Question
Jim, I have two Live oaks in front of my house with two or three surface roots on each tree that stick up over the ground surface. Can I grid them down below the surface and then cover with St. Augustine grass or should I just build up the ground level with dirt and the sod. Thank you so much, Steve (From Houston, TX)

Answer
Do NOT cut the tops of the roots off this will damage the root system and could cause dieback off the foliage or possibly death to the tree. You can cover the roots with sand as long as the depth is not more than about an inch or two over the root surface. Then grass can be sodded over the sand base. Sand is best--soil with  much clay base would be too heavy and not porous enough.  IF you put more then this amount of fill on the roots it could damage the roots by pushing out the air spaces and thus the foliage would dieback.