How You Can Remove A Tree Stump Using Epsom Salt

Getting rid of a fully grown tree is not an easy job, and that is why trees are usually cut at their bases on the ground. While cutting a tree at its base is a viable option, it also leaves you with another problem: the stump. In fact, removing the stump is a lot harder than cutting down the tree because the roots of a grown tree are embedded deep into the soil. There are different methods you can use to remove a tree stump. One method which is overlooked but effective is the use of Epsom salt. Here is how you can remove your stump with Epsom salt.

Removing A Tree Stump Using Epsom Salt

There are different methods you can use to feed Epsom salt to your tree stump. One is the dousing method. In this method, you are required to reduce the height of the stump as much as you can; the closer the stump is to the ground, the better. Then mix some Epsom salt with water and pour the solution on top of the stump. Make sure that every square inch of the surface has received the Epsom salt solution. Then cover the stump with dust or mulch to enhance the decay process.

If you want the stump to rot at a faster rate, then the drilling method is the method you should be using. From the surface of the stump, drill 12 holes that are about one inch wide and one foot deep. Then come up with an Epsom salt solution by mixing the salt with water; two gallons of water mixed with one gallon of Epsom salt should be able to do the job. Finish the job off by pouring the solution into the holes. The drilling method works faster because the salt solution penetrates the stump in a short period of time.

How Epsom Salt Works

Epsom salt contains sulfur and magnesium elements. Ironically, these two elements are some of the elements that are needed by plants to grow. But when they are used in excess, they kill plants. Cutting down a tree doesn't necessarily mean that its stump will stop growing. Provided the roots are still intact, and the stump has access to basic needs like air and water, it will continue to grow. Epsom salt removes one of the basic needs from the equation and that is why the stump dies; the salt absorbs water in large amounts from the stump.

Other salts may also do the work, but they pose danger to the environment due to the presence of sodium. Rock salt, for instance, contains a high percentage of sodium, which when used may destroy soil nutrients. So when you use these kinds of salt to kill the stump, you may not plant in that area again.  For more assistance, consider hiring a stump removal service.