Tree roots showing on lawn

[scottpetrie]

Hi
I have recently started noticing that roots from my conifers are starting to show up on my lawn. I noticed one was just breaking through the surface last year but now theres a few. Its in the corner of my lawn so doesnt get noticed much but I fear it may get worse. Is there anything I can do?

 

[JohnD]

Prune the conifers to one foot below ground level.

They aren't Leylandii, are they?

 

[scottpetrie]

Yeh theyre about 20ft tall

 

[JohnD]

Then, Prune them back to two feet below ground level.

Brush Glyphosate concentrate over the freshly-cut stumps and roots, and cover to prevent rain washing it off.

 

[scottpetrie]

Sorry maybe should have explained. I dont want to get rid of the trees, I just wondered if there was a way I could stop the roots from coming up through my grass

 

[JohnD]

You could trench round the edge of the lawn and cut through the encroaching roots. But big fast growing conifers, of which Leylandii are the worst, are a terrible nuisance in domestic gardens. Sooner or later they will need to be cut down.

They will only get worse over time.

 

[Pat ex]

Prune the conifers to one foot below ground level.

They aren't Leylandii, are they?

Then, Prune them back to two feet below ground level.

Brush Glyphosate concentrate over the freshly-cut stumps and roots, and cover to prevent rain washing it off.

Did you really mean "below ground level"?
That'll make a mess of his chain saw.

 

[JohnD]

I did.

That is the best way to prune Leylandii.

 

[cwhaley]

Many of the roots from these trees spread far and wide close to the surface. I have a bank of them (now cut down and maintained at about 8ft), but when I moved in the lawn near them was tough to dig into because of the network of roots near the surface.

Cutting them back was the first option (especially if yours' are 20ft tall!) but I then added around 8-10" of fresh soil and re-turfed the lawn as it was always drying out.

 

[Tricky-Dicky]

Just accept that some trees have roots close to the surface. I find that Prunus (Flowering Cherries) can also exhibit the same phenomena, But I prefer to see the attractive tree, in Spring, rather than root pruning, which might mean the loss of the tree.