How to destroy tree roots?

Question

Tree roots are continuing to grow in my sister's pipes at her home. Roto Rooter has been out twice this yr. Is there another way to destroy them? The trees in question will be cut down soon. A tree worker told me to dig a hole in the root, and pour rock salt in.

Answer 1

Certified Arborist go to school but not all tree workers are certified. As long as the tree is alive it is going to send roots to where it knows it will get benefits. Septic systems and water lines are like an all you can eat bar for the tree. You can kill the tree which makes it dangerous for you, and for the arborist to remove (READ: More expensive removal). I would NOT put salt in the ground as it will contaminate the area and could leach into other areas thru the soil. Get the tree out. Period.

Answer 2

Try Round-up.  Make a fresh cut in the stump and apply Round-up as a paint, covering the entire stump.  

It takes a plant up to two weeks to die from Round-up because the glycosphate (the active ingredient of RoundUp) kills the plants by suffocating the plants' xylem and phloem veins where food and water travel through.

In about two weeks the smaller roots will have rotted off.  The stump would still need to be dug up and removed.

Answer 3

If a tree worker, or Arborist,  told you to put rock salt in the root system, I would do it. Arborists go to school to learn about trees.

Edit:  I'd rather see someone put salt on their tree roots to kill them than some of the other alternatives posted to ?'s like this one on YA. People have said to use Kerosene, Gasoline, and used motor oil.

THOSE are Hazardous Materials, and WILL contaminate the groundwater in very tiny amounts.