Stump Grinding... Will it Kill the Tree? - Ask Extension
16 months ago I cut down 2 old sugar maple trees in my front yard. I am having those stumps ground at this time. The grinding is going to be deep... a...
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Stump Grinding... Will it Kill the Tree? #861907
Asked March 19, 2024, 9:22 AM EDT
16 months ago I cut down 2 old sugar maple trees in my front yard. I am having those stumps ground at this time. The grinding is going to be deep... approx 12" below grade. My goal is to kill the old trees completely. I am curious if drilling deep holes in the stumps and filling the holes with epson salts or roundup would have any adverse effect on surrounding vegetation. I want to plant 2 new trees to replace the old ones very soon and do not want to harm those new trees. I plan on covering the stumps after the drilling and filling just in case it would rain and wash the treatment out into the ground before the treatment has been absorbed into the stumps. I will be very careful not to let the treatment leech out into the surrounding soil. Thanks for your assistance in advance!
Montgomery County Ohio
Expert Response
Thank you for your question about tree stump grinding and your intended use of glyphosate and Epsom salts.
If you are going to grind the stump to below 12", why do you intend to do anything further. Grinding the stump as stated will eliminate the possible suckering of roots. I recommend simply do this and removing all ground up materials and adding soil to the area. See this extension advice to address this:
https://www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/question-can-i-treat-removed-tree-stumps-by-drilling-and-applying-copper-sulfate/
You should use caution in planting tree in the same direct area. You may want to reposition it slightly from the original tree site.
To answer your other questions, glyphosate is not active in the soil. It is a direct impact chemical that takes the chemical into the plant and transports it to the roots killing the plant.
Glyphosate (Roundup), controls most weeds when applied to the foliage. Glyphosate is generally inactive in soils; however, some Roundup products contain different or additional active ingredients, which may be picked up by roots. Check the label!
Epsom salts can cause an issue with the ability for plants to use calcium. Again, I wouldn't recommend the stated solution you are suggesting post stump grinding.
Here is a fact sheet to read. The root uptake section addresses your question about glyphosate.
https://nfs.unl.edu/publications/herbicide-damage-trees
I hope this helps address your question and what you might do differently.
If you are going to grind the stump to below 12", why do you intend to do anything further. Grinding the stump as stated will eliminate the possible suckering of roots. I recommend simply do this and removing all ground up materials and adding soil to the area. See this extension advice to address this:
https://www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/question-can-i-treat-removed-tree-stumps-by-drilling-and-applying-copper-sulfate/
You should use caution in planting tree in the same direct area. You may want to reposition it slightly from the original tree site.
To answer your other questions, glyphosate is not active in the soil. It is a direct impact chemical that takes the chemical into the plant and transports it to the roots killing the plant.
Glyphosate (Roundup), controls most weeds when applied to the foliage. Glyphosate is generally inactive in soils; however, some Roundup products contain different or additional active ingredients, which may be picked up by roots. Check the label!
Epsom salts can cause an issue with the ability for plants to use calcium. Again, I wouldn't recommend the stated solution you are suggesting post stump grinding.
Here is a fact sheet to read. The root uptake section addresses your question about glyphosate.
https://nfs.unl.edu/publications/herbicide-damage-trees
I hope this helps address your question and what you might do differently.
