Tree too close to house?

 


Hello,
Another question about the plants in my new garden..
We've got this maple (I think) growing very close to the house.  It
comes out of the ground just 4 inches or so away from the wall.  I
can't imagine why someone would have purposely planted it like that,
yet there it is, growing very happily.  Is this kind of tree going to
cause problems?  Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks,
Lanna




--
Mitulove

 

On 9/27/2008 11:17 AM, Mitulove wrote:

When the tree grows larger -- when the diameter of the trunk increases
by 10 inches (5 inches of radius) -- the tree will be pushing very hard
on the wall.

I don't really know how thick a maple's trunk will grow.  But I have
several trees that are significantly thicker now than when they were
planted.  Some increase by an inch or two every year.


--
David E. Ross
Climate:  California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/>

 

Mitulove wrote:

Yes, it will cause problems.  Cut it down now.

 



If it's an ornamental dwarf maple it might never be a problem, but four
inches is absurdly close to a building even for a small ornamental.
Ornamental maples do transplant well, all the way to twelve feet tall they
should survive the root-trimming to move them to a better spot. If it's a
wild maple it'll be a real problem eventually, and should just be cut down
before it gets large enough to require an expensive expert to take it down
safely.

If it's NOT a maple but some maple-leafed viburnum or some similar shrub,
it wouldn't be a problem, so you might want to know more precisely what it
is.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
visit my temperate gardening website:
http://www.paghat.com
visit my film reviews website:
http://www.weirdwildrealm.com

 


I forgot to post the image!
http://tinyurl.com/4tqqxk
Sorry about that

Mitulove;817327 Wrote:

Mitulove