Maple tree 3 feet from house

I have a tiny lot, 1/20th of an acre, iirc, including the space the house is on. It's a town house, end of group.

The first owner did great landscaping but some things have died.

I've planted some stuff myself, but I really like it when trees grow on their own.

One tulip tree is about 40 feet tall now, at the edge of the property.

And a second tulip tree has reached 8 feet in only 3 years. It will be a good replacement for a pine tree nearby which grew funny and has had most of its limbs broken off by snow. and is probably going to die. .

And a third tree has started growning, also about 3 years ago. This maple is only 3 or 4 feet tall now, but the problem is, maybe, that it's only 3 feet from the house, from the front corner of the house.

Is this maple tree a problem? For the foundation maybe, which is cinder block, about 6 feet below grade, and which so far doesn't leak at all.** The sump pump is in that corner, but the two 4" corrugated perforated black plastic pipes that feed it come in 3 or 4 feet from the corner, so I'm not sure if there is any drain pipe outside buried at the corner itself or within 3 feet of it. And if there were, I don't know if that would be a problem. Would the maple tree roots head for the perforated plastic drain pipe? It's about a foot below the basement floor, so it's about 7 feet below ground

Thanks a lot for any help on this.

** (Even though the house has settled a little and there is one one-foot crack in the sheet rock in my bedroom, between the bedroom door and the bathroom door.) .
Reply to
micky
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I guess that depends on what kind of maple it is. If it's a japanese maple that's a specimen and it's only going to grow slowly and stay small, it's still probably too close, but it could grow for years, you can keep it trimmed, etc. Still, I'd probably move it so it's 4 or 5 ft away.

If it's a full size variety, I'd dig it out and transplant it now. There are all kinds of maples, some are nice, some are more like weeds. But unless it's one of the japanese maples types or similar, most maples become big trees and there isn't room for it to grow where it is now.

Reply to
trader_4

I agree. No one wants to see a tree die, but planning is essential when dealing with trees that one day will become large. Take action now or later they will become major problems.

Reply to
Ken

corrugated

Have you considered bulldozing the house?

Reply to
Abie the Fish Peddler

Micky:

While I agree that if you're going to transplant that tree, it'd be faster, easier and cheaper to transplant it while it's young and small than when it's fully grown.

But, I disagree that it's likely to be a problem.

You see, regardless of how tall a tree is, and how large it's crown,

99.9% of it's root network will be in the top 3 feet of soil around your house. This is because a root's job is to anchor the tree, collect water from the ground and absorb nutrients the tree needs to grow. And, those nutrients come from AEROBIC decay of plant material, which is what you get when you compost leaves or grass or other organic biomass.

Generally, anything deeper than 3 feet in the ground won't have enough oxygen to produce aerobic decay, and all you get is anaerobic decay that produces methane gas, and the tree is not interested in that stuff at all. It wants the good stuff that rots near the surface.

It's the fact that a tree's roots are only interested in the aerobic decayed biomass that's the reason why you can have a hundred thousand fully grown elm trees growing on the lawns and boulevards of a city like Winnipeg, and yet tree roots growing into sewer lines is comparatively rare. That's because the sewer lines are below the frost line depth of about 6 feet, and the roots of the trees won't normally grow to that depth.

Where you have a cracked sewer pipe, the roots will sense the aerobically decayed biomass getting into the soil and grow toward it. In that case, you will have roots growing down 6 or 7 feet deep to get at that aerobically decayed stuff. But, it's been my experience that a plumber simply cutting those roots with a snake will solve the problem. The root end dies and you don't get the tree trying to grow more roots into that sewer pipe.

Also, you should be aware that the root network of a tree will typically be about 10 times the diameter of the crown. So, if a tree's branches extend out 20 feet from it's trunk, the root network will extend out 200 feet from the tree. It's that huge amount of soil the tree grabs onto that allows it to withstand hurricane force winds.

Maybe Google "Tree Roots" and learn all about them. Most people imagine that the root network of a tree is a mirror image of the tree's branch network (aka: the "crown") and nothing could be further from the truth. It's knowing that difference that will help you make a decision on what to do with that tree and when to do it.

Reply to
nestork

When dead trees turn into books and news papers, I'm all for it. As to the OP, I'd consult folks local to the area. My guess from here (keyboard in the living room) is the tree will be a source of leaves in the gutters, cracked foundation due to roots, and clogged drains due to roots.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Three feet is too close. WAYYY too close regardless of what kind of tree it is. Move it or kill it.

Reply to
dadiOH

regardless of the root system's ability to damage the foundation, 3 feet from the house is WAY to close and roof and siding damage will result over time. 20 feet is plenty close enough for a maple

Reply to
clare

He shoould be able to transplant it somewhere else with no problem.

Reply to
Kurt Ullman

Micky,

It's too close to the house. You did not plant it. Big tree, small lot. Cut it down.

Dave M.

Reply to
David L. Martel

Cut them all down and plant something like a dogwood that will not grow so tall or fast.

I had to remove a maple about 20 feet from the house when it was touching the house and scraping the roofing shingles.

If by tulip, you mean tulip poplar, they get huge and I know where they have fallen in a storm and destroyed a house.

Reply to
Frank

Clare,

I agree. And leaves in the gutters. It's too damn close. Cut it down.

Dave M.

Reply to
David L. Martel

So the lot size is approximately 2100 square feet, and the townhouse takes up most of that.

The average mature tulip tree is 70-90 feet tall, 40-50 foot wide canopy. Maples generally range from 30-100 feet at maturity with a canopy of

20-60 feet.

Simply put: you haven't got anywhere *near* enough room for three full-sized trees on that lot. Get rid of the maple. Plan on getting rid of one of the tulip trees soon, too.

Fit the tree to your lot size. When you have a smaller lot, plant smaller trees.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

Or dig it out and move it 20 feet if it's not a Japanese maple. If it is, burn it NOW. A good hard maple or sugar maple is worth saving by transplanting.

Reply to
clare

If the roots don't cause trouble, sooner or later it will drop a big limb through your roof.

As soon as any branches are near your structure, rodents and insects will use them as a highway into your house.

Reply to
TimR

This is near enough to threaten your French drain (if you have one) or foundations.

Many cities now have a staff arboriist, a source of free advice to householders in most places.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

Cut that f*ing thing down now!

Trees damage foundations and roofs, both of which are expensive to repair.

Reply to
Hannibal Lecter

Too close to the house, and yes the roots will head towards water. If it's a silver maple, don't waste your time transplanting. They grow too fast, they're too soft. Once the tree grows to a decent height, the branches will break in the wind.

Reply to
Ester

And a WELL POSITIONED tree can protect the roof from sun and wind damage. Trees are the lungs of our planet. I luke to have lots of trees around - just not too close to the house, and kept well trimmed. My cherry tree (at less than 8 feet) IS too close to the house, and it's been there longer than the house. It's lopsided because I keep trimming it away from the house so it doesn't overhang the roof, rub on the gable end, or rub on the siding. One of these years it will have to come down, but if it falls it will fall away from the house and only damage a fence.

Reply to
clare

As the owner of a house on a 1/2 acre lot, and several 50 year-old maple tr ees that I planted 50 years ago, when we purchased this house, I would keep any maple tree at least 15 feet away from the corner of the house. Assumi ng it is a normal (not Japanese) maple tree, it will get huge and even at 1

5 feet the branches will overhang the house.

If you can get 15 feet away and still be on the property, I would sure try to do it that way.

Reply to
hrhofmann

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