Is a large magnolia likely to cause damage to house foundations?

Question

I have a huge magnolia which is spectacular - we inherited it when we bought the house. It is only about 7 foot away from the kitchen wall and 2 foot away from the garage wall (it's in a corner) I am worried that it may start to cause damage to the foundations of the house. The magnolia is well establised and is prob about 25 - 30 years old. Thank you

Answer 1

There's a lot of nonsense talked about trees damaging buildings.

Roots actively search out water, so if there's damage to a drain, they will follow the positive water gradient, open up cracks and make the problem worse. If the drains are sound, the roots won't do any damage at all.

Trunks and roots tend to expand with age. If a tree is planted too close to a wall, it can indeed push it over. I would imagine the Magnolia you have is probably Magnolia x soulangiana (flowers in spring with pink and white tulip like flowers). It's never likely to have a trunk big enough to do this. If it's 25-30 years old, it's mature.

Large trees take up a fair bit of water. Cut one down, and you're as likely to cause subsidence as leaving it where it is. The ground can expand or contract due to changes in water levels, decay of large roots, and so on and so forth. It's therefore best to prune a mature tree to keep it's size, and therefore water consumption, more or less the same.

Answer 2

Magnolia Tree Roots

Answer 3

yes, it can and probably will cause damage to your foundation. the question is........how soon will this happen. the magnolia can become very very large and live to be over 100 years. you need to consult an expert on what you can do to prevent this, or perhaps move the tree before it is gets any bigger.

Answer 4

Magnolia trees are notorious for having invasive and destructive roots. Yes, it will damage your house foundation. I would have it removed, no question.

Answer 5

Yes it will in time.

The Magnolia is a forest tree.

Answer 6

Cut it down now. I have 20 Magnolias in my yard and the sidewalks to prove it, not to mention a hole in my pool. They can grow faster than books lead you to believe. It just takes water.

Answer 7

Please excuse me for not exactly answering your question. We had a magnolia on the north side of our house which provided shade to the deck in the afternoon. But it attracted ants and every species of stinging insect known to man. We cut it down after 10+ years of fighting hornets, yellow jackets and wasps whenever we tried to dine out there.

Answer 8

yes