Plant roots are supposed to grow underground, right? Well, yes, but as in most aspects of life, there are exceptions. Some trees, like the baldcypress and silver maple (and other maples too!) are famous for surface rooting. Others respond to their environment and compacted soils and produce them on their own. No matter why they show up in the landscape, they often create a problem(s) and must be dealt with.
The three most notable problems they cause are the introduction of a trip hazard, injury to the conductive vessels of the tree and the damage to lawn mowers and string trimmers. No one wants to trip and fall, weaken the tree or ruin their lawn mower.
So, how do I fix this? Fortunately, it’s not difficult, and there are short and long term recommendations.
In the short run, forget about turfgrass near the surface roots. If you’re not walking in this area, you’re much less likely to trip. If you’re not trimming and mowing, you’re not going to add to the damage to the bark and water movement tissues or wreck mowing/trimming equipment.
Instead, grow a shade-adapted groundcover around the surface roots. It will greatly reduce foot traffic and eliminate the need for machine manicuring. Bonus: it will be attractive as well, as long as you choose a well-sited species. Vinca, lamium, Japanese spurge and aegapodium are ones to consider. Another option is to plant shade adapted perennial/annual flowers and mulch between them. Either way, changing from turf to another species is a core principle of Right Plant, Right Place.
In the future, when designing and implementing a landscape, separate trees and turf. The common violation of this tenet is placing a tree in the middle of a mass of turf. Trees, shrubs and other landscape elements belong side by side, not together.
