Root invasion is the incursion of plant roots with undesirable impacts.
Biological
When the roots of neighboring plants or trees invade the area of other plants there will be decline in the health and eventual wasting of the plant whose space is being invaded. In
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...
ed areas, periodical inspection during planting and care can allow for the discovery and removal of invading roots.
Plumbing
As plant roots spread in the search for nutrition, they will opportunistically enter
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
or
sewer with resulting line blockage. 5% of sewer line blockage is attributed to root invasion, though reports of line breakage due to the intrusion are rare.
Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
and
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
pipes are more likely to be invaded then
PVC pipe
Plastic pipe is a tubular section, or hollow cylinder, made of plastic. It is usually, but not necessarily, of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow—liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders and masses of sm ...
, with pipe joints being the typical mode of entry for roots.
Structural
Road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
s,
sidewalks and
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
s can all suffer structural issues from tree roots. Several methods of control have been attempted, from barriers to encouraging growth in desirable directs. Selection of plants with root systems that will not conflict with nearby structures is the most effective method of damage control.
[Roberts, Jackson & Smith 2006, p. 389.]
Notes
References
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*
*{{cite book , title= Soils for fine wines, last= White, first= Robert Edwin , authorlink= Robert Edwin White, year= 2003, publisher= Oxford University Press US, isbn= 0-19-514102-4, pages= 279, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6hTn6-wONgC&q=%22root+invasion%22
Plant roots