How Far Do Olive Tree Roots Spread
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Some have massive taproots and little peripheral root growth.
How far do olive tree roots spread. Given the height of your trees they re not very young and you can be sure that the roots spread at least as far out as the tree is tall. These types of trees have deeper spreading roots and surface feeder roots. Our swamp has turned out to be a previously unknown spring over 7 inches of rain in a couple of weeks and now we know where to sink a bore. Your olive wants to be a large tree that will grow to be about 7 to 12 meters tall up to 40 feet and up to 4 7 meters 15 feet wide.
It s difficult to say just how far away the trees should be to stop their roots from invading the pipes if the plumber had his way i wouldn t have any trees at all. The roots of a tree will grow beyond the mature crown so if the hole is any closer then 2 5 meters 7 or 8 feet to the building that won t work. Trees use their roots to provide stability and gather water and nutrients. Although olive tree roots sit close to the surface the tree is remarkably drought tolerant and can survive on little water for days and even weeks.
You could discover now deep these roots are and how far they go by digging down at a distance from the tree and seeing where the roots are. Studies for mature trees are fewer but suggest that this ratio is smaller for older trees. Add a factor of half to that for every 10 years of the tree s life. For example a 6 inch tree could have roots out from the trunk as far as 19 feet.
You will be limited in working the soil in the area under and in a 15 foot or more radius around a mature olive tree. Take a bit of time to do some planning. Old olive trees can have invasive roots but usually most of the roots are spread out on the surface of the ground in the top two feet of soil. Others such as many conifers have extensive root masses that spread far out from the base of the tree in search of resources.
Any disturbance to the soil can damage these necessary roots and enough damage can cause the eventual death of the tree.