ᐅ Planting around a wastewater cistern...?!?

Created on: 1 Jan 2014 23:17
Y
ypg
Y
ypg
1 Jan 2014 23:17
Hello garden enthusiasts,

At the front area of our property by the street, we have our wastewater cistern.

Now I am planning the landscaping of the front garden: among other things, I would like to plant a so-called feature tree near this spot—not exactly on it, but in the vicinity—possibly a Norway maple or another type of tree that can grow to about 4 to 6 meters (13 to 20 feet) tall.

Would this plan cause any problems, or could the root system damage the concrete cistern? I was thinking of planting about 1 meter (3 feet) away from the concrete cover.

Best regards,
Yvonne
kaho67412 Sep 2014 20:07
I would be cautious with that. From experience, the tree’s roots will eventually grow into the cistern. Even the smallest crack in the inlet or outlet allows roots to spread inside. Then you’ve got a real mess. I have the same problem—three covers right in the front yard. (We were required by the state of Saxony to install two firefighting water cisterns, plus the wastewater inspection chamber.) I thought about planting a lot of ornamental grasses around them, so they would mostly blend in. But I would never plant a tree there.
Y
ypg
12 Sep 2014 20:38
I am going with conservative boxwood now.
kaho67415 Sep 2014 18:42
ypg schrieb:
I'm going with conservative boxwoods now

quite old-fashioned...
Y
ypg
17 Sep 2014 12:00
@kaho674 or others: Any ideas for the few square meters around our cistern?

The strip would be 3 meters (10 feet) deep, and in front of that, the municipality will install infiltration trenches (grassed over).
S
stefanh
18 Sep 2014 08:02
Friends of ours have created a rock garden around and on top of the shaft using light-colored stones.
The plants they placed there are planted in solid pots that are "buried" and covered with the stones. This makes it difficult or even impossible for them to root into the surrounding soil.

Since the light stones cover both the pots and the soakaway shaft, nothing of it can be seen anymore.

Best regards
Stefan