Has anyone any advice to give me on the Mimosa tree and how close can it be planted to the house ?

Question

I have purchased an old house that has on one side of the house a magnificent and well established Mimosa, Silver Wattle (Mimosa Argenté). I estimate the tree to be about 30 years old and is approximately 20 metres high. The tree was planted at approximately 4 metres from the house and I am concerned that the root system could eventually undermine and damage the house foundations. Today, I can find no visible signs of any damages to the house foundations but I am not an expert in this field and do not know the root system of the Mimosa. Can anyone advise me what I should do, I am of course reluctant to cut this magnificent tree down but if there is a chance of structural damage to the foundations then I will have no choice. Has anyone any advice to give me?

Answer 1

The only positive way to know is dig a testing trench along the foundation/wall to inspect root penetration possibilities. If there is a slightest crack and since roots go to water a root might get a start into your wall that way. Roots rip rocks apart so your foundation wall would not be a problem in that regard. If you do find the tree's roots pressing against your wall/foundation you can chop out the roots and install a barrier that will discourage root invasion.

Answer 2

If it gets 20 meters high It should be at least 10 meters from the house and not where your pipes enter or exit the house. If you are not seeing any structural damage it may be that all is well, but I think about the shape of the tree and about it growing without running into your house. It has a wideness to it. You can trim it back and keep it a uniform size back away from the house, but the shape is supposed to be wide and that is one of it's attractive features in my mind.

Answer 3

i don't believe that the root system of this tree will actually undermine the foundation of your home. if the tree is 20 metres high, and you do not see any damage to the foundation right now, it is unlikely to do any damage in the future. a 20 metre tree is pretty old and established, and you would notice damage by now...

Answer 4

a tree has a drip line where the branches end.
where the branches end is where the roots end.
does the house have a foundation(basement) , peir and beam, solid slab foundation?
each is different with different problems.
the tree is too close to the house.
you want a plumber to TV check your in ground plumbing for roots. a foundation specialist to check the foundation (2 or more opinions).
a tree specialist to check the health of the tree
hate to see it crash in to the house.

Answer 5

If it was going to damage the house it would have done it by now.

The advice on deep watering was good.

Don't chop it down if it looks good you could devalue your house by thousands. It's very hard to replace a large tree like this in a hurry.

Answer 6

I have a mimosa tree that is planed about 2' from a block wall that hasn't caused any problems. We deep water the tree once a week. Keep in mind that the tree drips sap and the fuzzy balls are messy.

Answer 7

try some thing with very shallow roots and staked for help, or evaluate an decorative tree in an alluring tremendous pot, a jap maple in an alluring jap type pot, even 2 both area of the front door ought to seem superb without threat to the principles or the brickwork, and worry-free to water too!

Answer 8

all these answers are good ,except 1and didnt read it,but if you dont have to cut it down dont they are magnificent trees.look on the web for more info. they are spreading type& great for climbing.my vote dont do it.

Answer 9

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