Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) has several uses beyond the household shower room. It can be used in gardening as well. It also can kill weeds or help you get rid of the nuisance of plants and assist you with tree stump removal.
Without using equipment like, axes, picks, pry bars, chemicals, weed killers, and pre-emergence herbicides, you can easily kill a tree stump with the help of Epsom salt. So how to kill a tree stump using Epsom salt?
Why Should You Opt For Epsom Salt To Remove A Tree Stump
Even if you cut down a tree, the tree stump will continue to grow. When you are cutting down a tree, you are only removing the top portion. The root system of a tree actually extends far behind our visibility.
The roots tries to find nutrition sources for its regrowth. You can often see clusters of saplings growing from the roots. If the newly grown clusters of saplings are not removed, they will grow back into trees and shrubs.
Decomposing after killing tree roots with Epsom salt solution can be easy. Thus, you can easily break the stumps and remove them on a permanent basis.
[Read: 21 Epsom Salt Garden “Cheats”]
Epsom soil such as one enriched with Ultra Epsom Salt which received is quite popular to improve the growth of the plants by correcting the deficiency of magnesium or sulfur. In many gardens, they are used to grow plants which bigger flower buds. Moreover, Epsom salt with vinegar or acetic acid are used to cook great dishes.
But, we know if something is applied in very high dose, it can lead to an adverse effect as well. Similarly, application of too much of Epsom salt decreases the required resources of the tree, leading to its death.
The salt pulls out the moisture from everything. It absorbs the resources that the stump requires to survive and grow. Further, it absorbs the moisture of the stump itself, making it dry and rot.
It can also be considered as a better option than others. If you are using rock salt (sodium chloride) or caustic lye, their high sodium level will make it difficult to replant in the same place.
Epsom decomposes the stump and at the same time improves the surrounding well-drained soil without any damage. It adds magnesium and sulfur nutrients to the soil, which plants need for chlorophyll production.
How To Apply Epsom Salt
Drill quite a few holes on the top of the stump.. but drill holes all over the surface of the stump and leave some gaps between them. Pour the salt all over the surface and fill the holes.
[Read: 21 Trees You Should Never Plant In Your Yard]
Add some water in the holes to make the salt, moist, but not saturated. This will make sure that, the salt does not come out. Cover the stump with a tarpaulin or oilcloth to protect it from rainwater.
In case of large stumps it will take a couple of months to die.
This can also be done in an alternative method. Here, you will need to mix salt and water in a concentrated ratio.
Mix two gallons of water with one gallon of Epsom salt. Now pour the mixture on the surface of the stump and on the large roots. Cover the stump with a tarpaulin. In this process, you will have to repeat it weekly, then remove tree stumps when they look dry enough.