How to Kill an Old Stump in the Yard

Have you ever tried to get rid of an old stump only to end up in the stump ? (Sorry, sorry.) There’s no shortage of reasons to get rid of that pesky stump, whether you’re making room for new trees to grow or want to avoid the danger of tripping in your yard. Luckily, you also have no shortage of solutions to get the job done.

The best way to get rid of the stump depends on your timeline. Left alone, most stumps will take years to naturally rot and decompose. There are several home remedies that will reduce this time to a few weeks or months. If you need to remove it immediately, there are more physical ways to kill that stump for good. Below we detail several methods so you can choose the one that is right for you and your cult.

If You Have Time Try These Home Remedies

Epsom salt

This is a great solution if you’re looking for a slower, more natural way to get rid of a stump. Epsom salts contain magnesium and sulfur, which are good for plants but deadly in large amounts. The goal here is to overdose the stump with Epsom salts, which will suck the moisture out of it and hasten it to rot completely (which, again, in itself can take several years).

Grab a drill and follow these steps to use Epsom salt to kill the stump:

1. Drill several holes in the stump, each about an inch wide. Make each hole as deep as you can.
2. Pour Epsom salts directly into the drilled holes, filling them to the top.
3. Add enough water to the holes to moisten the salt. Do this slowly so that the salt does not overflow.
4. Cover the stump with a tarp, just in case, so the rain doesn’t dilute the Epsom salts too much.
5. Repeat this process every few weeks to ensure its success.

If done correctly, the stump will die within two to three months. Here’s a fun fact about trees to keep in mind for the future: pale wood tends to still have life, while dark and brittle wood is dead.

Rock salt

This method is similar to the Epsom salt method with some minor changes:

1. As with Epsom salt steps, drill holes in the stump and then fill them in with rock salt.
2. Sprinkle a generous amount of rock salt over the top of the stump and all over the ground around the stump.
3. After all the holes are filled and the stump is covered with salt, fill the stump with soil and mulch.
4. Then water the mulch and surrounding area with water. In fact, water the salt into the soil until you see crystals left. This will dissolve the salt, help the roots absorb the solution, and compact the soil.
5. Lastly, apply another strip of salt to the ground around the stump to completely kill the roots.

Continue watering the stump every few days for one to two months to keep the stump moist with a salt water solution. If you see fungi starting to grow, this is a good sign, as they help with decomposition.

Note for these salt approaches: As the roots break down around the stump you’ve salted, small craters and other soft spots may form. Fill these holes with more earth to prevent injury if someone trips on one of these holes.

Boiling water

If your home isn’t full of salt, fear not: boiling hot water can shock the stump’s root system, severely damage it, and eventually kill it.

1. Dig in the stump to expose as much of the root system as possible.
2. Drill holes in the roots and at the top of the stump so that hot water has as much access as possible.
3. Pour boiling water to kill the root system.

Once the stump and roots are dead, the natural process of decomposition can begin.

Plastic bag or tarp

The simplest strategy: doom your stump to darkness. If you’re looking for low effort and don’t mind waiting for nature to do its thing, here’s how to kill a stump with a plastic bag or tarp:

1. The smaller the stump, the faster this process will work. Start by trimming the stump as close to the roots as possible with a chainsaw, axe, or hand saw.
2. Cover the stump with a black trash bag or tarp.
3. Weight the bag with heavy stones or bricks.

If the stump is small enough, you can try covering it with a dark-colored bucket or container. Rotting should begin in two to three months.

If you need a quick fix try these methods

While we recommend home remedies for a milder death, here are a few options if you need to get rid of that stump ASAP.

dig

This method allows you to remove as many of the tree’s roots as possible and ensure that the stump doesn’t continue to grow. In addition, it will be a real workout for the one who will dig. To save time and effort, and reduce the risk of damage to your yard, you can hire a professional to do the job. Otherwise, here’s how to dig out a stump with basic hand tools:

1. Start by loosening the soil around it with a hoe if you have one.
2. Dig the stump, exposing as many roots as possible. Trim the roots as soon as they are exposed. Use a chainsaw, hatchet or hand saw to cut off larger roots.
3. Continue working down and inward from all sides to the core of the stump.
4. Once you have dug and trimmed all the roots around the stump, you should have enough leverage to lift and pull the stump out of the ground along with the roots and everything.

Note . This process can take several hours, depending on the size of the stump and its root system.

Burning

Compared to digging, stump burning does not affect roots below ground level. Again, this method requires much less physical labor and will be enough to get rid of the overhead problem.

Some fire precautions before embarking on a burning trip:

• Check with your local fire department for any information on incineration recommendations in your area before attempting this solution.
• Always clear the area of ​​flammable materials and tripping hazards within at least 20 feet of the stump.
• Pull out a working garden hose that can quickly put out any flames outside of the designated area.
• Plan to be around the entire time the stump is burning, which can take a day or more, depending on size, wood type, humidity, weather conditions, and many other variables.

If burning is the method for you, the key is not to try to immediately set the stump on fire, but to start a fire around and around the stump. Here’s how to do it:

1. Optional: You can make the stump more flammable by drilling holes in it and filling them with potassium nitrate. Do not douse the stump with flammable liquids ; the liquid tends to burn without actually igniting the stump. The dangers outweigh the benefits.
2. Build a fire over the open top of the stump. Build a pyramidal structure over the stump using wood cuttings, or simply place the cuttings on top of the stump and set it on fire.
3. Add more wood to keep the fire going as needed.
4. To speed up the process, improve airflow by digging up the soil from the base of the stump.
5. Keep an eye on the stump until all the wood is reduced to ash.

When you’re done burning the stump, place the ash and burned pieces in a fireproof container or bucket.

Grinding

This is the transition method if you have the right tools. If you don’t have a grinder, this approach is so quick and effective that it might be worth hiring a tree removal specialist ( typical prices for this job are around $100-$400). The cost of renting a stump grinder typically ranges from $80 to $150 for a four-hour window.

If you have a grinder, use it as instructed to chip away the wood and cut off any roots that are associated with the stump. Be sure to clear the area of ​​any obstacles such as rocks or children.

Another reminder of the grinder approach: use the hotline before you dig, 8-1-1, to have any underground gas, electricity, water and communication lines flagged so you can avoid them.

This process can take two to six hours depending on the size of the stump. With this method and all of the above, once you’ve removed the stump, you’ll need to add topsoil or mulch in and around the area.

Final Reminders: What Not to Use to Kill a Stump

• Bleach: Applying the high concentration needed to kill a stump can potentially expose adjacent grass, shrubs, and perennials to toxic levels of chlorine and greatly increase soil pH.
• Diesel: Adding a flammable liquid to the process will not provide the sustained sustained burning required to eliminate the stump. Instead, you risk creating a fire situation that is not effective but still dangerous.
• Engine oil: Same as diesel. Plus, a quart of motor oil costs about the same as Spectracide Stump Killer , which is a tried and tested product for just that purpose.

Instead of resorting to the above points, look to popular herbicide brands (such as Spectracide) for specialty stump removal products. And as we said above, you can always use natural solutions like epsom salt or rock salt.

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