New and Unread Tree-Mails
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Name: Ginger Fountain, Florida (Zone 8b)              gingin May 15, 2014 1:10 PM CST |
| I have a huge sycamore off the patio. Some of the roots are growing above ground. If I spray paint them....the better to see them when I mow....will it hurt the tree?? Each cloud has a silver lineing if only you look for it. |
Name: Anne Summerville, SC (Zone 8a) Only dead fish go with the flow!             Xeramtheum May 15, 2014 2:11 PM CST |
| Yes it will hurt the tree. Surface roots aka Lateral Roots not only help to anchor the tree they are major suppliers of oxygen, water and nutrients and Sinker Roots, the ones that grow down come from Lateral Roots. If you spray paint them you will cut off their oxygen supply - literally suffocating the tree .. that's why it's not a good idea to dump soil on them to cover them. "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. " Abraham Lincoln |
Name: Ginger Fountain, Florida (Zone 8b) gingin May 17, 2014 2:44 PM CST |
OK...thank you so much  Each cloud has a silver lineing if only you look for it. |
Name: Porkpal Richmond, TX         porkpal May 17, 2014 4:04 PM CST |
| If these are large roots, they are probably more for anchoring the tree; little roots do the work of feeding the tree, so I think you could paint them or even shave them off with minimal inconvenience to such a large tree. Porkpal |
Name: Ginger Fountain, Florida (Zone 8b) gingin May 17, 2014 4:11 PM CST |
| They are big and would put a hurtin' on the blades if I ran over them. Each cloud has a silver lineing if only you look for it. |
Name: Anne Summerville, SC (Zone 8a) Only dead fish go with the flow! Xeramtheum May 17, 2014 4:22 PM CST |
| Don't do it Ginger http://www.treeboss.net/surfac... http://forestry.about.com/od/t... http://gardening.stackexchange... http://www.lawn-care-academy.c... "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. " Abraham Lincoln |
Name: greene Savannah, GA (Sunset 28) (Zone 8b) My dogs love me; some people don't.         greene May 17, 2014 5:59 PM CST |
| I agree with @Xeramtheum - the roots serve a purpose and are important. Would it be possible to carefully plant some kind of ground cover that can co-exist with the trees surface roots and eliminate the need to mow anywhere near the tree? Sunset Zone 28, AHS Heat Zone 9, USDA zone 8b~"Leaf of Faith" |
Name: Rick R. near Minneapolis, MN, USA zon     Leftwood May 17, 2014 9:15 PM CST |
Xeramtheum said:Yes it will hurt the tree. Surface roots aka Lateral Roots not only help to anchor the tree they are major suppliers of oxygen, water and nutrients and Sinker Roots, the ones that grow down come from Lateral Roots. If you spray paint them you will cut off their oxygen supply - literally suffocating the tree .. that's why it's not a good idea to dump soil on them to cover them. Indeed the premise is true, but its not analogous to dumping soil over the roots. Burying roots deeper in soil aids in suffocation of the entire root system. Painting the large roots above the soil line only (and only part of the upper surface of them) is quite miniscule in the total root surface interface. I don't imagine that you (Ginger) intend to actually coat the large roots with an opaque layer of paint anyway, rather, just spray enough paint to make them more visible. While I question the aesthetics of the endeavor, I believe that to be a subjective matter, but don't think it will have any more impact than white washing a tree trunk to prevent frost cracking in winter, or spraying pruning paint over tree wounds. .......adverse effects are minimal (if they exist at all). One might also look at the big picture: Which is worse... ---- Spray painting roots, or mechanically wounding roots because you didn't see them.....? |
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