How to Create a Fairy Path Through Raised Tree Roots

Creating Fairy Fun

The Tropical Grower is sharing How to Create a Fairy Path Through Raised Tree Roots because who doesn’t need a little magic in their lives. And what better place than your Garden or around your home, to let those creative juices flow and make something special. Now, I cannot promise a fairy will use your path, but hoping is part of the fun.

Growing Tropical we are no strangers to exposed roots. If they don’t grow close to the surface, they often get pulled up in storms, or a Tuesday shower. While you might believe erosion is the culprit, and it is sometimes, it can also be the root wanting a drier environment. It doesn’t want to live in soppy wet soil. Who can blame it?

Whatever the reason, lumpy bumpy areas right where you need to walk is no fun. No one wants stubby toes and spilled buckets. Quick easy Fairy Paths can be a helpful solution to tie your paths together through roots, uneven areas, or just where you need something a little special. Jump directly to the quick steps.

Fairy Span

Truth be told, our little path would probably be closer to a superhighway for a fairy, but it only spans a short distance. The goal is to smooth your short walk out, make it easier to cross and create interest. Adding soil or sand will also help with erosion and stabilize your tree roots. Woo-Hoo! Bonus.

If you have a change in elevation, one side is higher than the other, you might want to refer to it as a Fairy Staircase. It’d be accurate, if not as cool sounding. A slight elevation change is pretty common and looks awesome. Your first step is to figure out the best place for your path, the direction it should take. Does it need to go up?

Locating Your Path

If you’re lucky, the direction your path needs to go is already apparent. Like, you have a path on one side that three quick elevation drops around your tree, each at a root, will join it with the path on the other side. Simple. You’re probably tripping your way down this path now.

Or more likely, you have weird sticking-out-in-all-directions roots. Places where the roots are really far out of the ground, curving funky, or just unpleasant. Your best option is to mostly bury these in a pleasant way that functions as a path. Easy, right? LOL!

Don’t panic, start by taking a seat. Look at the area. Where is the easiest way to walk? If you fill an area between 2 roots, is the root still sticking up, or at a weird angle where you’ll trip on it? You can make the path curve the whole way, angle it in any direction as many times as necessary, travel straight & split, the options are endless. It’s all up to you and your roots.

Take a look, make a plan. Walk around it a few times. What flows correctly? Are the foot holds too small for your feet? You may need to fill a larger area. Will she fall is the most important question in my mind. You’ll have your most important need.

Other Helpful Magic

If your roots are reaching up for drier ground, try packing sand next to the roots instead of a rich soil or mulch. Sand offers stability while keeping roots dry. Plan short runs between the roots, filling only the path instead of the path and surrounding areas. There’s a reason these babies are reaching for drier ground, and they will keep going up through whatever you put there.

However, if erosion is the culprit, packing and stabilizing the whole area will be necessary. Spray the hose on it, rain style, and figure out what is going on. Does the water slide off slowly across the whole area, or does it pour off in a channel taking all the dirt with it? Channels mean you need more area of level ground. If you have heavy erosion, you will most likely need to plan a hard Groundcover like Rock or a planted vegetation like moss or grass to stabilize the path after it’s filled.

Storm Mangled Roots

If all your roots have shifted upward due to storms yanking the tree around, make sure to pack rich soil or a compost mix around all the roots, lovingly. Wait, do it again. And, again. It will probably take at least 3 packs and no less than 6 months, the longer the better, for everything to settle. When the soil you’ve placed starts to drop a bit, that’s your signal to add more soil, think month or 2. After the 2nd or 3rd repack, you can start figuring out the best directions to make the paths. Unfortunately, it just takes time. The good news, it should look filled and nicely restored every time you do it. The settling comes after.

Choose a Ground Cover

After you figure out what’s going on with your roots, you should have a pretty good idea where your paths are headed. At this point, I like to Clear the Paths which is the next section. It gives me a better idea, roots and all, what I’m going to be up against. However, we should pause and decide, as part of the plan, the Groundcover. While you can plan a dirt path, no stabilization, and know it will erode, likely significantly, you still have to decide that.

One of the most important parts of your plan is the ground cover. Do you want to tip-toe through the Clover, crunch your way over Loose Rock, or do you need something more durable like a mortared Rock path or laid Tile? If vegetation is your pleasure, you’ll need to add some soil to support it. If Rock, Shell or Pavers, a layer of sand to float it on is best. However, If you’re going for a Smooth Tile, like ceramic or porcelain, you’ll want to add concrete board or other more stabilized foundation, like concrete.

What you decide to use will determine so much else. The good news is you have lots of materials available to you. Because the nature of Fairy Paths is small, you even have the option of splurging on more expensive materials, like crystals or semi-precious stones. Fairies love those, in my head, at least.

Some Groundcover Options

Mulch	Wood, Pine Nettle, Rubber – Can be Used alone as fill and groundcover or groundcover over other fill options such as soil or sand.
Rock, Shell, Loose Stone	Any size, smaller means an easier walk. Can be used loose or mortared into place for heavy traffic. ***For Deep Roots, try filling with very large rocks of the same depth and add soil to fix them into place, leaving part of the rock exposed.
Grass, Clover	For heavy traffic and areas that erode. Make sure you can mow or add to your regular weed whack. Weeding is required.
Moss, Tiny planties	For low traffic areas. While functional, too much foot traffic on these will destroy the plants. Weeding is required.
Whole Bamboo, Sticks, Branches, Fronds	Lengths of sticks or fronds, cut to size and lined up along the span of an area.
Tile, Pavers, Large Shell	Mortared or Floated. These are a little more advanced and require a stabilized layer of sand or hard surface such as smooth concrete or concrete board with thinset. They also require a plan or pattern.

Clear the Path

Once you have a plan and know what you want to use, get rid of all the weeds and remove any unwanted vegetation from your path area. While you do have the option of using vegetation as a ground cover, it will need to be added after any fill. If there is any there now, move it temporarily while you’re filling and leveling. Remember, you might have to remove some dirt to get it level, but in my experience, you mostly have to add it.

Burying live vegetation usually kills it, but you don’t want it decomposing under your path, or breaking it up by growing through it. Large masses of vegetation will lose size and make a void under soil, a little bubble, that will most likely collapse and mess up your path in a month or so. Oh, no! So, try to remove all the vegetation.

Filling

Choosing any number of types of fill, mulch, or sand is a personal preference, with implications as previously discussed. You may want to use materials you have on hand. We’re big on reusing and recycling materials, and we have several Mulch and Compost options we make right here in Our Garden. Whatever you choose, you want to be able to walk on it. It’s a path. Function and ease should be the priority.

If you are not filling the entire root area, you may need to add a border or slope to the edge of your path. The goal is to keep your fill packed into the area of your path. If you have an open edge, you can close it with a border or gradually slope your fill down to ground level. It really depends on how much room you have. We used a slope with mortared rock along our edge. Keep in mind wood will decay over time. You will have to replace log or branch borders eventually, and they can destabilize a mortared finish.

Fill In Layers

It’s also important to fill in layers. The more fill, the more you should break it up, packing between layers. Unless you’re using equipment, the rule of thumb is 6 to 8 inch layers. Anything bigger and you might accidentally add air pockets or miss getting a good hard compaction.

Leveling

Leveling is all about compaction and making it drain. Ever been to the beach? Compaction is the difference between walking where the waves are lapping at the wet sand and trudging through the loose sand to get to there. One is a better workout, and the other is a smoother stroll. You want the soil or base, also called subgrade, packed down, hard, where it isn’t going anywhere when stepped on, even carrying heavy stuff. If it’s shifting when you step on it, wet it, and stomp or pack it down more. Do it again. Is it still shifting? Do it again. You want it as stable as possible.

Water helps the soil particles slide together more snugly, like a lubricant. The pressing, or packing is the force that slides them together. I do a nice stomp dance, sometimes with weights, a.k.a. cinder blocks. Sometimes, I use this heavy square piece of metal on a stick. It depends how compact I need it. Sand compacts the best. Period. Once you get your fill at the right height, fully compacted, then you make it level. It’s easier to remove fill to your correct slope, than to create it.

Slope It

When we say level, we don’t actually mean horizontally straight. You don’t want water to pool in an area, creating mosquito breeding grounds and degrading whatever it’s sitting on. Standing water also grows algae. You want a little slope, lean, or a big one to send water in the direction you want it to go, off the area. For instance, a step is actually a little higher on the inside than the outside, assuring water runs off the step onto the next one below. The difference could be as small as an eighth of an inch (1/8) or as big as a couple of inches depending on the depth of the step. Water should flow. So, you can use a level, but the air bead should never be exactly in the middle.

Groundcover

Once your path is filled and leveled, it’s time to add the Groundcover. You can go as simple as adding a layer or 2 of mulch as a finish or as complicated as creating a tile mosaic.

Mulch

No need for anything fancy, simply wheel your chipper over and take out some of your pruning piles, chip right into place. If you don’t have a chipper, bag mulch, staw, pine needles, leaves and man made materials are readily available. Just spread evenly. The more you use, in thick layers, the longer it will last. For natural materials, you will need to add, at least yearly, new materials as the old ones break down. Once in place, water well.

Bamboo, Sticks, Small Branches

Have you ever seen a Bamboo mat? It’s basically strips or lengths of Bamboo held together by string or twine. They fit together tightly into a square or rectangle. Same concept, but instead of tying them together, you simply lay lengths of Bamboo, Sticks, or Small Branches the same direction along your path, pressing into place. The heavier the better.

We have a Fairy Path made from Coconut Palm Fronds through the dry detention area. Coconut fronds are particularly thick and woody, almost like wood planks. Finding composting uses for them has proven difficult. However, placing them across the small path gives it the look and feel of a little wooden bridge. So Fun.

Vegetation

Moss, clover and grass are all good options for Groundcover, but you can add any low growing vegetation you’re willing to upkeep, really. We’re partial to moss, and I don’t tend to pull clover. Seriously, both Moss and Clover seem right at home in a Fairy Path, and make lovely choices. In fact, I added Moss to the bottom level of our Fairy Path. Since I have it covering the dirt mound next to the tree and it’s more natural to start on the next step up, it made a nice progression.

There are a couple of things to remember with vegetation:

You need rich soil under it, not just sand;
Plants can be fragile, choose something that will hold up to the amount of traffic the area will get (heavy or light);
They will need water, light and nutrients to grow, choose wisely; and
Mowing may be required, definitely weeding, depending on what you choose. You don’t want an overgrown path. Dang.

Loose Rock or Shell

Crunchy Rock and Shell are some of our favorite walks, but you need smaller Rock and Shell for the crunch. Larger Rocks and Shells tend to stay in place, especially in small areas. While pretty and useful, they lack that distinct ‘crunch’ sound.

The biggest problem you will have with any Rock or Shell is sinkage. They’re heavier than most soils and will eventually sink below the surface. You can either spend your time digging them up, or use a layer of screen to hold them on the surface. We like the PVC netting. For more on loose Rock paths check out How to Create a Rock or Shell Path.

It’s also best to leave enough space between your fill level and the top of the roots to form a little cup, a space to hold the Rock or Shell without spilling or being kicked out. The more confined it is, the less work it will be for you.

Mortared Rock or Shell

While I would say this is advanced DIY, you’ll be surprised how easy it can be. All the steps up to this one are the hard parts. Filling and Leveling hold me up all the time. This is the creative part, the Fun part. With Rock or Shell, you can either create a very deliberate design or go with a natural look. Let your creative juices flow. The possibilities are endless because the materials are endless, but the steps are simple:

Set your Rock or Shell;
Add your Mortar; and
Let Dry, which is the most important part.

Set Your Rock or Shell

Whether you are using large river rocks, or tiny pebbles of amethyst, the first step is to lay-out your material onto the path area. You can merely sprinkle them into the area, place in a very specific mosaic design or something in between. The rock needs to go down with small spaces between the rocks where mortar can be placed to hold them together. You don’t want the spaces so small you don’t use enough mortar, and you don’t want them too big as too much mortar will make them break up easily.

We used a combination of reclaimed yard stones in white, a white crystal pebble, brown river rock, and a tiny purple and gray volcanic pebble. Since its reclaimed, there are also several different various stones, shells and even a little piece of pottery. We wanted natural and reuse, and I ended up dumping little batches and reworking by hand to get a good even mix of the stones. When I say reuse, I mean I dug them out of the yard where they sank, years before. They were dumped after I washed them.

Add Your Mortar

For small Rock, Shell, or Stone and small mortaring spaces, you can use the Shake Method, but for everything else, you’ll need to mix the mortar with water and pack wet. The Shake Method is super simple and exactly like it sounds. You shake dry mortar into the laid rock and use a brush to pack it into place, being careful not to move the rock around. It should look exactly like you want the finished product to look, meaning the mortar should be packed into place, no cracks or spaces. Your mortar should be thick enough to hold your size Rock in place, with just a third or less of each Rock exposed. Less, and your mortar will be brittle.

Using the Mist or Flower setting on your hose sprayer, wet the mortar. You are misting water onto it, not spraying it. If you don’t have a mist setting, try barely turning on the water and using your thumb to create mist. You want the mortar to just start to look like a liquid and smooth out, then move to the next spot. Be careful not to over water and wash out the mortar. Not enough water will make the mortar look grainy instead of smooth. Add some more water before it dries.

Traditional Method

You can also mix the mortar with water, per the directions, and apply to the placed rock. Make sure not to leave any air pockets or bubbles. Most people use a trowel to apply the mortar, packing between the rock, and a large sponge to remove the excess mortar from the surface layer of the Rock or Shell and to polish. This is the traditional method, and it works great. It’s just messy and takes longer than the Shake Method, in my opinion.

Helpful Tips

Remember, don’t move your stones around after the mortar is placed. If your rocks move, you’ll most likely have to do it all again. Use only a single layer of rock. Rocks stacked on each other are difficult to mortar thoroughly and are likely to shift, breaking apart all your hard work. The smaller your Rock or Shell, the less sand you will need in your mortar. Sand is necessary with larger spaces of mortar, like between Tiles, but the smaller the spaces, the less you will need it to fill the gaps. We prefer not to use any sand in mortar with our small Rock or Shell.

Let it Dry

I cannot stress enough the importance of letting everything dry fully. Do not skimp on this part. Most mortar dries in 24 to 48 hours. The longer you give it, the more likely it is to set hard and not brittle. Growing Tropical, there are only very specific times of the year we get dry, and I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve had to redo brittle mortar. Blah! No Fun. So, check the forecast.

Now, that being said. Yes, I had to redo our Fairy Path because despite the 1% chance of rain, it actually did rain about 2 hours after I finished, in the drought season. If that wasn’t enough, that night a Raccoon decided to remove all the roundish pebbles to check to see if they were seeds. It all had to be redone. Yeah, that actually happened. LOL! When the tree fell over 4 months after the 1st time I did it, you’d think I’d know I was cursed, but no. It looks really nice, for now.

Mortared Flat Tile, Large Rock or Shell

While you absolutely can place flat Tile or Shell into these smaller paths, it requires enough area for either a concrete, concrete board, or other completely stable subgrade. Flat Tile needs a thinset or mortar on the bottom to hold it into place. Mortar between them isn’t enough to keep it stable and a subgrade that shifts can break the thin Tiles or Shell.

We have a Fairy Staircase My Mom did with Original Hand Carved & Painted Tiles over the hibiscus mound. She made the Sea Turtle Tiles herself, firing them and everything. She cut the steps out of the mound placing the concrete boards, added a layer of thinset, placed her tiles with space between, used a trowel to spread the mortar, and sponged off the excess. It looks fantastic and has been a part of Our Garden for well over a decade.

The trick with laying Tile is to continually check to make sure it’s level from one piece to the next. You’re floating thin Tiles on a wet layer of thinset. Crooked Tiles will stick up and eventually get knocked or chipped in a path. You want smooth sailing along your walk. And yes, this requires a meticulous hand.