Water line and tree/shrub planting question

[cpy911]

New member here....

I want to plant trees/shrubs on one side of our front pasture that is treeless for cow shade. The pasture is divided in two for rotational grazing. Our water line is a county rural service that goes from the main road up to the house and I would like to avoid it. I know where the backflow preventer is (the start of the line) and the side of the house it goes into.

The line is PVC and I am not aware of any trace wire that was buried. I have called private locate companies and they are not of much help, they want to see trace wires sticking out of the ground to find it and will charge me $200 for a visit even if there is nothing that can be done. I have looked for trace wires and do not find anything.

Is there a very shallow growing tree or shrub that I can plant for afternoon shade and not worry about where the line is, and where roots won't damage it? I have seen the cows really hot and had to move them way before the next rotation on hot days.

I have done temporary shelters before, but I want to switch over to trees/shrubs

Here is an overlay map of what I am talking about.

Thanks!

 

[Patchouli]

@Cascadian @LadyLocust maybe new friend will come back. Do you guys have any suggestions for him? He lives in Oregon.

 

[LadyLocust]

New member here....

I want to plant trees/shrubs on one side of our front pasture that is treeless for cow shade. The pasture is divided in two for rotational grazing. Our water line is a county rural service that goes from the main road up to the house and I would like to avoid it. I know where the backflow preventer is (the start of the line) and the side of the house it goes into.

The line is PVC and I am not aware of any trace wire that was buried. I have called private locate companies and they are not of much help, they want to see trace wires sticking out of the ground to find it and will charge me $200 for a visit even if there is nothing that can be done. I have looked for trace wires and do not find anything.

Is there a very shallow growing tree or shrub that I can plant for afternoon shade and not worry about where the line is, and where roots won't damage it? I have seen the cows really hot and had to move them way before the next rotation on hot days.

I have done temporary shelters before, but I want to switch over to trees/shrubs

Here is an overlay map of what I am talking about.

Thanks!

Spruce have shallow roots but I think any roots could potentially be harmful to any sort of line just because of their nature. Spruce are wide at the bottom of course so do take up a sizable footprint as they grow. A row of arborvitae might serve you well and there are different varieties of course so you have options. Neither of those are deciduous so no leaf maintenance
Also- sorry- totally missed this in Dec.

 

[Cascadian]

@cpy911 I don't have much experience but we had a thread on it once.
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/t...ter-lines-should-i-even-worry-about-it.19523/

 

[Snowman]

Check with Your Loco Gov't Agency, I also am planning something similar.

Me Planting will bee a "Wind Break" to divert those 40+mph winds away from the front of Me Pad...!!!

That Service should bee Free and they will send someone out to show where the lines are...?!?

Someone from the Gas Company has already come out and painted yellow lines where the Gas Main goes along the access, across the yard to the Meter so I can avoid it...!! Big Help Indeed as I was almost on top of it in one spot...! Remember one Tip : the width of the Tree Branches is almost the same as the Root Spread...!

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ftsa&q=Tree+Spread,+Branches+and+Roots&atb=v404-1&iax=images&ia=images

 

[dademoss]

Not much help , but in ohio it's 811. https://oups.org/homeowners/

I'll be calling before I dig.

 

[zoomzoom]

Not much help , but in ohio it's 811. https://oups.org/homeowners/

I'll be calling before I dig.

I "thought" 811 was a national thing.
I want to plant some trees near a 24" double-wall culvert that's about 4' underground. Roots are tough, so is plastic culvert. Will the roots grow around the culvert or try to penetrate?

 

[Snowman]

With Me 1st Reply didn't Notice the OP Date was 12/12/2023...!!!

For those also that might Encounter something like this, Please Note that Builders want to save $'s so They get More $'s back...!! Find where the Water Meter is, Find where the Main Shut-off in/on the Domicile is and draw a straight line between the two...!

 

[dademoss]

I "thought" 811 was a national thing.

Might be, I'm not a national kinda guy, I know SW Ohio.

 

[montanabill]

If I was closer i could use a forked willow stick to find it......yes I have done it before even with plastic pipe. Just for fun look up water dowsing and see if you can find a legitimate article on it. Ya never know you might have the special power.

 

[dademoss]

If I was closer i could use a forked willow stick to find it......yes I have done it before even with plastic pipe. Just for fun look up water dowsing and see if you can find a legitimate article on it. Ya never know you might have the special power.

Grandpa could do it, I do not have the gift.

 

[12icemaker]

I "thought" 811 was a national thing.
I want to plant some trees near a 24" double-wall culvert that's about 4' underground. Roots are tough, so is plastic culvert. Will the roots grow around the culvert or try to penetrate?

It is not so much thy penetrate it as they can crush almost anything if it passes between two of them or them and a hard soil.
They will grow to any water source in a dry spell and as they expand they can crack the pipe and then they increase the rate of growth.

Culverts are generally only at risk in most cases if they stand in water most of the time.