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Molokai_Bernie
- Full Member
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:37 pm
- Location: Molokai Hawaii
Hau tree roots - are they a problem?
How aggressive (and potentially destructive) are the roots of the hau tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus L.)? I've got one about 5 feet from a sidewalk growing on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. It seems a very versatile, hardy, drought tolerant shruby tree. The unusual flowers, that change color from bright yellow as shown on this photo https://patrick-mcnally.aminus3.com/imag ... 10-28.html to pale orange then dull red by nightfall are charming. The wood is very light,soft and easy to prune so my hunch is the roots are soft and perhaps not that harmful also. But if anyone has some experience with this plant please comment. Thanks!
Howzit
Hau is not listed on the Hawaii state invasive species list. It is listed as invasive in Florida.
As long as it is not over watered it will not have rank growth. On Molokai it probably won't be a problem since the Island is pretty dry.
The roots are fibrous and not considered to be invasive. However, termites will eat hibiscus so it is best to keep it and most trees a minimum of 10 feet from structures.
A rule of thumb is that the roots will spread out as far as the natural canopy would have spread. You can contain roots a little longer by using a root barrier.
https://www.hibiscus.org/species/htiliaceus.php
Hau is not listed on the Hawaii state invasive species list. It is listed as invasive in Florida.
As long as it is not over watered it will not have rank growth. On Molokai it probably won't be a problem since the Island is pretty dry.
The roots are fibrous and not considered to be invasive. However, termites will eat hibiscus so it is best to keep it and most trees a minimum of 10 feet from structures.
A rule of thumb is that the roots will spread out as far as the natural canopy would have spread. You can contain roots a little longer by using a root barrier.
https://www.hibiscus.org/species/htiliaceus.php
