Question
Hi Jim! I cut a tree 6 months ago because the  roots went under my house.I noticed lately the roots are still alive. I never realized how far these roots invaded my house.Their are hundreds of major roots and hundred of thousands of small fresh roots all over the foundation.I can see small roots  from end to end of my  house.My question is,is the tree dead?How can i kill the roots?How  can i make sure the that the roots wont get bigger?Thank you so much.Have a nice day!

Answer
The root say stem of a tree is the storage part of a tree. The function is to absorb water and minerals and to store "food" that is used by the tree to produce foliage and growth. The foliage in turn produces foods that is transported back to the roots for storage for next Spring. When a hardwood tree is cut the roots will in most cases try to re sprout new growth and foliage. If you are seeing this then the roots are still functioning. If you do not see any new foliage growth the roots are dying and there is no problem. IF you see new growth in foliage then the roots are still alive. In this case I would either keep cutting the growth as it appears or treat the new growth with a herbicide called Roundup. Roundup is absorbed by the foliage and transported to the roots killing the plant. But make sure if you use the roundup that you do not get it on any plant not wanting to be killed. Roundup will kill any green plant ad enters the plant through the leaves. As far as the roots under he house, they can  not survive unless they produce new foliage and over time they will die and decay. Roots can not get bigger with out producing foliage.   do not think you will have any problems with the roots under the house. I hope this dispels your concerns