# Surface Roots



## zzed (Apr 14, 2020)

Hi, I have a small Bermuda lawn in Houston. For some reason I'm the only one on my street with a Willow tree. The tree has a lot of surface roots. I don't want to till and re sod. Is there another way to deal with the surface roots. Can i cut and remove them without killing the tree?


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Connor Ward took on his cottonwood trees and their suckers for a long time. His turf would get mangled, but those roots kept coming back. He eventually took out the trees.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

I cut the surface roots of my maple and they kept coming back. Got tired of it and finally took out the tree.


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## zzed (Apr 14, 2020)

My HOA requires the tree so I'm stuck to deal with the roots. Should i just get an axe and cut them out or is there a more gradual approach?


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

Chop chop.

If I were you, I'd take out that tree and plant a new one. A much smaller one.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@zzed if it were me I'd just extend the bed


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## krusej23 (May 8, 2018)

I second what @mowww said. Just extend the bed and it would make mowing easier too. You could try cutting the roots and see what happens but you may end up replacing the tree if it dies.


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## McDiddles (Feb 24, 2020)

Extend the bed. Contact a certified arborist. They can asses the tree, prune to thin the canopy, reduce height, and growth rate, which looks like your sidewalk may have a problem with down the road. That's a big root, probably wouldn't hurt the tree, but nobody wants to try and cut that out, plus your bermuda wont survive under there for long anyhow.


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## LA Basshole03 (Jan 17, 2019)

I agree extend the bed. But also the mulch is piled up too high in the base of the tree. The mulch should not cover up any of the base of the tree which could be a reason why your tree is sending out the roots to the surface. Trees need to breath too.


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## Peterman (Mar 29, 2020)

A reciprocating saw is an easy way to cut roots out of the ground.


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