Question
QUESTION: Our neighbor's tree is sending huge roots into our yard---we just found a 6 inch one very close to the house and by the room we just had to replace the sheet rock in due to cracks......our yard has been dirt for several years, but we are getting ready to landscape and worried that when we water it will encourage even more roots---can we put something like rock salt along our house and under the raised beds to keep the tree from taking over our yard and home?

ANSWER: There are root barriers that will stop the roots from going under sidewalks and foundations. Salt along the foundation may damage the roots and the tree. Salt under a raised bed will damage the plants in the bed. There are chemical barriers --plastic sheeting that has a herbicide in it that will also work to stop roots.

Here is web link to one of these type. http://www.biobarrier.com/biobinfo.html

This material is a thin plastic fabric containing small dots of hard plastic. These plastic dots are impregnated with an herbicide which will not kill the tree but will stop growth of roots as they approach the barrier. This chemical is usually trifluralin herbicide. This herbicide is not absorbed into the plant and translocated; therefore, it does not kill the rest of the plant. It has only low solubility in water and doesn't wash away to other places. This means it will stay in the region of the root barrier and not interfere with the growth of roots elsewhere. This method of root control will involve the least effort (trench one time) and should give many years of protection.

There are other type barriers that can be installed to block the roots. Check with your local nursery for these products.

Here is a link to thes barriers.

http://www.4specs.com/s/32/32-9452.html

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QUESTION: Not sure we really care if the roots get damaged considering all the damage that has done to our home.....with 2 kids in college we do not have money to spend on expensive root barriers and they are soooooo costly......and apparently not for do it yourselfers.....yikes.  Any other ideas?

Also need to let you know that when I clicked on the 4specs site and looked at century I got a Trojan notification that said it was undeleteable from my anti-virus software.....WOW this root thing is infiltrating every aspect of my life.
Your response was quick and I gave you great ratings....can you give us any other ideas or help?
Thanks,
Sherri


Answer
Cut the roots back to your property line. Dig a trench along the line and cut the roots. This will cause some damage (dieback of some branches of the tree) but it will keep the roots out of your yard. You can put Roundup ( a herbicide) on the roots when they are cut but this may damage the tree more but will stop the growth.  
Sorry about the bad site I will stop using it.