Spruce grows as a popular timber mostly in the forest, but is also often planted as a privacy screen or ornamental tree in private gardens. Many garden owners give little thought to the root system of the spruce, although this is very important.

Spruces belong to the group of flat-rooted trees

What kind of roots does spruce have?

The spruce is one of the so-called shallow roots, its roots usually spread relatively wide just below the surface, but usually only grow slightly in depth. This makes a spruce relatively vulnerable to wind. Heavy gusts of wind, in particular, cause many a spruce to topple over.

However, this is mainly true for heavy and wet soils that provide poor root aeration. Here it can happen that the roots are actually only 20 or 30 centimeters deep in the ground.

Well-aerated, permeable soils, on the other hand, enable the spruce to develop sinker roots that grow up to two meters deep into the earth. Such a spruce is of course much more wind-tolerant. This shows how important the choice of a suitable location is.

Can the roots get sick?

The roots of a spruce are susceptible to the so-called root fungus, which leads to the dreaded red rot. Infection occurs through root contact with infested neighboring trees or fresh tree stumps. It is the harmful fungus that causes the greatest damage to coniferous wood.

How does root fungus manifest itself?

Fomes annosus is the name of the root fungus, a fungus from the family of mountain poly relatives. It can cause major damage in forestry. After entering the tree through the roots, it spreads through the heartwood and causes it to rot. This creates a reddish color, hence the name red rot. In the course of the disease, the affected spruce dies.

Can a spruce grow close to a house?

If you want to plant a spruce tree close to your house, you should consider two things. On the one hand, the roots of the tree need enough space to develop well and to give the spruce enough stability. On the other hand, the roots may also damage the house wall.

Ideally, a spruce is far enough away from the house that it cannot damage the house or other buildings even if it falls over. If root growth is impaired or slowed down by the house wall, the spruce is not stable enough and can easily tip over in a storm.

The essentials in brief:

  • shallow roots
  • Sagging roots only in well-aerated, well-drained soil
  • relatively susceptible to wind
  • Red rot is transmitted through root contact

tips

The spruce likes moist soil, but it should not be too wet. Otherwise sink roots cannot form, which contribute significantly to the stability of the tree.

Category:

Trees