I have a huge Hollyhock growing next to my gas meter up against the cement foundation of my house (wood floor house with crawl space). Does this Hollyhock present an kind of danger to either 1) the gas meter, 2) the gas pipes, and/or 3) the foundation of my house?
I want to make sure the roots do not affect the gas meter or its lines and make sure the roots do not crack my foundation.
I can't give you expert advice. However, I had a few Hollyhocks for years and made sure I didn't plant them along the house just in case the roots might cause damage to the foundation. I lost all the Hollyhocks over time from either too much moisture or squirrels digging them up in early spring. The Hollyhocks were behind a patch of daisies and some lupines and I dug underground and clipped the roots every year so they wouldn't grow into the other plants. Some of the roots were pretty thick and strong, so I would imagine they could potentially cause damage to the foundation. I wouldn't want them near my gas meter lines to be on the safe side. I bet you could Google this to get the answer.
If the foundation is structurally sound, even large tree roots are not inclined to damage. Certainly the roots of a herbaceous perennial/ biennial like the hollyhocks would pose NO concerns whatsoever. Nor would these roots have any impact on underground lines.
The issues that can be present with tree roots tend to be focused on particular species that are notorious for aggressive growth habits and/ or seek out water, like poplars, willows, some larger maples, etc. And even then, damage to foundations or penetration is restricted to foundations that may already be cracked or structurally compromised. Foundational damage is more often related to soil types, with particular respect to heavy or clay soils that may experience significant expansion or shrinkage in wet or dry periods.
With the exception of some very aggressive bamboos, smaller plants like perennials and most shrubs pose absolutely NO danger to structurally sound foundations, intact undergound plumbing or other utility lines.
Unlike pussywillow hollyhock roots are not invasive so I doubt it can harm anything but itself... now is a good time to relocate your plant to a more hospitable home away from foundations but you need to dig up a ball of earth with as much of the tap root as possible, replant immediately and water well. If you soak the ground well for a day or two it should dig easily.
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