Copper sulfate isn't an instantaneous solution, as it can take weeks for the roots to get worse and sweep away after they die.

You may have taken safety measures to locate your septic system adequately far from shrubbery when you installed it, but roots have anextended reach, and they are attracted to septic systems. When roots touch your system and start developing inside the pipes, you'll getbad scents and problems with your drainage system. Chemicals may aid, but they aren't a magicalshot that provides immediate relief. In various cases, it's best to call in a professional.

Symptoms of a Problem

What creates waste for humans is foodstuff for plants, and to get it, adjacent trees and vegetation send feeder roots through minor cracks in concrete tanks, firm concrete pipes and even plastic pipes, if the joints are conceded. Once inside, they turn out to be root crowds that effectually block the tank or pipes, and you get this in the house when your commode begins flushing slothfully or your drains back up. When the roots enter the pipes in the drainage field, you may notice oddly green grass and strong vegetation, damp ground and sewage smells.

Foaming Root Killers

Copper sulfate isn't the only herbicide obtainable; dichlobenil has a lengthy account of use for root control and is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency for common use, which means you don't need a card to use it. It's the leading ingredient in a popular foaming root killer product that commendablyeradicates roots from your septic tank.

To use a product like this one, you mix its two quantities together in a container to start the foaming action and then pour it unswervingly into the tank or through a throw-out in the bay pipe. After the roots expire, you wait for them to worsen and wash away. To treat the leach field, pour the combined powders into the dispersal box, a leach field cleanout, or into the septic tankschannel pipe, if open. Restrict water flow for some hours before and after treatment, to allow the foam to work.

Copper Sulfate for Roots

Copper sulfate is one of the recommended treatments for tree roots in septic systems. When they absorb it, roots croak, but it doesn't travel very far-off up the roots, so the plant is generally unaffected. The suggested dosage is 2 pounds of copper sulfate crystals per 300 gallons of tank size, usually ran through the lowermost toilet in the house.