You’ve just bought your first home and are excited to explore the yard. As you walk around, you see that there’s a tree stump in the back of your garden.
Your excitement quickly turns into disappointment as you realize how much work it will take to remove this stump.
If only there were an easier way! Luckily, there is an easy way- Epsom Salt! This guide will show how you can use Epsom salt to remove tree stumps quickly and efficiently so that you can reclaim your backyard ASAP.
Epsom salt is a powerful tool for removing tree stumps. Epsom salt works by drawing out the moisture from a tree stump.
This causes dying of the wood tissue and crumbling of cells, causing them to dry up over time.
You can use it to dissolve the stump and then safely remove it by hand or with heavy equipment. This how-to guide will show you how to remove a tree stump with Epsom salt.
Contents
- What is and Why Use Epsom Salt
- How To Remove a Tree Stump With Epsom Salt
- Step One: Water Your Tree Stump
- Step Two: Drill Some Holes on the Stump
- Step Three: Apply the Epsom Salt Solution to your Tree Stump
- Step Four: Cover It All Up With Shredded Wood
- Step Five: Use a Shovel to Remove Your Tree Stump
- Step SIX (optional): Repeat steps two through six if needed for bigger stumps
- How to remove a tree stump with epsom salt FAQ’s
- How long does Epsom salt have to sit on a stump?
- How do you know when the salt has finished working?
- How much Epsom salt do I need to kill a tree stump?
- What tools will I need for removing my tree stump?
- Author
What is and Why Use Epsom Salt
Before getting into details on how to remove a tree stump using Epsom salt, lets first understand what it is and why use it:
Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. It contains sulfur that helps break down the wood tissue of the tree stump, which causes it to decay quickly.
The decaying process also releases hydrogen (H) and sulphuric acid (HSO). These contribute further in rotting away at the stump.
Epsom salt works well in killing cut stumps because it combines with water to create an acidic solution. This acid is how the salts attack and break down wood tissue.
The mixture will continue to eat away the stump until all that remains are small pieces of bark or sawdust, which you can easily remove by hand or heavy equipment.
What to do with tree roots above ground?
How To Remove a Tree Stump With Epsom Salt
Here are the steps how to remove a tree stump with Epsom salt:
Step One: Water Your Tree Stump
Get a hose and water your tree stump until it is soaked.
This will allow Epsom salt to work its way into your tree stump quickly and efficiently.
Step Two: Drill Some Holes on the Stump
Use a drill to create holes on the stump. Drill about three inches deep into the bark of your tree stump, making sure that you space them evenly around the circumference of it.
This will allow Epsom salt to attack and break down more parts of your tree stump at once.
How to bring grass out of dormancy
Step Three: Apply the Epsom Salt Solution to your Tree Stump
Mix three cups of Epsom salt with one gallon of warm water. Pour this mixture into the holes you drilled on your tree stump using a funnel or any other device that will help get the salts in there quickly and efficiently.
Make Sure the stump is covered by this mixture, including the roots surrounding the plant if they’re sticking out from the ground.
This step helps further break down the cells within the stump by increasing how fast they dry out.
Leave this solution to sit for three days before moving on to step four(optional).
It’s recommended that you leave the salts to sit for at least 48 hours so that all wood fibers are softened up and easy to remove later on – if you can wait a week instead, do so as the longer the salt sits, the better.
How to remove a tree stump by hand
Step Four: Cover It All Up With Shredded Wood
Cover your tree stump with a layer of shredded wood or newspaper to keep the salts from evaporating into the air and prevent animals from trying to get at them as well, which could contaminate the entire mixture.
For best results, cover this area for one to two weeks so that the salts can continue to work their way into your tree stump until it’s completely decayed.
How to level ground after tree removal
Step Five: Use a Shovel to Remove Your Tree Stump
After two weeks of letting your tree stump soak in salty water and decay, you can use how shovel to remove it!
Just dig around the base of your tree stump until it is loosened up enough that you are able to pull all pieces out by hand or heavy equipment.
Step SIX (optional): Repeat steps two through six if needed for bigger stumps
If there is still some wood left after removing everything with a shovel, repeat steps two-six as many times as necessary until no more chunks come off when digging under them.
If not done already, spread new topsoil over where the ground was disturbed so grass can grow back.
Benefits of using Epsom salt in your lawn?
How to remove a tree stump with epsom salt FAQ’s
How long does Epsom salt have to sit on a stump?
Epsom salt has to sit for at least 48 hours of the three-day process. It also is recommended that you leave it longer, up to one week if possible.
The more time Epsom salts have with your tree stump, the better results you will have in removing a tree stump.
How do you know when the salt has finished working?
You can tell that Epsom salts are ready to be removed from your tree stump once all sides of it look completely decayed- this is how you’ll know how to remove a tree stump with Epsom Salt and successfully end up with no more roots left behind.
How much Epsom salt do I need to kill a tree stump?
The standard mixture for killing a tree stump is three cups of Epsom salt mixed with one gallon of water.
This amount of Epsom salt is enough to remove your tree stump fully.
What tools will I need for removing my tree stump?
Tools needed include shovel, drill or auger, funnel (optional), and gloves (safety first!). If done correctly after step five, there should not be any other equipment necessary.
However, if some parts still remain even after repeated steps two through six, duty machinery like an excavator will come in handy
Killing tree stumps with motor oil
For many years, people have been using Epsom salts to get rid of tree stumps without any problems. Indeed, it is a fast and painless method for how to remove a tree stump in the comfort of your own home!
All you need to do is follow steps one through six and finish by removing the decaying tree stump with a shovel.
Remember to keep the soil in your yard healthy and add new topsoil if necessary.
