Spruce trees are a popular timber that mostly grows in forests, but are also often planted in private gardens as privacy screens or ornamental trees. Many garden owners give little thought to the spruce's root system, even though this is very important.
What are the roots of a spruce tree like?
The roots of the spruce are shallow roots that spread close to the surface and can also form sinking roots in well-aerated soil. They are susceptible to root fungus and red rot, which are transmitted through root contact.
What kind of roots does the spruce have?
The spruce is one of the so-called shallow-rooted trees; its roots usually spread relatively wide close to the surface, but usually only grow a little deeper. This makes a spruce tree relatively vulnerable to wind. Strong gusts of wind in particular cause many spruce trees to fall over.
However, this mainly applies to heavy and wet soils that provide poor aeration for the roots. Here it can happen that the roots are actually only 20 or 30 centimeters deep in the ground.
Well-aerated, permeable soils, on the other hand, enable the spruce to develop sinking roots that grow up to two meters deep into the earth. Such a spruce is of course much more wind-tolerant. This shows how important it is to choose a suitable location.
Can the roots get sick?
The roots of a spruce are susceptible to the so-called root fungus, which leads to the dreaded red rot. Infection occurs through root contact with infected neighboring trees or fresh tree stumps. It is the harmful fungus that causes the greatest damage to coniferous wood.
How does root fungus manifest itself?
Fomes annosus is the name of the root sponge, a fungus from the mountain porling family. It can cause great damage to forestry. After it penetrates the tree through the roots, it spreads into the heartwood and causes it to rot. This creates a reddish color, hence the name red rot. As the disease progresses, the affected spruce dies.
Can a spruce tree stand close to a house?
If you want to plant a spruce tree close to your house, then you should consider two things. On the one hand, the roots of the tree need enough space to develop well and to give the spruce enough stability. On the other hand, the roots can potentially damage the house wall.
Ideally, a spruce tree stands far enough away from the house that even if it falls over, it cannot damage the house or other buildings. If the root growth is impaired or slowed down by the house wall, then the spruce is not stable enough and can easily tip over in a storm.
The most important things in brief:
- Shallow-rooted
- Sinking roots only in well-aerated, drained soils
- relatively wind-prone
- Red rot is transmitted through root contact
Tip
The spruce tree likes moist soil, but it should not be too wet. Otherwise, sinking roots cannot form, which contribute significantly to the stability of the tree.