Magnolia tree roots

[Piper]

Hi all. I have a magnolia tree currently in a 10' pot and would like to plant it in the front garden. Does anyone know how the roots grow? I would like to plant it about 10 feet away from the house, but as the tree grows I did want the roots to interfere with the foundations of the house.
Does anyone have a magnolia that knows what they're like to grow?

[Nicos]

There are many varieties of Magnolia, so I imagine it will depend on the type.
We have a Magnolia in the front garden and it must be about 20yrs old.
It's probably 20ft wide and even taller than that, but I've no idea how wide the rootball is.
If in doubt you could put a root barrier around the plant to limit the root growth, but you may need to speak to an expert about that.
They don't like to be moved , so you'll need to get it right first time!!

[Piper]

Thanks Nicos. Might try and put it as far as I can.

[Flummery]

They usually reckon that the roots of a tree spread out as far as the canopy. So if you've a 20ft wide canopy you'll have a 20ft root ball. I know that this is only a rule of thumb. When trees are blown over in a gale you don't see all that much root but some of the root is still in the soil, snapped off. Take care is all I'm saying!

Flum

[Tyto Alba]

I thought that you were supposed to keep them half their eventual height away from the house. Could be wrong though.

[Paulottie]

I've seen magnolias trained up the sides of houses before. I don't know what to conclude from that but i think things like Willow (sucks up too much moisture causing susidance) or Walnut (gets Huge) should be avoided. I was stupid enough to plant a walnut 10 meters from our house but then I don't really think its going to be a problem in my time!