Top 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Plant a Tree Too Close to Your Home
As summer quickly approaches, many homeowners are gearing up to spend more time outside. With the right outdoor space, you can get a healthy dose of fresh air and enjoy nature right at home! It is that time of year when many people are revamping their outdoor living spaces and landscape designs, after all.
Nothing benefits an outdoor space quite like beautiful, shady trees. Having trees in your yard can improve your air quality, buffer noise pollution, create privacy and even keep your home cooler in summer months. The thought of adding more trees to your landscape is exciting, but it should be done with care and consideration. Where you decide to plant new trees can ultimately result in great rewards or a major headache.
The certified arborists at Braik’s Tree Care are experts in
residential tree care in the Columbia, MO area. While we offer tree services like residential tree removal, it’s our goal to help you successfully plant a tree the first time around so you can enjoy it for years to come! Keep reading to learn why it’s best not to plant trees too close to your home, and where we recommend planting them instead.
Our Tree Care Team Explains Why You Should Avoid Planting Trees Too Close to Your Home
1. More leaves and twigs will accumulate on your roof.
New trees start small, but over the years they will grow tall, broad branches that may hang over your roof. Every fall, these branches will shed their leaves, which will end up on your roof and in your gutters. Further, Missouri wind and thunderstorms can easily knock twigs loose from your trees.
Left unattended, the buildup of twigs and leaves in your gutters can cause damage to your home’s exterior and hinder proper precipitation runoff. If you wind up with a tree too close to your home, you may be tasked with regularly pulling out the ladder and cleaning debris from your roof and gutters after each Midwest storm. If you have a knack for housework, this may not bother you so much! However, it can be simply avoided by keeping trees further from the house.
2. Your home is more at risk of damage from fallen branches or trees.
In more severe instances, large branches can break off of trees and fall onto your home, causing serious roof, window and siding damage. Not to mention, there’s the risk of trees collapsing and causing destruction and even death to those inside. While these scenarios may seem extreme, they can, and do, happen due to intense storms and even tree disease. This kind of damage is more than a mere inconvenience, and should be taken into consideration.
If you’re dealing with excessive tree debris from a severe storm,
contact Braik’s Tree Care in Columbia, MO. We can help clear your yard from fallen branches and offer tree removal if a tree is left at high risk.
3. Spreading root systems can interfere with concrete and your home's foundation.
Tree roots are very powerful, and are always extending themselves to try and find more sources of water and nutrients. A tree’s roots are naturally attracted to moist soil, which doesn’t tend to be as present in the dry ground around your home’s foundation. So while it’s unlikely roots will actually grow into your home’s foundation, there is still cause for concern about the changing conditions of soil.
Trees cause moisture levels in the surrounding soil to fluctuate. As soil contracts and expands, it can put pressure on your home’s foundation and cause cracks or shifting. This, not roots themselves, is what actually causes most damage to home foundations and other concrete like sidewalks or driveways. One common outcome is concrete settling, which occurs when soil can’t support the weight of a concrete slab, causing it to move.
Where is the Best Place to Plant a Tree?
The best location for planting a tree near your home depends on a variety of factors, including which type of trees you hope to plant. There are a variety of stunning trees native to Missouri to choose from! Whether you opt for evergreen trees to block wind, a flowering dogwood to provide beauty or a nice shady oak, below are some tips for picking the right location to lay down roots.
- It’s advisable to plant trees at least 15 to 20 feet away from your house to prevent hazards and problems with the root system.
- If you’re hoping to make Missouri summers a little cooler, place large, shady trees on the east, west and northwest sides of your home. This can give you relief from the summer sun and actually reduce air conditioning costs by up to 35%, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.
- Consider the soil conditions where you’re hoping to plant a tree. Most trees require soil conditions that offer good drainage. You can test this by digging a hole 12-18 inches deep, filling it with water and allowing it to drain. Refill it 12 hours later, and measure the water’s depth. The water should go down about 2 inches per hour. These kinds of locations are best for planting a tree.
Call Braik’s Tree Care for Premier Residential Tree Services in Columbia, MO
From tree trimming to tree removal, our local certified arborists offer premier tree services for mid-Missouri homeowners.
Want to consult with an expert about residential tree care? Talk to the team at Braik’s Tree Care! Keeping your trees healthy and watching out for potential hazards is important to the safety of your home. Our arborists can help make sure trees near your home are properly trimmed, and offer safe tree removal if a tree becomes severely damaged due to storms or disease. To learn more, contact our team today for a free consultation regarding our tree services in Columbia, MO! Send us a message or give us a call at (573) 886-8733.
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