Fig Tree Roots

Michele Miers starts with ...
I need advice on how to get rid of our Fig Tree as it has sent roots under our pavers and going straight under the house. No damage has been done to the house at the moment but i hear if we just cut it down, the roots will send up suckers somewhere else. We love the fruit from the tree but this huge tree has to go before it does damage. Any sound advice ?

Dekka says...
An alternative to poisoning is to dig a trench between tree and house and put an impervious barrier between the two. Builders plastic doubled over several times should be O.K. Even an air barrier will work. Also, roots generally only follow moisture so if they're heading for your house there must be some water there. It is advisable to direct moisture away from under buildings for a whole lot of reasons.

Anonymous says...
Dig the bugger out!!! I've got the same problem, planted it in a trough but noticed a shoot about 6' tall the other end of the garden. Yikes

Scott G says...
Perhaps if you inform your neighbors of the damage their tree is causing they will take action to stop it in fear of being liable.
Alternatively you are allowed to prune parts of neighbor’s plants that extend over the boundary fence into your yard, providing the tree isn’t severely damaged or killed in the process. So you may be able to dig a trench along the fence and sever the roots that are doing the damage. A trench can be a root barrier or you can then install a root barrier.
Perhaps getting an expert who knows your council rules in to have a look is the safest way to go.

au0rey says...
Oh my gosh what type of fig tree can have such invasive roots?? Can we grow them in pots instead? I am seriously contemplating buying fig but have really limited land and do not want its roots to go everywhere!

au0rey says...
Hi John, how old and what size is your brown turkey now? Daley's selling it right now and I am considering...

What potting mix do you use for potting fig tree? And do you use any aged cow manure or blood and bone for it during planting? I am intending to pot my fig tree but just not sure if i will kill it in a pot.

Thanks!

amanda says...
Hi John n Au0drey - I reckon u could grow these guys in one of those half wine barrels no problems at all..they are so unfussy - there's an old tree in a large empty easement in town and it gets no water or love and is covered in fruit every year (I have raided it - not bad either!) - so even a pot would be a 'step up' from this? Not as demanding as piggy citrus (i have a brown turkey too but in ground)

Some of the american forums deal with pot culture quite extensively (I guess cos' of their winters) - u may want to have a browse thru them? I usually type (in google field) "Fig trees + pots" or something similar (just as typed with inverted commas and + sign) - and u will b able to go from there.

Julie says...
A bit late to post this, but here goes.

Re root barriers: I spent a lot of money on trenching and putting down a special plastic root barrier to deal with my neighbour's Eucalyptus grandis. The effect lasted about a year - now the roots have completely taken over my garden, and somehow even got into the pond. I have 3/4 acre, and they cover nearly half of it.

I can no longer grow any veggies, and have to grow in boxes set up on bricks so the roots don't get in. The neighbours were most unhelpful when I (tactfully) approached them - said they weren't a problem for them! Sigh!

So look into so-called root barriers carefully.

au0rey says...
One of my friends have a white adriatic which grew from her neighbour's 'suckers'. In another words, their neighbour's fig grew a tree into her garden from under the ground and fence.

Nice to have free tree and yummy figs but if it is to cause problems, best take care before deciding.

I havent seen small fig trees in the ground so far, all are at least 4m tall!

Think mine will go into a pot!

amanda says...
Ta au0rey - didn't know they sucker like that...looks like mine going out into the paddock! ;)
Julie - I'd poison those bloody tree roots(the eucalypt)if they were coming in my property! such an inconsiderate tree to put in suburbia - especially given the fire hazardous nature of Roleystone..

Julie says...
amanda, I would if I could (poison the roots) but don't know how to do that.

From all the info I've read about getting rid of trees, they seem to need you to make cuts or drill holes and inject Roundup. Hard to do this without detection!

And to add to my woes ( poor me!) I have a huge Camphor laurel at the back of my property, next door, which stunts my orange trees and shades them in winter. Another quite unsuitable tree for anything but large parks. There really shold be bylaws about this sort of thing.

Dekka says...
Amanda & Julie,
Why would you use poison when Eucalyptus are easily depatched with a generous dose of super-phosphate?...(not that I condone such actions)... but who can persecute you for merely fertilising your own garden? As for the Camphor Laurel you should check to see if they are declared weeds in your state. I'm pretty sure that only camphors of historical significance are protected in NSW. Maybe W.A has similar policy. Personally, I think we should be irradicating all of them as they are destroying waterways and causing sterility in native birds that eat the fruits.
Two years ago, I cut down and poisoned a large Camphor Laurel that was in my yard and only this week I noticed suckers have just emerged from the roots that have remained hidden throughout the whole yard.

amanda says...
Julie - give dekka's suggestion a try...I heartily condone it! :) eucalypts are a contentious issue as they were never as widespread in the pre-colonial days as they are now..and the price is starting to b paid... Dekka would probably know more about this?

Julie says...
Dekka, yea, they were already here - and it is FIVE Eucalypts, not just one, planted in a row down their driveway. I wanted to ask the owners if I could pay for a deep ripper, but they wouldn't even open a discussion - 'not a problem for us'- so end of conversation! I can't do it from my side - no access.

But they have grown much larger, feeding on the water etc I give my garden. Same with the Camphor laurel. I didn't know they were a declared weed, I'll check if that's so in WA.

How would I use the super? I do have a clear patch where nothing is growing between me and the trees. I thought phosphorus did't move through the soil easily?

Thanks for all your suggestions.

amanda says...
Hey Dekka/Julie - I am nothing if not controversial on this subject...you can complain to authorities if your neighbours noisy, druggies etc etc..but they can grow a huge 'weed' (possibly) that impacts on you and get away with it!
I have this problem all the time..and I really like/get on with my neighbours. The trouble is that they don't understand the responsibility of land ownership. I have endless problems with 'their' rabbits that they don't (and are required by law ...) to control. I control them on my property but unless I spend thousands of $ on rabbit proof fencing - I will be poisoning these guys for a long time 2 come - and I don't actually LIKE doing this - it's awful and cruel.
I also have their weeds and erosion that they don't control... wind blow outs from their block extend into mine and i then have to source prunings etc to stop the erosion. Their weeds are serious ones requiring me to poison them and probably myself.
My invasive bull-ant problem comes from next door - unless they destroy the mother nest I will be pushing the proverbial uphill on my block to get rid of them.
It should not be a case of "no discussion" - that's just not good enuf'. Try again Julie - but next time be a little bit more "assertive" and very much more "informed" ;)
Most people are seriously reconsidering their eucalypts in light of the Vic bush fires..and well they should. Also check out your local shire/council requirements - u have more rights than u realise and with diplomacy u can get results without a neighbourhood war.

Dekka - scary web site on the weeds mate...made me cringe!.. most r probly ok but location big factor. Couldn't find californain poppy which blew me away.. it's definitely a weed in my garden!? (and it's got to be tough to survive 8 months with no water!?) Spun out by poincianas.. what crap.. they r not a weed and I have lived everywhere they grow - I guess it "depends"..?

Michelle M says...
Hi everyone

I know I'm a bit late to this forum but I had a similar problem.

Our backyard shed which had a nice flat concrete floor sustained some damage from, what I was told, were the roots of a fig tree. It really surprised me because the tree itself was nowhere near the shed and I'm what you would call "gardening challenged".

I'm happy to say it was all sorted and you might find these guys helpful:
www.treeandgarden.com.au

calliecat says...
just got 2 figs, I was dithering between ground or pots, but thanks to this thread, pots it will be