raiseing the grade

[lawmart]

Ok I have a client that has to raise the grade on his neighbours tree, since he is putting a new house beside the tree.

The tree(Silver Maple, 36"- 40" dbh,approx. 50yrs.) is on top of a swale, the swale is going to be filled in to level the property,there for one half of the roots are going to be buried.

I am going to put in weeping tile, in a radial patternf rom trunk out. question is what type of weeping big 'O' with a sock, ridge with whole in the bottom, should this be too dressed with pee gravel and then landscape fab. on top "french drain' like or will this just create a swamp.
should the breathing wholes be at the base of tree.in the middle, or at the end of the grade.

I have done it once before with a pool being put in. I used flex Big 'O' with a sock with it just back filled, this time there will be at least 2' to 3' of this time. what your views on this and /or experince.


Lawmart
play safe

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The biggest thing is that you have good drainage out of the current swail.

Some studies have shown that the tile does not really help the tree the biggest limiting factor is the type of fill and how it is brought in. eg

1. do not compact the native soil by runnig equipment over it
2. use an amended native type soil that has not been milled or "shredded". soil with a fine even ped size will comapct down faster then that with a random lumpy ped size
3. amend with a sandy loam, in high pH soils do not use a limey sand or gravel
4. if at all possible, do not cover the flair or the First Order Roots, since this is where girdling will take place.
5. if possible desigh the system so that the basal area can be maintained periodicly, ie excavated to prune an encircling/overlapping roots.

Expalin it as tree maintenance, they grow and you need to manage that growth, and plan for it not just 5 years, but 30 years on out.