How to Kill Roots

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This article was co-written by Scott Johnson. Scott Johnson is the owner and principal design consultant of Concrete Creations, Inc., an award-winning landscape design firm in San Diego, California. He has over 30 years of experience in the swimming pool and landscaping industry, specializing in large-scale outdoor construction projects. His work has been featured in the San Diego Home & Garden Magazine and on the Pop Kings TV Show. He holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management with a major in architecture and CAD design from Northern Arizona University.

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When a stump in your yard is sprouting new shoots, you must destroy it or the tree will continue to grow. The half-dead tree stump is an ugly obstacle that won’t go away on its own. You can kill the stump with a salt solution or prevent sunlight from reaching the stump. You can then remove the dead stump by burning or chopping.

Table of Contents

Use Epsom salt or rock salt

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Buy Epsom salt or rock salt. Using salt is an easy and inexpensive way to kill tree stumps. However, if you use this method, it takes months for the stump to die, so it’s probably not the best option if you need to get rid of the stump quickly.

Do not use regular table salt to avoid damaging the soil around the base of the tree. Use 100% additive-free Epsom or rock salt to ensure the soil is not disturbed.
For persistent stumps, you can try using a chemical stump remover or an herbicide containing glyphosate or triclopyr instead of salt. ^{[1] X Research Source} Although herbicides will kill stumps more quickly, keep in mind that they can also kill the roots of surrounding trees or shrubs.

Drill multiple holes into the base of the tree. Drill multiple holes into the surface of the stump to allow the solution to penetrate the tree. These holes should be about 1.3 -2.5 cm in diameter and at least 30 cm deep if you have a long enough drill bit. The deep hole will ensure the salt solution soaks up the roots under the trunk. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If you don’t have a long drill, you can use an ax to dig into the stump of the tree into as deep grooves as possible.
If the stump has large raised roots, you should drill holes in the roots as well.

Prevent sunlight from reaching the base of the tree

Cover the tree stump. This method does not cost money but can take a long time. The goal here is to slowly kill the stump by cutting off its supply for its basic needs. Wrap a plastic or trash bag over the stump to prevent the stump from receiving sunlight and water.

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Wait three to six months. During this time, the stump will gradually die. Check in from time to time to see how things are going. When it dies, the stump will rot and fall apart.

When the stump dies and rots, you can use a stump remover solution to speed up the process. This solution is available at nurseries and gardening centers.
You can also add more Epsom salt to the cracks that appear in the stump, or see method 1 – drill holes into the stump and pour in the salt to speed up the process.

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Cut off any growing seedlings. The stump wrapping method will stop the plant from growing, but while you wait for the stump to die, you can prune the seedlings that have grown from the stump, or apply an herbicide containing triclopyr. If your goal is to plant a new tree at the base of the old tree, cut the seedlings but do not use herbicides.

Burn the stump

Drill holes in the stump. Burning is an effective method of removing stumps after the stump has died. Start by drilling multiple holes into the surface of the stump. These holes should be about 1.3 -2.5 cm in diameter and at least 30 cm deep if you have a long enough drill bit. The deep bore will ensure that the stump burns all the way to the roots and is easier to remove. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Pour kerosene into the drilled holes. The kerosene that soaks into the base of the tree will help you burn the tree to ashes. Make sure the oil soaks up the stump; otherwise the fire will go out before reaching the root tip.

Another option is to place charcoal on the surface of the stump and burn it. The coal will slowly burn down to the base of the tree. This will reduce the risk of the fire spreading to surrounding trees.
If you are afraid that the surrounding objects will catch on fire, you should not use this method. Burning stumps is quite effective, but can be dangerous if there is not much space around.
Check your local regulations to make sure you are allowed to light a controlled fire.

Make a fire on the surface of the stump. Sprinkle the shavings on top of the stump and light the fire. When the fire burns down, the stump will catch on fire. Watch carefully to make sure the stump catches fire and add more wood if necessary to maintain the fire. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Remember to watch until the stump burns to ashes. Do not leave the stump burning unattended to prevent the fire from getting out of control.
Depending on the size of the stump, it may take several hours to burn out.

Dig the ash and fill the hole with soil. Use a shovel to remove all the ash, shovel down to the roots of the tree and fill the hole with fresh soil.

Cut the tree stump

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Find the stump grinder. You can also chop to remove the stump. This method requires a stump grinder that you can rent at hardware stores. The stump grinder has a rotating saw blade that drills into the stump and grinds it. This method is suitable for large and stubborn stumps. Renting a machine is the wisest option, but if you need to deal with a lot of stumps, buying a crusher is well worth it. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You also need to wear protective gear. Goggles and a face mask will protect you from sawdust and shavings when grinding the tree.
If you don’t like operating heavy machinery, call a landscape builder and tell them you need to remove a stump. You can hire someone else to do this.

Cut the stump close to the ground. Use a chainsaw to cut the stump just a few centimeters above the ground. Remove any branches or roots that are too high above the ground to provide a firm surface to operate the stump grinder. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Crush the tree stump. Put on goggles and a mask, then place the respirator on top of the tree. Then, following the manufacturer’s instructions, move the machine slowly over the surface of the stump to grind it into crumbs. Continue moving along the floating roots until the entire stump is crushed.

Take care not to leave your feet in the path of the crusher. Wear thick boots to avoid injury.
Make sure children and pets are at a safe distance before you operate the machine.

Shovel the wood chips and fill the hole. Clean up the discarded shavings (or use as mulch), then fill the hole with soil.

You may need to use an ax to chop down the remaining roots.

Advice

You can buy food coloring that is mixed into the herbicide before use. The coloring will help you see where you’ve sprayed, so you won’t miss or overspray the stump, increasing the chance that other plants will also be exposed to the herbicide.

Warning

Plants that grow close together, especially if they are of the same species, often develop a network of roots, sometimes sharing a common vascular tissue through a process called root grafting. If the plants have been rooted, the herbicide applied to the stump will be transferred to the other plants.
You may need to take other measures if shoots are still growing after the stump has been crushed, as there are many sturdy plants that can still sprout from the remaining stump.
Even if the plants do not root together, they still release some amount of herbicide into the environment, and all the surrounding plants can absorb this amount.

Steps