You’ve likely heard horror stories about trees damaging house foundations, pavement, and other structures.
So, whether you’re getting ready to plant a pine tree or are cautiously eyeing your already established pine, understanding how deep pine tree roots grow is crucial.
How Deep Do Pine Tree Roots Grow?
Pine tree roots can grow anywhere from 3 to 75 feet. Their depth depends on several factors, including:
- The species
- Root structure
- Tree’s size
- Climate
- Spacing
As you can likely guess, larger trees living in ideal climate conditions and with plenty of space between other trees develop deeper roots than those under different circumstances.
Understanding a Pine Tree’s Root Growth
Pine trees have tap roots, single primary roots that grow straight into the ground. That’s great news for homeowners, who often struggle with trees with shallower roots pulling up their foundation, concrete sidewalks, and more.
Once a pine tree seedling establishes its taproot, it’ll begin developing horizontal roots. These lateral roots can cause issues for some homeowners over time.
The two types of lateral roots that pine trees grow include:
- Fine roots
- Coarse roots
As its name implies, fine roots aren’t anything you have to worry about (at first) regarding your home’s foundation. These roots remain in the top six inches of soil, but they’re too weak to do any harm.
After a pine tree is about one year old, coarse roots take over the fine roots. Not only do coarse roots solidify at the top of the soil, but they also make their way deeper into the ground.
A pine tree’s coarse roots are homeowners’ most serious cause of worry.
Distance to Plant Pine Trees From Structures
The golden rule of thumb is to plant a pine tree at least half the distance of its expected adult height from any structure on your property.
So if you think your pine tree will grow to 120 feet, you should plant it at least 60 feet away from your home and other foundational structures.
Now isn’t the time to be lenient with your estimates; it’s safest to overestimate your pine tree’s final growth rather than underestimate it.
You likely won’t see the impact of your tree’s root size until decades after you plant it. Most pine trees reach maturity at 25 to 30 years old. But it isn’t uncommon for them to continue growing past this age, especially if they have favorable conditions.
Choosing the Best-Fit Pine Tree
If you’re in the market for pine trees and are concerned about the roots reaching your foundation, we encourage you to choose a smaller pine variety.
Some of the best small pine trees with shorter roots include:
- Jeffrey pine (4 feet)
- Uncle Fogy pine (2 feet)
- Oregon green pine (18 to 20 feet)
Medium-sized pine trees are also suitable for many homes, even for people with relatively small yards. For example, the swiss mountain pine tree only grows up to 65 feet tall, meaning that you could plant it only 35 feet away from your home.
The Bottom Line
Understanding how deep pine tree roots grow and how long pine trees take to grow is vital when planning your yard’s landscaping.
Pine trees are one of the best types of trees to plant, given that they have a deep tap root instead of an extensive mass of shallow-growing roots.