Root Of the Problem

Garden World horticulturist JJ van Rensburg answers all your gardening queries

27 February 2015

Reader’s Question
During the annual meeting of our sectional title development, the issue of a very old pepper tree on the property came up. The tree’s roots are extensive and the owners are concerned that they’ll damage the buildings. What can we do without losing the tree?

JJ’s Answer
You can chop off the roots, but not less than 5m. The roots of the pepper tree (Schinus molle) usually grow no deeper than 600mm, which means that they won’t grow under a foundation. So, if the foundations of your buildings are at the right depth and the pepper tree is more than 5m away, you have no reason to be concerned.

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