Steel mesh to reduce tree roots

leelkata

Hello.

I planned to dig up where I have problems with tree roots. Then cut the roots, lay down steel mesh then weed control sheet.
Now I looked at eBay but I only found either sheets or couple of cm rolls and some quite expensive. I need at least 1meter by 7meter mesh.
Anyone knows a reasonably priced seller/shop, please? Many thanks

JennyJ

Wouldn't tree roots make their way through mesh?

Google came up with this sort of thing (lots of other suppliers/products available) but I don't know whether they work.

Obelixx

Have you consulted a tree surgeon and the owner of those trees?

Cutting the roots back could destabilise them and lead to all sorts of bovver when they fall over in strong winds.

steephill

What problem are you having? Do you know who owns the trees and what species of tree are they? If they have any form of protection like a TPO you won't be allowed to touch the roots. Even if they don't have a TPO it may not be safe to cut roots as has already been mentioned.

There are many types of steel mesh and the price will vary depending on how big the holes are and how much metal they contain. How do you plan to use the mesh - bury it vertically or horizontally?

leelkata

Thank you for all your comments. The tree will not fall in the wind. It's a very old huge tree, I will only want to dig down half to 1 meter deep and 2-2,5 meter wide.

We dig it up once before and put in compost. It seems the tree loved it too much as it grew lots of small new roots, that kills all my plants, even the invasive ones.

 I know they go through mesh, that's why I plan to put a layer of strong weed control sheet on top. I plan to use them vertically and horizontally too.
6 years ago we moved in and the garden was in a bad condition neither the tenant nor the landlord cared for it. The part I dig up was used as a rubbish pile for not biodegradable things. Landlord trust us that we keep it in good condition. Not sure what is TPO but I'll have a look into.

JennyJ

In that case, maybe try builders' merchant (general or specialist) for the mesh. Google found this one for example but there are others.

BenCotto

I think a photo would help here as I am certainly struggling to understand the nature of the problem (which I suspect you are misdiagnosing).

You say it is a huge, old tree which you dug up once before. Surely not! Did you actually just dig out some soil around it and, in the process, no doubt damaged the tree’s roots which responded by throwing out suckers? Some trees, lilac being a prime example, are prone to this. Repeat this procedure and the same thing will no doubt happen though putting down a geo textile such as Terram will give you a patch of ground free of tree growth, and a forest of suckers around the borders of the barrier which will then start to grow inwards colonising the soil above the fabric. I cannot see how a wire mesh will be of any benefit at all in this procedure.

My suspicion is that you have a big tree in a neglected garden and you want to grow things under the tree. That’s quite a challenge as the tree will cast shade and suck moisture and nutrients from the ground. There are not many plants that enjoy dry, shady conditions with impoverished soil but some will tolerate it, especially if you add fertiliser, ideally organic.

As I said at the start, it is likely not to be the tree’s roots per se that is the cause of your gardening difficulties but the tree in its entirety. If so, you have the wrong solution to the problem.

Fairygirl

I find this query quite odd too. As indicated by @BenCotto , interfering with the roots can certainly cause suckering, depending on the tree, which results in even more problems, and it can certainly cause a major problem with stabilisation as others have also said.
An old tree is a much bigger problem, if it's unstable, than a young one too, for obvious reasons. Mesh of any kind will make no difference to the roots, and where they go, and could create more problems than it solves. 
It's also important to be sure you own the tree. We get a lot of queries on the forum about pruning or managing a tree, only to discover it doesn't belong to the person making the query