How to Use Lime to Kill a Stump
- 1). Drill several holes into the top of the tree stump. You can make several cuts in the top of the stump with an ax as an alternative to using a drill. You will later pour lime into the holes or cuts to kill the stump.
- 2). Dig the top soil up around the tree stump until the root ball is fully or mostly exposed. This may take a significant amount of labor and time depending on the size of the stump but is necessary to unearth the roots.
- 3). Put on rubber gloves and pour lime onto the top of the tree stump, directly into the drilled holes or ax cuts. Then, liberally spread lime over the roots. You can purchase bags of lime between 5 lbs. and 10 lbs. at some home improvement stores and at garden/landscaping retailers. The amount of lime will depend on the size of the stump but a rule of thumb is to completely cover both the top of the stump as well as the roots.
- 4). Cover the tree stump immediately with a plastic tarp, as well as the roots fanning out from the bottom of the stump.
- 5). Tightly cinch a rope around the base of the stump to hold the plastic tarp in place over the stump. Place several bricks or blocks on the outside edges of the tarp covering the roots to keep children and animals away from the lime. In addition, the plastic will restrict the lime to the tree stump.
- 6). Wait three to five weeks for the lime to soak into the tree trunk and root system while the tarp blocks sunlight and repels rainwater. The combination of the tarp and lime will kill and then rot the tree trunk. Once it is completely dead, you can dig up the stump and root ball with a shovel.
