Is That a Tree Root in Your Toilet?

Tree roots wreak havoc and cost thousands in repairs to an elderly woman's plumbing

They're tall, they're majestic, but the ficus trees looming behind Rita Clyde's tidy, Tamarac home have worn out their welcome.

"They've taken over, the roots have taken over, they've grown from the back yard all the way to the front of the house, through my plumbing, tore it right open," says the 80-year-old Chicago native.

Clyde survived a plane crash and the death of her husband, but this widow who was once Michael Jordan's neighbor (lots of pictures in the house to prove it. "He was such a nice young man.") has spent nearly $3000 on plumbers, who have to come out periodically to dig up her pipes and pull the roots out. On a fixed income, Rita just can't afford it, but she also can't afford to have all of her faucets, toilets, and showers clogged. That happened a few months ago. There was dirt backing up in her sinks.

"Financially, it's been very problematic and emotionally, I'm ill about it. I worry about it all the time," Clyde told me, as she leaned on her walker for support.

Last time they were there, the plumbers took pictures which showed a root actually protruding from a pipe, and another pipe with a huge crack running down its entire length. Rita's plumbing works fine for now, but the problem with ficus trees is they will not give up. Those roots are relentless. Even the Lorax wouldn't speak for these trees. 

"Their roots are from hell," says Robert Haehle, a horticulturalist who writes the garden column for the Sun-Sentinel. "I've seen them in 3rd floor toilets, puncturing Olympic-size swimming pools, the power of these trees is unbelievable."

That's why ficus trees are banned in most Florida cities. The row of trees behind Rita's house were planted decades ago on the edge of what used to be a golf course. Now the property is owned by the city of Tamarac, so Rita called city hall for help. They told her she was barking up the wrong tree.

"They said there's nothing they can do," Rita said. "I think about it all the time, worried about it."

But when we called city hall, the deputy city manager told us a different story.

"We're willing to do what we need to do out there," said Michael Cernech, who told us the city is going to dig out each ficus tree and replace it with a more appropriate shade tree, such as an oak or a mahogany. It'll cost about $7,500 per tree for removal, and the work should begin before the end of the year.

So it looks like Rita will be able to flush in peace.

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