Root gels

The Air Knife has a Water attachment. I call it a Mist Knife. hard to say anything else without pics and details about soil type etc., how far from the trunk the grade will be dropped, etc.
 
The roots get a bit banged up by the vac truck nozzle. An air spade would also take weeks. And there will be a lot of root drying.
They have to remove the 3' of dirt, pull out the insulation layer, then waterproof, re-insulate, then put soil back. And the roots would be in the way. We may decide to not excavate and waterproof the one corner.

The underground deck is‎ about 10 feet from the trunk, so close to the root plate. They were going to keep outside the drip line but after seeing how there are mondo roots 12-15 ft. beyond the drip line, they are hesitant to even dig close to the drip line.

Not sure what they're thinking. One option is leave it and do nothing but then later if it does leak they'll likely have to remove the tree.

Thoughts?
 
10' from the trunk is a pretty fair distance ime. Yes there is lit; Landscape Below Ground I, II and III, Matheny and Clarke's Construction book. Hard to visualize this without pics, and not sure what size 'mondo' roots are. this is not the best time of year without knowing how much crown was recently lost etc. etc. the standard is not a lot of help;
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83.3.6.2 Adventitious roots should be considered for retention.
83.3.6.3 Temporary protection of newly exposed rootzone, root tissue, and stem tissue shall be considered.
83.3.7 Detectable flare and root diseases and disorders should be diagnosed.
83.3.8 If significant structural defects are observed, a risk assessment should be recommended, see ANSI A300 Part 9 – Tree Risk Assessment.
83.3.9 The flare and buttress roots should remain visible after inspection.
84 Root management practices – root pruning and cutting
84.1 Root pruning and cutting objectives
84.1.1 Root pruning and cutting objectives shall be established.
84.1.2 The extent and method of root pruning or cutting shall be based on the objectives, species tolerance, environmental factors, timing, age, health, lean, and structural condition of the tree(s).
84.1.3 When establishing objectives, potential for tree decline or destabilization shall
be considered.
84.1.4 Tools and equipment shall be specified.
84.2 Root pruning and root cutting practices
84.2.1 The owner should be notified of the risk to tree health and stability prior to the pruning or cutting of roots.
84.2.2 When mitigating or avoiding infrastructure damage, only roots causing or likely to cause damage should be pruned.

84.2.3 Surface roots should be managed by removing soil or reducing soil density in accordance with ANSI A300 Part 2 – Soil Management or raising the grade with porous soil, sand, or mulch to meet the objective.
84.2.4 Selective root pruning or non-selective root cutting shall be specified where needed to meet the objective.
84.2.5 When root removal is unavoidable, selective pruning shall be the preferred method.
84.2.6 Root pruning and cutting tools should be sharp.
84.3 Selective root pruning
84.3.1 The size and/or location of roots to be pruned shall be specified.
84.3.2 Roots should be exposed using the least injurious excavation method prior to pruning.
84.3.3 A pruning cut that removes a root at its point of origin should not cut into the trunk or parent root.
84.3.4 Smaller pruning cuts shall be preferred.
A300Part8-Drft4-V1-PubRev-05-2013.docx
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84.3.5 The final cut should result in a flat surface with adjacent bark firmly attached.

Annex B – Managing trees to mitigate root damage or loss
B-1 Define objectives for management of trees with root damage or loss prior to beginning operations.
B-2 Objectives include, but are not limited to one or more of the following:
To improve stability;
To minimize drought stress and pest problems; and,
To create conditions favorable for root regeneration and growth.
B-3 Specify follow-up care for trees and shrubs sustaining root loss.
B-4 Monitor trees sustaining root loss for symptoms of stress or decline for a specified period.
B-5 Irrigate prior to, during, and after root pruning.
B-6 In general, reducing or thinning woody plants to compensate for root loss is not considered an effective practice to mitigate water stress.
B-7 Consider supporting, reducing, or thinning woody plants when stability of a root-pruned tree has been significantly decreased.
B-8 Consider applying a 2- to 4-inch (5-10 cm) layer of organic mulch. Do not let mulch contact the flare or trunk.
 
It's a long weekend so didn't get far. From what I've been finding more on crown pruning than root pruning but they're kinda symmetrical.
So really any proper pruning practice done to crown is the same plan you would go through for the roots.
If I understand it right that typical 1/3rd rule for pruning applies to roots as well.

Or am I way off?

For example for building clearance or something if I took out 1/4 of the crown and made it look like pack man would reduce weight on that side, sail and all that. But if I did the same to roots I'd be removing anchorage leaving the sail?

This to my limited knowledge sounds like more of a problem, right?

But then I think trees survive hyro pruning and sidewalk installations so how do I figure out my odds of ruining or surviving the tree?
 
Some reports I've read say on a 30'- 50' tree you should avoid getting with in 6'-8' of the trunk.

A rule-of-thumb is to make all cuts at least a distance of three times the trunk diameter from the outside of the trunk. Thus, root pruning of a tree with a trunk diameter of two feet should be done no closer than six feet from the trunk. Make all cuts even farther from the trunk for trees which are judged intolerant of root pruning.

Also is it the tendency to put up root barrier to stay even after constuction or do you remove it and lay micorrhizae and treat the area with a rooting fertilizer?
Or is there something better to treat with than than?
 
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I talked to the contractor and unless we make a pacman out of the root zone well over a 30' swath. They didn't want to do that so they're going to stay outside the drip line with the excavating and just skip that corner of the roof it looked ok for its age.
 
Boreality can you explain what you mean? They needed all the dirt out of the way so how would peat moss work?
 
guymayor said:
Pacino as Scarface: Say Hello to my leetle frand...The X-HFA Air/Water Knife

High Volume Air Knife Model

The “big” gun. Not recommended for diagnostic work, but good for larger excavation jobs, radial trenching and soil replacement. Gets the job done up to five times faster than the lighter tools. It will dig deeper and up to five times faster than the X-LT.
Click to expand...

I wouldnt recomend the X-HFA Airknife for any root sensitive work. We've run ours a few times on a 385cfm compressor and the 25cm long blue flame of compressed air (literally) shreds roots, bark and cambium. I did spend the 600 quid on a proper 2" hose .... which is also a pita to deal with.
 
Peat instead of the water crystals, to keep the roots moist once exposed. It could be cleared off with a leaf blower or garden hose for pruning then recovered until the work is done then replaced with the soil. Might make a bigger mess to clean up.
 
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Mangoes said:
I wouldnt recomend the X-HFA Airknife for any root sensitive work. We've run ours a few times on a 385cfm compressor and the 25cm long blue flame of compressed air (literally) shreds roots, bark and cambium. I did spend the 600 quid on a proper 2" hose .... which is also a pita to deal with.
Click to expand...

Never seen a flame out of mine, but I always have the water attachment going. I don't hesitate to use it for deep aeration, not near buttress roots of course.

But even the pressure out of an airspade will blow the outer layer off of roots (despite the 'non-damaging' hype), early in the growing season worst.

Kevin, good news that excavation will be further out!
 
I was just kinda talking out my ass about the peat. That must be standard practice I suppose. Would you use all the stuff mentioned in this thread plus peat? Tarps, gels?
 
The German standard 3.5.3 gives detailed guidance on root curtains to protect roots. The US standard has like one line about how maybe it might be an ok idea.
 
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