Wow wee - tree root question

[Shortie]

I'm at the lottie and have found out from my neighbour that a particular tree is sour cherry....

I'm turning over / derooting the plot atthe mo near the tree and am digging about 7-8 foot away to find a thick root so I yanked..... And yanked..... And yanked.... It now slightly thicker and moving towards the tree - do roots really go THAT far? The tree can only be 6-7 foot to the tip of the tallest branch!!

I'm wondering about yhe bed I was going to put near there now on Sunday? :S

[rustylady]

Oh yes, tree roots go wide and deep.

[Nicos]

Just spotted this...
QUOTE -"the root system of a mature standard cherry tree can spread to a factor of 2-3 beyond the width of the branches."

[veggiechicken]

My wild cherry seems to spread via its roots, with new trees popping up at some distance from the original tree (which had to be felled some years back as it became diseased).

[Aberdeenplotter]

yups cherry trees tend to throw their roots wide and also throw up suckers. Not the friendliest tree for the vegetable gardener

[FB.]

Cherries have massive root systems - 2-3x the branch spread and the roots can be at least as thick as the branches above.
That's why cherries are very popular in my area - their huge roots cope well with poor soil in a low-rainfall location.

Other fruit tree roots tend to not be as invasive as cherry.

To some extent, the root system adapts acording to competing plants, soil fertility and available moisture.
On good, deep soil with adequate moisture, a tree root system may be about half the mass of the canopy.
On really poor, shallow, dry soils, the root system can be three times the mass of the canopy.

Therefore; it is not so much that poor soil "dwarfs" trees, but the fact that more of the trees' mass needs to be directed to root production - and the root system is something that we usually don't see.

That's why I use very strong roots for my trees (MM111, M25, Pyrus, seedling etc); the soil is poor and the rainfall is low. I need "full tree size" root systems just to provide the needs of a small bush.

[Shortie]

Ah, thanks FB, and all.. hmm... I don't like killing trees Maybe I'll sit this year out and see how it effects my veggie beds before I decide to keep it or chop back the roots and see if it survives a haircut to the roots....

[bazzaboy]

Interesting and informative post as always, FB, many thanks... But how do you protect the fruit on a large-ish tree, particularly cherry, from being completely plundered by birds...?