Sidewalk Shield: A Surprising Solution for Water Control
Originally conceived as a barrier against invasive tree roots, the Sidewalk Shield, crafted from robust high-density polyethylene (HDPE), has emerged as an urban guardian against water. When installed vertically, this impervious material serves as a subterranean wall, redirecting uncontrolled moisture away from vital infrastructure. The result? Secure pathways, preserved landscapes, and a cityscape defended against the often unseen, yet impactful, forces of water.
You’ve spent time - and likely, money - planning the perfect hardscape. Sidewalks are in place and curbing poured. You might have even invested money into infrastructure—irrigation and lighting systems diligently installed and working well. Then, there is the completed design of your landscape including plants, bushes, flowers and… trees. One of the most challenging aspects of this process are strategizing for the trees that are integrated into overall plan. Primarily, because trees have large root systems that as they grow, can lift up or disrupt sidewalk and curb design or even invade other parts of your installed infrastructure, such as septic, irrigation, and/or lighting systems. Unchecked tree roots can also break through and uproot your carefully-designed landscape elements. While...
The Deep Root Challenge When planning a hardscape and/or landscape design, trees - and their wildly unpredictable root systems - can be one of the greatest challenges around which to plan. So many factors influence tree root growth and the span the root system covers. Unfortunately, if left totally unchecked, this tree root growth could end up damaging, disrupting, or uprooting many elements of your design like sidewalks, curbs, driveways, septic, irrigation, in-ground lighting, landscape components, and more. Fortunately, there is an answer to address this potential risk. Deep root barriers for trees work by controlling the direction of tree root growth in such a way that the potential for those roots breaking through sidewalks or encircling and/or destroying other...
Tree root barriers help to protect your hardscape - including sidewalks, curbs, and driveways - as well as your hardscape infrastructure and landscape, from being uprooted or damaged by tree root systems. How Do Deep Root Barriers Work? Over time, tree roots can grow wildly - expanding vastly and rather randomly - in unexpected or unpredictable ways. When this happens, they can cause significant damage to roads, driveways and sidewalks. Tree roots can also interfere with septic lines and cause drainage issues too. Species of tree, climate zone, soil composition and water are just some of the elements effecting how tree roots will expand. The goal of a deep root barrier is to guide or force tree roots downward in...
Imagine… you’ve created the perfect hardscape and landscape design only to find one day that the root system of one of your beautiful trees has busted up through the sidewalk. Upon further inspection, you also realize this tree’s massive root system has wrapped around the pipes of the underground irrigation system and a large expanse is going to need to be replaced. And you can’t even begin to worry about all the grass and plants and flowers you’ll lose repairing this mess. This scenario probably doesn’t sound like too much fun. Yet, it’s not out of the realm of possibility at all if you have not adequately pre-planned for the growth of the deep root systems of the trees in...
