Root Barriers & Why They Are Essential For Hardscaping

By simply walking around your San Diego yard or neighborhood, you can likely find the negative effects of tree roots pretty quickly. From cracking sidewalks and driveways, to being a tripping hazard on grass and softscaping, they are a costly and sometimes dangerous nuisance. San Diego in particular has many large trees with expansive root structures, including fig (also known as banyan) trees, avocado trees, citrus trees, sycamores, pines, and of course, palm trees. As a homeowner, what can you do about these potentially costly and constantly invading root structures? How can you protect your concrete, pavers, and driveway from damage?

One of the most eco-friendly and cost efficient solutions are root barriers. Root barriers are synthetic materials, usually plastic, but can also be fiber or even concrete. The product that we use extensively and recommend is called BioBarrier by Typar.

From the Typar website:

Hardscapes and landscapes are a big investment, and traditional methods of protecting them have meant repeatedly spending time, effort and money. But a one-time installation of BioBarrier Root Control System or BioBarrier Weed Control System means years of security from roots or weeds growing where they’re not wanted.

Constant maintenance is a thing of the past with these easy-to-use systems, allowing you to spend your time and budget in other areas. The interesting looking nodules on the durable geotextile drainage fabric are the secret to our success. They contain trifluralin, and the way it works is simple. Roots grow when root tip cells divide, and trifluralin prevents root tip cell division. Proven by more than 35 years of agricultural use, trifluralin is an effective, non-systemic herbicide; it simply creates a zone around your hardscape and landscape investments that inhibits root growth.

When BioBarrier is used for root control, tree roots reaching the root barrier are stopped, while roots outside the barrier zone continue to grow naturally. When BioBarrier is used for weed control, the root systems of weeds do not grow in the trifluralin zone next to the fabric; roots of trees and shrubs in the same area are below the zone and are not affected.