Old school under gravel filter tank.

[Oldguy]

roots could eventually clog the holes in the plate and cause a major constriction or blockage

This could happen, especially as some plants can have large root systems. What I did was to cover the UGF plates with weed suppression fabric and put the gravel substrate on top. So far so good and that was over 14years ago. The tank is now high tech and plants and fish have changed but no strip down. I wish the gravel was a little finer but I have what I have.