JD and I have a dilemma.  I fear putting a fig or two 10 feet from the house slab, between our new boat deck (the deck a few steps up from the house which covers a garage on the driveway below) and the house where we took out a really messy tree because of the root system.  Here is what I found.

The house needs shade in summer, and warmth in winter, so the fig seems perfect.  I fear the roots.  I found that the Macadamia grows too slow, so we'll plant that elsewhere.

Ficus Benjamina seems to have a worse root system than Carica.  I even looked at Scheflera.  BAD!!  The house is on a slab, but the fact that the roots of the Carica reach 3 x farther than the height of the tree is sort of stopping me.

Thanks!

Suzi

I am seriously considering putting a fig into a strip of land about 5 feet wide between our house and the driveway and keeping it pruned rather small (or perhaps as an espalier).  I'm also fearful of the roots but landscaping professionals don't seem very concerned about it.  On the other hand, in California figs become serious trees so I can understand why you are cautious.  I would be interested to hear other opinions on this.

Steve

For us northeasters it doesn't seem to matter how close a fig tree is planted to the house. I've seen them growing up against homes with no problems. Since 90% of homes have basements the roots must hit the basement wall and turn away or grow along it causing no damage. I could see how a slab or sidewalk could be a problem with the roots growing underneath it pushing it up causing it to crack. Suzi for you I would plant it far enough away to prevent any damage since you have a perfect environment for figs and the slab under the house could be damaged causing problems that I'm sure you don't need. You could always keep them in pots til you find the right spot for them or buy an extra acre designated as "Suzi's Fig Orchard". Lol If only it was that easy.

Suzi, a picture is worth a thousand words:

I just love that last picture

I love both pictures!!  Those seem like pretty young trees.  Do you have one, Axier, of a tree of age and the girth that comes with that, next to a building?

I may have to ask a landscaper/nursery person about the roots.  But do they even know figs?  See... they are supposed to be professionals, but they give you that "deer in the headlights" look, and you know you can't trust them........

It's just JD doesn't want to have to deal with a cracked slab like we had remodeling his late mom's house.  He's jaded for sure, but with good reason.......  Structural Engineers made us tear out the whole slab and replace it prior to selling it.  NOT CHEAP!!

Suzi

The roots grow where the water is.

My Vista is about 18" from my house and has been there 25 years. Not an issue.

Wow!  You have convinced me!  And Jon, YOUR Raspberry Latte will be the tree of choice since it grows so tall!  And that OC Hardy Rich, now known as Hardy Rich Honey?  Might be next to it.  The beauty is, they plant below ground level (hill slope and all), and can grow tall, but the boat deck enables easy picking!


So, this side of the steps will be an outdoor kitchen.  Other side will be a couple large fig trees. 

JD now knows "The Fig Forum Has Spoken!"

Suzi

Beautiful pictures Axier!

Suzi, that view looks beautiful.  I hope to have something like this one day.

Figs roots seem to spread a lot but they are not as destructive as many other trees> I have seen maples cracking a slab but never seen a fig tree doing any damage.

Suzi, the link you mentioned in your first post states the issue of roots with clay pipes.  My house is 30+ years old, has a slab foundation and the pipes from the house I think are cast iron or some kind of metal - point is they are not PVC.  The reason I mention this is because over the years we have had some sporadic plumbing issues with one of the bathrooms, specifically the commode.  We rented for a long time and the landlord just didn't take care of it effectively.  We bought the house and a few months later we had issues again!  I picked up a toilet auger and pulled out a small piece of root!!!    Our bathrooms are located in the middle of the house and about 15' to the closest wall.  The plumber came and pulled out a mass of roots like  a horses tail - the pipe was packed, no wonder we had issues!  God knows how long they had been growing in there. 

I am not a plumber, but my understanding of this is when the pipes are metal the seams end up with small hairline cracks over the years due to settlement and ground movements.  The roots find their way into the cracks and start growing in the pipes.

I don't know which tree or shrub the roots are from, there are several candidates since we do have foundation plant beds  that have been there for over 20 years (that's how long we have been in the house).  We have crepe myrtles, hollies, red tipped photinia (gone since last year) gum bumelia ( fairly tall slow growing tree) and there is a white ash about 20' from the house and we had a poplar about 15' from the house. 

If you are concerned about some sort of damage, you may consider having a plumber come out and scope the lines to see if there are any cracks -  that may help you make a better decision.

That's good advice Jo-Ann!  The house was built in the 80's, so it has some years on it, and is VERY overgrown.  There was a lot of random planting with no thought to roots or grading.  We get to fix all the mistakes, and don't want to contribute with some of our own!!

A couple toilets have issues, and a plumber is on the list, so I'll be sure to have him check all the lines!

Thanks to everyone!

Suzi

Nice video!  He's got quite the drawl :-))  I'm getting much more comfy on putting the figs close to the house, and I'm happy that our hill is studded with rocks because I know they like cool roots, so they can spread happily out under the rocks.  Our soil is very alkaline, so that shouldn't be a problem.

There are groves of pines here and there, and i'm wondering if I take soil from under them if it would assist in planting acid loving plants like camellias...

Thanks for the video!

Suzi