The Paving Blog

The picture above illustrates both side of any root barrier’s occasional necessity. Almost all trees tend to root laterally given that the water from rainfall and even the washing of surfaces tends to sit on top of the roots before percolating. Roots are like people. They take the quickest and easiest route to satisfaction, as it were. What we see in the top picture is the result. Nor is that result merely a result of it being a permeable interlocking brick paver set-up. The same events occur in other trees as well, as the picture below indicates.

‘Unintended Circumstances’ are a truism of construction in general. Planning ahead is a far more recent phenomenon, especially regarding landscaping. In the lower picture above, we see the effects of what root barriers can achieve. By orienting the roots downwards from the onset, we become far more assured of an adequate protection at the top. Better irrigation practices, such as pipes embedded to deep water the roots and adequately-timed drip irrigation can also be effective.

An expert on the root barrier issue who I often consult is Ofer El-Hashahar, late of England. His website features recycled plastic edging and barriers, complete with some interesting pictures and information. I recommend anyone to check him out, especially those in the UK, where he is based.

Root barriers are effective and actually somewhat vital if one is concerned with the long term effects of roots in a landscape or street scape. Easy enough to install, they induce easy principles and the trees and plants which grow inside them have little if any complaints. It’s win-win.