Lessons Learned: Root Awakenings — Ficus Trees and Pool Damage

When designing landscapes around swimming pools, trees are among the most valued elements. They provide shade, scale, greenery, and privacy — all hallmarks of luxury backyard design. But the wrong tree in the wrong location can cause expensive pool and hardscape damage. Few species demonstrate this more dramatically than the ficus tree.

By Scott Cohen

If you ask a child to draw a tree, odds are the picture will resemble a ficus: symmetrical canopy, lush foliage, and a classic silhouette. They’re evergreen trees, fast-growing, and can create an instant privacy screen. All good reasons why homeowners often consider them good trees for hedges or privacy screens — at least at first glance.

Ficus trees have even earned a place of honor in many public landscapes around the world. The Morton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla), native to Australia, is a prime example. These giants, with their massive buttress roots and cathedral-like canopies, have been planted in parks, campuses, and botanical gardens across the globe.

In Santa Barbara, CA, a single Morton Bay Fig planted in the 1870s has grown into a landmark with a canopy that spreads over 170 feet, shading nearly an acre. Similar specimens grace Balboa Park in San Diego and Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden, where their sprawling roots and branches create living monuments.

Even among the smaller varieties such as Ficus microcarpa (Indian Laurel Fig), there’s a sense of permanence and quiet grandeur. In the right place, ficus trees can anchor a property and define the landscape design.

A Gnarly Problem

But beneath that beauty lies a beast. All ficus varieties — including the common Ficus nitida, Ficus microcarpa , and Green Jem variety — are among the most root-invasive trees you can plant. Their aggressive surface roots spread far beyond the drip line, sometimes reaching twice as far as the canopy itself.

This makes them bad hedge trees, and ornamental trees for use near pools, patios, and driveways. Those roots will chase moisture into pool shells, under decking, and across property lines. Homeowners who assume ficus are “good trees for hedges” often learn the hard way that they are anything but good neighbors to a swimming pool.

These roots are powerful! I’ve seen ficus roots crack retaining walls, lift sidewalks, invade drainage systems, and even pry coping off pool beams. One case I worked on involved a ficus that toppled a $100,000 retaining wall. In another, roots crept into a shotcrete pool shell, threatening its structural integrity.

Because concrete pool shells are watertight, not waterproof, fine fibrous roots can exploit small cracks or gaps between coping and bond beams. Once inside, they expand and cause hidden damage — often requiring demolition and expensive repair.

Managing the Risk

As with most construction defect cases, prevention is far cheaper than repair. If you use ficus trees in your landscape design, you must plan ahead:

• Root Barriers for Pools: Install interlocking root barrier panels at least three feet deep. These direct roots downward rather than outward, protecting nearby pool shells, patios, and hardscapes. Keep the barrier visible above grade to prevent roots from simply climbing over.
• Root Pruning & Maintenance: Periodic root pruning helps prevent invasive roots from damaging driveways, patios, or pool decking. Deep watering encourages vertical growth instead of lateral spread.
• Drainage & Root-Control Fabrics: Products like MiraDrain redirect water away from walls and discourage root clustering. Some professionals pair physical barriers with root-inhibiting treatments (though I recommend avoiding chemical herbicides).
• Choose Truly Good Hedge Trees: Instead of ficus, consider better hedge trees and shrubs such as Podocarpus gracilior (fern pine), Eugenia, wax privet, ligustrum, or Pittosporum tenuifolium. These species provide excellent screening, are far less destructive, and are truly good trees for hedges near pools and patios.

Responsibility, Liability & HOA Rules

Homeowners are typically liable for damage caused by their trees — a potentially huge problem if that damage affects a neighbor’s property. Many HOAs across Southern California, where ficus trees are common, now list them as prohibited hedge trees because of the risk of litigation and infrastructure damage.

Pool builders and landscape contractors should specify root barriers and detail planter protections on their construction plans. Failing to do so can result in claims years later when tree roots inevitably reach the pool beam or decking.

As pool designers, builders, and homeowners, we must anticipate how roots will behave over time and select good hedge trees and planting strategies that protect our investment.

Scott Cohen is an award-winning garden artisan, licensed swimming pool, general and landscape contractor, and renowned expert in construction defect analysis. With three decades of experience designing and building custom pools, outdoor living areas, and water features, Scott combines artistry with technical precision to create safe, stunning spaces. He is a nationally recognized speaker and author of eight books and serves as an expert witness in pool construction defect cases across the U.S.