Sidewalk Shield - Tree Root Barrier (Standard Duty - 18 inch Depth, 100 feet)

We have bamboo encroaching up to 20 feet into our yard from our neighbor behind us. Great neighbors but they neglected to put up any barrier between our yards for five or six years when we became aware of the encroachment. When they did put in a barrier it was too late because the roots have grow laterally underground into our yard and to an area we use to grow tomatoes. To clear this area of bamboo we had it dug up to the depth of 18 inches, removing dozens of 1/2 inch diameter roots, mostly 6" to 12" underground. We then lined the perimeter of thos area with this high density mylar barrier and replaced the soil. The barrier is sturdy enough to stand up on its own when placed around the perimeter. No framing was required. Don't ever plant bamboo without using a formidable penetration barrier such as this item. Without a barrier it will spread within your yard, and to every neighbor of yours. It can't be killed. The only remedy is for the neighbors to dig up their own yard to remove the roots, and doing so will necessarilyl uproot every plant or bush or tree. If you must, just plant bamboo in a big pot. Thirty years ago a local builder offered to line our street with small beautiful trees in the berm between the sidewalk and street. Now 30 years later the roots to the tree have uplifted the sidewalk. Thousands of dollars to replace it. Also costly to rent cement grinder to level it. A few feet of this barrier between where the trees were planted and the sidewalk would have prevented this problem.

This was used to create a barrier to keep existing bamboo from going under my fence and into neighbors yard. Product is very well made. Since it come in a roll I left it unrolled and weighted down on my patio for a few days to get the coil memory out so its easier to handle. Trying to dig the trench and install this was difficult since the bamboo had already rooted all over the place. Those roots needed to be removed before installing this. If you are thinking about growing bamboo this product should be installed around the area before planting the bamboo to keep it under control. Excellent product. It was install between fence and bamboo.

Good

It's a roll of VERY thick plastic. You bury it in the ground and it controls root growth. It was the exact product I needed, at a competitive price (seemed a little high for a roll of plastic, but that's what it costs everywhere). It's easier to work with if you roll it out in the sun for a while (not on your lawn, it will bake whatever's underneath it). My roll was longer than advertised (maybe 30 feet instead of 25). Shipping was fast, customer service good, I didn't need it, but they reached out to me and included directions. They sent me a nice follow up note, The only way it could have been better was if they came out and dug an 18 inch trench for me.....

I used this to divert water from a neutralizer and sump pump and it worked!

We have some huge root instrusion into our backyard. So much so it was not only pushing up the sidewalk several inches but also the foundation in our home. We dug a trench along the backyard and pulled out a pile of roots, some as large as 10" in diameter. Just digging the trench and cutting the roots will give us many years of problem free backyard but we decided to also install a root barrier since we put all the work in to dig the trench. I'm confident the thickness of the Sidewalk Shield barrier will divert roots given its 80 mil thickness. The material arrives rolled up in tight cylinder and we unrolled it outside and weighted it down to that the sun would heat it and take the curl out of it. After a couple days the material was nice a flat. Its easy to cut with a jigsaw or even a hand saw. To join ends together there is no glue possible that will adhere high-density polyethylene and hold over time. The company sells a expensive metal clamp for $18 but I found a much cheaper approach. I used some pressure treated lumber, cut it into 1/2" thick slabs and treated the cut side with copper green wood preservative and then using wood screws sandwiched overlapping end of the barrier between them and used wood screws to secure the sandwich. This worked fine and the wood will last my lifetime underground. As to its actual effectiveness, I probably wont be able to report back on that as it may take 20 years for the roots I cut out to reach a point they will again threaten my hardscape.

This is a b***h getting in, and I knew it would be in advance, but even prepared as I was, it was a rotten job. Flimsy product makes it difficult to install per recommendations. Unsure how well it will perform over time, but at hopeful it will keep riots always from my septic field. As an arborist, I would advise using caution when removing large roots or if you plan to use this for a large growing tree, you want to be sure you’re not restricting the roots or be prepared for unexpected outcome if you do...

We have been through all the sizes and weights here and much of it is junk from Asia. I will only buy Sidewalk Shield from now on. Quality control is really important in these extruded products because we need them to lie flat. If it is not made well, it will curl up in the sun or cold.