this is in total darkness..it's quite bushy

Obviously getting some water from the pipes...:-(

Post a photo of the trees. Some trees produce many root suckers and can spread for some distance. It would also help to know the location of your problem ( S. Cal, FL, etc)

its getting INTO the pipes... and that could be a giant problem ... mr landlord ... you have a massive problem.. in my estimate ...

it has to be connected to the tree outside.. else it would perish due to lack of photosynthesis ...

ken

carol23, I will try to take some. It looks like they are some type of Maple. I am in Los Angeles. I have seen little trees constantly popping up in the front lawn area.

ken, I know it's a massive problem. I have already spent thousands on pipe replacement and hydro jetting due to all the root issues. I am used to it though. Fully occupied six unit on that one, so at least it's covered.

If this isn't tree-suckering, is it possible there were some bulbs under there that have lain dormant until recent moisture enabled them to try to grow? Could storm run-off have washed seeds in there? My first impression was a fungus but then I noticed what looks like leaves? What about nearby vines? Polygonum or berries? They are vigorous enough to get under a house like that. I would look at vines, if any, before trees. Though I've never seen suckering roots trying to get into a pipe, I wouldn't expect foliage to appear in total darkness like that.

The sprouts may be from roots severed by the hydro-jetting and other digging. If so they're likely to die when the stored nutrients are used up.

perhaps.. you should get tree id's in the tree forum ..

and then destroy the trees ...

are you also johntheowner .... or just the landlord spending someone elses money???

ken

If you could get some of the stems and put them in a jar of water in the light the leaves should develop and make id easier.

Is there any Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven) growing close by among the other trees? We had one that put up thick growing suckers that looked exactly like that picture under our house except they were even taller and thicker. We cut the tree down and then had to fight the suckers in the whole area for quite a while until it finally gave up. It will definitely do that under a house.

Were any of the Maple trees cut recently? If so, the roots will sucker.

If its Ailanthus it will have a strong unpleasant odor, every part of the tree does.

Thanks for the feedback. ken it's my money sadly. So, it is from the trees outside since there was a giant root underneath the building coming in from the outside. The vegetation was growing from these roots. I saw it when the pipes were dug up. I guess the trees picked the wrong place to try to grow. It was being watered nicely from the leaky pipes.

trees...can't cut them. On neighbors side.

close up of leaves..

no more water for you..

What a disaster! At least you figured it out. What kind of trees are those? May be a colony, not individuals. Doesn't look like the neighbor cares about their roof.

Populus ?

That or cottonwood maybe. I can never tell those leaves apart. Lots of trees in Z10 I don't know though.

I thought cottonwood is Populus ???
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=POPUL

Maybe the mystery trees are Populus nigra.

the link you posted. I didn't know both were Populus, my bad & LOL at self. I feel better about not being able to tell the leaves apart! TY, Carol.

Don't think the neighbor cares about anything. No doubt they were planted as a privacy hedge. The leaves look exactly as Populus nigra aka Black Poplar.

And from Wiki: "As a widely selected species chosen by golf architects in the 1960s, it soon became apparent that the Poplar's very invasive roots destroyed land drainage systems. Decades later the same courses were removing Poplars stands wholesale. "

This sounds familiar. The only thing is, I never see any cottony stuff..