree stump
This method is only recommended if you can be sure that you will not damage any pipes when removing the roots.
Prevention
In order to save yourself tedious work, it makes sense to limit root growth when planting. You can get root barriers for this purpose from specialist retailers. A bottomless concrete tub placed around the root ball also proves to be effective.
