fruit tree roots/sewerage

Rod starts with ...
What fruit trees can be planted over/near sewerage lines? (they are about 1m down.) I understand some fruit trees have shallow roots, but what about things like jakfuit? Are there any definate problem causing fruit trees that should be avoided?

Scott G says...
I bought my house almost treeless. The neighbours told me that the pevious owner was ordered by the council to remove most of the massive trees from the yard. He was told to do it or be prepared to pay for damages to the sewer. The sewer pipe involved doesn't even run under my block! It is on the neighbours’ side of the fence.

From what I have seen, the process of burying big pipes stirs up the soil to great depth. And roots like it.

Another sewer pipe begins in one corner of my garden. This is the one my house connects to. The pipe then heads off to another neighbour. The section in my garden has a manhole. When I bought my house there were bananas growing around this. I can only speculate, but the bananas were probably there when the council ordered the other trees to be removed. So were they allowed to stay? If so, was it because they were on the end/start of the pipe and posed no clogging problem? Or was it because their roots are soft and so posed no threat to concrete pipes?

I suspect plants with soft roots pose little threat of damage to strong piping. I would think these include bananas, papaya, babaco and perhaps tamarillo.

Fruiting bushes etc should also pose less threat to piping because they have smaller root systems. Eg Hill Gooseberry, Raspberry, Dragon fruit, Passionfruit, Beach Cherry and perhaps Grumichama, Jaboticaba, Acerola cherry and coffee. They could take advantage of the stirred up soil.

Otherwise the area above piping could be a good spot for a vegie garden.

John says...
sorry guys again, you are wrong. The reason why the big trees are frobidden as they are envasive. Your soft rooted plants will still find the leeks and get inside if within a meter. however a vegie garden minus your potatoes ect is an excellent idea and will benifit from the leakage as will the weeds.

Harty says...
Wait Wait for what ive been waiting still no response i cant wait any longer

amanda says...
Also check with them what the pipe is made out of...you may be lucky and have the heavy duty plastic type ones.