Hello, this is my parent's silver tip maple in their back yard. Planted in the mid 80s. My mom is 80 years old and you can see she likes to have plants around the tree. I worry about her walking over these bumpy roots! I've realized from following this subreddit that there is sooooooo much I don't know about trees.
My question is can I cover up some of these roots with dirt? I know there might be erosion/runoff issues with adding dirt, but hoping a little bit might help. Will this hurt the tree to cover up the roots? Is there a better suggestion than just adding dirt? At the bottom of the first pic, you can see a root was damaged by being mowed over during the decades- so I'm not sure if trying to level the roots with a chainsaw would be recommended or if it would damage the tree?
Any advice is appreciated. TIA!!!!!
by undercoverneoneyes
5 Comments
No, don’t cover them with dirt. Someone may give more explanation but once the outside hardened from being exposed to air you can’t just re-cover them.
Can’t offer advice, I just wanted to say the roots look amazing
Don’t cut roots
Covering up or cutting will kill the tree. A better bet is to plant a bunch of appropriate herbaceous plants all around the roots. Get a few flats of flowering plugs, and it’ll be gorgeous in a year or two.
Silver tip? I’m guessing that’s just a silver maple.
Canoe rot from mower damage. Not much can be done. Do not cover these. This will most likely accelerate the decay.
Chainsaw, no. Just no.
Woodchip mulch or pea gravel is what you’re looking for. Pea gravel can be a nightmare in the long run. Mulch 2-3″ is recommended for the area under the drip line. Knock yourself out.