Help – the Poplars are coming to get me

Here is an often heard question: Will the poplars wreck my foundation? I really don’t know how somebody can really think a poplar tree can break through you basement wall. Let’s think about that.  They can grow in rock, but I have never seen a poplar root go through a rock – which would have to happen in order for a root to penetrate a basement wall. When I was young (a long time ago) we lived in an old house with a sandstone basement – the house had been built around 1890 – in a time when concrete was not a common element for basement construction. Our house was surrounded by old Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides), some that were four foot in diameter. If there was a situation in which a poplar could or would break into a basement, that would have been it – never did see a Poplar in the basement. They (poplars) are not going to break into your basement – the roots cannot penetrate concrete walls, won’t grow in the dry air, and really have no desire to touch your stuff. If this is one of your fears, I would suggest you stop watching grade B movies on the horror channel – or stop listening to old wives.

We live at the nursery in a house built in 2000 – we have a wood basement, instead of concrete. We have also planted a dozen aspen on the north side of our house – and we are not concerned the aspen will destroy or break into our house. Although if they do, they would be in the staff break room, not in our office or bedroom.

In older parts of the city the sewer lines were constructed of clay tiles.  Sometimes poplar roots can penetrate the old seals that connect the pipes, which leads to some issues. The poplar roots did not penetrate the pipe, but the seals.

As poplars age, the roots do grow in size and can disrupt sidewalks and asphalt driveways. I have also seen thistles growing through asphalt, but don’t anticipate them breaking though a concrete wall.

Many of the poplars planted in the Calgary area are hybrid poplars, not the native Balsam Poplars. Hybrid poplars are very needy and have heavy water requirements – which requires these poplars to extend large and wide spread roots systems. I think they are not happy about being plunked into Southern Alberta and are in revolt – spreading their roots far and wide.

The native Balsam Poplars have evolved in this climate with our near-desert conditions – their roots are more contained and tend to be deeper as opposed to wider, which causes fewer problems than the introduced hybrid types.

Paskapoo Poplar has a smaller root system due to its nature – as a dwarf it has a reduced top and as consequence, a reduced bottom (root system). If you wish a poplar and don’t want to worry about them breaking into your basement, plant a Paskapoo Poplar.