One common way to kill tree roots is one that the BobVila.com staff does not support: using the chemical herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp, on the roots and tree stump.

There's a popular weed killer that people use ... Or you might want to consider a more natural control, like Epsom salts, to get rid of pesky tree stumps. Read the original article on House ...

This would probably be illegal and might well kill whatever was living on the rotting tree stump, though. “Better to have decomposing wood in a garden. If you have a dying tree, let it die.

"This would probably be illegal and might well kill whatever was living on the rotting tree stump, though. “Better to have decomposing wood in a garden. If you have a dying tree, let it die.