Tree roots in flower beds

If it turns out to be part of a large root, ask your arborist before pruning or cutting. ... Generally, you can safely prune roots that are 3-5 times the diameter away from your tree. So, if your tree has a diameter of 3 feet, only cut tree roots 9-15 feet away from the tree.

Dig a 1-foot-deep trench around the perimeter of the raised bed and tamp down the soil at the bottom to compact it and make it more difficult for the invading roots to grow. Bend a solid plastic piece of root barrier into an L-shape, and set it into the trench with the short part of the L on the bottom and facing away from the bed. Using a single piece of bent root barrier ensures that there are no gaps for invading roots to take advantage of and grow between. To keep out deeper tree and shrub roots, take a cue from recommendations for keeping tree roots away from underground plumbing, and dig the trench for the root barrier at least 2 feet down. Make sure that you use a root barrier that is as wide as your trench is deep plus 2 inches to ensure the top of the barrier is above the soil's surface. Make the trench for the root barrier between 3 and 4 inches wide, and backfill it with the soil you removed or a 3/4-inch layer of gravel on the side closest to the raised bed to block out tough tree roots.

We asked the tree guy about cutting out a root growing too near to the driveway and he said it may ruin the tree...so be careful about taking up roots of large trees.

Check to see the growing habits of your tree. Many trees have a lot of surface roots, not deep tap roots and you may be harming the tree.