Septic & Landscaping Archives

What to Plant Over a Drainfield and What Will Wreck It

Joel Grayson · July 23, 2026

What to Plant Over a Drainfield and What Will Wreck It

I received a phone call in 2019 from a property owner near Knoxville whose drainfield had just undergone a complete replacement at a cost of $14,000. The culprit turned out to be a cluster of mature willows planted along the perimeter roughly a decade before. The root systems had penetrated and obstructed nearly every single … Read more

Keeping Roots Out of Your Septic Lines

Joel Grayson · June 30, 2026

I hear this one constantly from neighbors and contractors alike: “Just plant whatever you want—tree roots won’t reach your septic lines if they’re far enough away.” The logic sounds reasonable until you’re standing in a muddy trench looking at a 4-inch PVC pipe absolutely strangled by root fibers. I’ve helped dig out more than a … Read more