Question
I live in southern Ontario Canada. I planted a Colorado Blue Spruce approx. 31/2 feet from my fence and my neighbour who has a pool is concerned that the root system will grow large enough to interfer with the pool. Is this likely to be a problem?

Answer
No there will be NO problem with the roots from the blue spruce. At maturity the tree will have a spread of about 15 feet and the roots will spread out  about the same BUT unless there is a break in the pool the roots will not grow into the pool and cause any problem. They have a tap root going straight down and feeder roots out from the trunk in the first 2 feet of soil. These feeder roots will cause no problem and I would think this tree is a slow grower thee and it will be along time before the tree reaches mature size. Since the tree is 3 1/2 feet from the fence you may have to prune it as it get into the fence. This pruning will keep it small also. This pruning is also many years down the road. Tell your neighbor to relax the trees roots will not harm his pool.