>> nearby tree roots are very intelligent and find their way very quickly to the pile. They "know" the nutrients are located there.
I put my above-ground compost heap too near an evergreen tree. I didn't see roots for a while, but suddenly the whole "finished" side, that I don't turn often, was FULL of feeder roots. Bummer.
I hope that tree doesn't really NEED those new feeder roots, because I chopped them!
So I moved all my unfinished compost to the only accessible place left in my yard. However, it is surrounded by bamboo, rhododendrons and azaleas. Does anyone know if they have surface roots that can turn up and infiltrate a compost heap? I have solid clay, so they will be desperate to get at the compost.
I hate to isolate the compost heap from the soil with plastic, but maybe I have to.
