Will Epsom Salt And Vinegar Kill a Tree Stump?

If your stump was chopped with an angled felling cut, try to flatten it to a more horizontal surface with some quick saw work. A flat stump is much easier to deal with when applying Epsom salt and vinegar. If you are dealing with small stumps or stumps that are close together, it may be difficult to use this killing method until you flatten them out.

Use your electric drill to drill several deep holes into the stump. The holes should be as large as possible, so use your largest drill bit. You should drill down as deep as possible to reach the heart of the tree stump. You can drill up to 10 inches down for maximum effect on large stumps. Wipe away any sawdust obscuring the holes.

Pour your bag of Epsom salt into the holes. Make sure it’s packed in tightly, but avoid piling Epsom salt around the trunk. While it’s used as a part of fertilizers, too much can risk harming the soil or it could encourage weed growth.

Carefully pour your jug of vinegar into the holes to thoroughly soak the Epsom salt. It’s fine if the vinegar overflows a bit, but you don’t want it to completely soak the surrounding ground. The acidic vinegar will help the Epsom salt permeate the stump (along with a very minor chemical reaction) and will itself hasten the stump’s death and drying out.

If you decide to skip the vinegar step, it’s still a good idea to lightly soak the salted holes with water to activate the Epsom salt.

For maximum effect, you should cover the stump with a heavy tarp or a weighted black plastic sheet or bag. A plastic covering will prevent the stump from getting any sunlight, which only encourages new shoots to develop. It also concentrates the heat from the sun in that area, forcing the stump to dry out even faster. It can also keep the rain off the stump if necessary so the Epsom salt won’t wash out.

One treatment of Epsom salt and vinegar will help, but it won’t be enough to fully kill the stump. After a couple of weeks, wash any remaining Epsom salts away with a new vinegar treatment and repeat the process. Keep an eye on the stump: If it looks like it’s still trying to grow or isn’t dying fast enough, you can drill extra holes for a larger application.

After a couple of months, repeat the process a third time. By now, the stump should be dead and beginning to dry out. Fully killing and drying out the stump usually takes six months or longer. When the stump looks like it’s ready to start crumbling, it’s time to remove the stump.

Once the stump is dried out completely and crumbling, you can choose your preferred method of removing the stump. In keeping with the DIY style, you should start by trying to dig and hack it out with a sturdy shovel. The dead tree roots won’t be the barrier they once were. If the stump is too large, you can rent a stump grinder or hire a professional stump grinder to open space up.

As a tree stump dies and dries out, it faces a growing risk of developing problems, notably root rot that can attract disease, which spreads to nearby living trees. It can also attract pests like termites, carpenter ants, wasps, and disease-bearing beetles. Keep a close eye on the stump’s condition and watch for the right window to act. You’ll want to remove it when it dries out, but before rot can set in and start causing problems. The time frame depends on the stump size, species, and climate.