If you live surrounded by trees and vegetation of different sorts, consider yourself lucky to live among nature. Being surrounded by nature allows you to breathe fresh air and replenishes your life and health in different ways. However, at the same time, if you have trees planted close to your dwelling, then you need to exercise some caution. Planting trees too close to your house or residential building can cause foundation issues. This is because a tree can pull up to 100-150 gallons of water and other nutrients from the soil through its roots each day.
As a result, the soil dries up and creates foundation movement leading to foundation issues and cracks in the building’s foundation. One of the best ways to obstruct such a problem is by installing a root barrier, preventing the roots from growing in a particular direction. Installing a root barrier is considered one of the most effective ways of managing invasive roots from going out of control.
Benefits of Installing a Root Barrier
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Environmentally Sound
With the rise in global warming, we are strictly prohibited from cutting down trees. Instead, we are encouraged to plant more trees to balance the ecosystem. Hence, installing a root barrier can help solve your problem of invasive roots without causing any harm to the plant or the soil. Moreover, the installation of the root barrier doesn’t involve any chemicals and is, in fact, a very natural process.
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Most Effective Solution
Installing a root barrier is the most effective long-term solution to the problem of invasive roots. While it is usually advised that one should not plant a tree within 10 feet of a building or dwelling, it is no longer possible to do so as development is taking place at a rapid pace. To ensure that the roots don’t cause any structural or foundation problems to your building, it is advised that you get a root barrier installed, as it will prevent the growth of more extensive roots and will alter the course in which the roots are spreading, thereby protecting the structure.
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Retains Moisture
While many other root control solutions can help solve the issue of intrusive roots, however, they are not very environmentally friendly. While most of them use chemicals, some also absorb the moisture from the soil, which, in the long run, harms the plant and the soil. But in the case of root barrier installation, given how environment and plant friendly this process is, it doesn’t deprive the soil or the plant of its moisture. Therefore, it can retain moisture and allows the plant to grow and thrive in the soil while solving the issue of large invasive roots.
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Easy Installation
Installing root barriers is relatively easy and can be done without wrecking one’s brain cells. Mainly, HDPE root barriers are easiest to install and only need a hole 1 or 2 inches deep to be dug into the ground. The dirt particles are eliminated, and water is poured over them until the installation is initiated.
The best material for Root Barriers
Since root barriers are required to create a protective barrier for preventing invasive roots’ growth, it is best to use those made up of low and high-density polyethylene, also known as LDPE and HDPE sheets. HDPE Plastic sheets are lightweight, recyclable, and pliable material, providing excellent moisture resistance and tensile strength and can survive in extreme weather conditions. Therefore, they have been considered an excellent material for root barriers and are heavily used.
It is inadvisable to use physical barriers as they are very dense, which will not break down from bacterial activity or allow penetration of roots. Chemical barriers are a better option since they contain a compound that stunts the growth of the invasive root, thereby allowing roots to penetrate the surface of the waterproof membrane.
Conclusion
If you are facing the problem of invasive roots, then you should get a root barrier installation done. It is the most effective and long-lasting solution to your problem, saving you from incurring high costs due to foundation cracks caused by invasive roots. Therefore, do not spend much time pondering which solution to take to combat your issue of invasive roots when the best solution is to install root barriers.
