Ask RiotACT: Tree roots invading property

There seems to be a lot of aggressive & un-neighbourly advice being given here. Not the sort of stuff I would recommend at all.
I have rarely found it a problem to go to neighbours with a friendly and open manner & say “This is causing a problem for us, can we sort out a solution together?”
If you haven’t met them yet, that’s a good place to start – with a smile & a “how you going”? Very old fashioned, I know, but nice.
It usually means that there needs to be some level of compromise from both parties, but it is well worth the effort.
Good Neighbours are important to how the whole community works & it only takes a little effort.
Best wishes

rommeldog56 said :

Consult an experienced property lawyer for actual advice before you get yourself into hot water by not knowing what you can and can’t do. That will also strengthen your position when you do speak to your neighbour about it.

Just don’t open up the dialogue with “I have spoken to a solicitor and . . . “.

Do you own a shovel and a sharp axe?

Consult an experienced property lawyer for actual advice before you get yourself into hot water by not knowing what you can and can’t do. That will also strengthen your position when you do speak to your neighbour about it.

procrustes said :

Not a solution to the whole problem, but if you are concerned about tree roots entering your drains, have a look at the Vaporooter treatment offered by Dr Drains (http://www.drdrains.com.au). It’s a root growth inhibitor which needs to be reapplied annually. For it to work, tree roots do need to be in the vicinity of your drains already, so you’d need to work out whether or not this is a problem yet.

The product has worked well for me. I had got to the point of needing my drains unblocked every 3-4 months due to tree roots and there was talk of damage to the pipes and needing to replace them, but since the first treatment, there have been no further blockages. I’ve now had two treatments done, with the first about 22 months ago.

The first treatment is pricy as you have to have the drains fully cleared and inspected by CCTV camera. Then about 6 weeks regrowth is allowed, followed by the treatment. Provided you repeat the treatments at yearly intervals, you don’t need to redo the clearing and CCTV each time.

1kg bag of copper sulfate from a stock feed supplier is a lot cheaper…

Not a solution to the whole problem, but if you are concerned about tree roots entering your drains, have a look at the Vaporooter treatment offered by Dr Drains (http://www.drdrains.com.au). It’s a root growth inhibitor which needs to be reapplied annually. For it to work, tree roots do need to be in the vicinity of your drains already, so you’d need to work out whether or not this is a problem yet.

The product has worked well for me. I had got to the point of needing my drains unblocked every 3-4 months due to tree roots and there was talk of damage to the pipes and needing to replace them, but since the first treatment, there have been no further blockages. I’ve now had two treatments done, with the first about 22 months ago.

The first treatment is pricy as you have to have the drains fully cleared and inspected by CCTV camera. Then about 6 weeks regrowth is allowed, followed by the treatment. Provided you repeat the treatments at yearly intervals, you don’t need to redo the clearing and CCTV each time.

You can get an arborist to selectively kill tree roots – it sounds as though it would be worth your while to pay the cost – or ask the neighbour to split the cost with you.

Cordless drill and glyphosate weed killer works pretty well, I hear.