Above ground, the American sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) impresses as a majestic solitaire with furious autumn color. What are its roots actually doing in the garden soil? This guide sheds light on the darkness with useful information about root growth. How to remove sweetgum tree roots.
How to remove sweet gum roots?
To remove sweetgum tree roots, you can dig them up manually and saw them or chop them up mechanically with a stump grinder. Alternatively, natural agents such as compost, Epsom s alt and microorganisms can be used for decomposition.
Heartroot sweetgum tree – What does that mean?
The profile shows that the sweetgum tree thrives as a heartroot plant. This term describes a special root system that, when viewed in cross section, resembles a heart shape. These characteristics shape the growth of sweet gum roots:
- Root growth in depth and width
- Dominant taproots reach several meters deep to the groundwater
- Weaker lateral roots extending to crown width and beyond
With these roots, the sweetgum tree is in good company. Numerous deciduous trees have also chosen a cardiac root system over the course of evolution because it promises an extra dose of stability. These include Norway maple (Acer platanoides), apple tree (Malus) or the popular ball trumpet tree (Catalpa bignonioides).
Removing amber tree roots – how does it work?
In the hope of an Indian summer in the home garden, hobby gardeners plant the picturesque starfish tree without taking into account the impressive growth height of up to 20 meters. Within a few years, the huge tree crown with a whopping 12 meter diameter exceeds the space capacity and the tree is felled. Now the question arises: How should ambergris roots be properly removed? The following methods have proven themselves well in practice:
- Manual: Dig up tree roots, saw, pull the stump out of the ground with a winch
- Machine: Rent a stump grinder, place it on the wood, chop up the tree stump and roots
Without elbow grease, but with a lot of patience, sweet gum roots can be removed using natural means. With this variant, you saw the tree stump a few centimeters deep in a checkerboard pattern. Drill holes in the roots. Fill the cracks and holes with a mixture of fresh compost and compost accelerator. Busy microorganisms then take care of the decomposition. The process will progress more quickly if you fill the openings in the wood two-thirds full with Epsom s alt and seal them with liquid candle wax.
Tip
If sweetgum tree roots come threateningly close to a paved area, simply cut back any excess root strands. So that you don't remove too much root mass, the minimum distance of the cuts from the tree should be eight times the trunk diameter. After the root pruning, cut back the tree crown in proportion to the root mass removed.
