{"id":2545,"date":"2014-09-04T04:18:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-04T04:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blog.sdps-bbs.com\/?p=2545"},"modified":"2025-12-15T16:53:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T20:53:47","slug":"question-can-i-treat-removed-tree-stumps-by-drilling-and-applying-copper-sulfate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/question-can-i-treat-removed-tree-stumps-by-drilling-and-applying-copper-sulfate\/","title":{"rendered":"Question: Can I Treat Removed Tree Stumps By Drilling And Applying Copper Sulfate?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u200b\"tree\"Full Question: I have removed six Silver Maple trees (12″\u00a0–\u00a016″ diameter) from my yard because of root intrusion and roots surfacing. Can\u00a0I treat the stumps\u00a0by\u00a0drilling and\u00a0applying copper sulfate\u00a0and not\u00a0be concerned with the existing\u00a0roots “leaching” to newly planted trees? If there is leaching from the existing roots, how long a period must I wait before\u00a0replanting a better species of tree(s)? My plans are to replant from\u00a0approx. 5-6′ from the stump location of the trees that were removed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Answer: The best treatment for stump and roots left behind from removals is grinding and time. Treating with chemicals is typically not a good solution, nor does it really speed up the process. In fact,\u00a0c<\/span><\/span>opper sulfate is a very caustic chemical. It can cause illness and injury if inhaled or if it comes in contact with your skin. Also do not use copper sulfate if your tree stump is near a water source or if you have children or domestic animals that may accidentally come into contact with the treated area. The copper sulfate that comes into contact with the surrounding landscape can also kill grass, plants and other trees. So caution should be used if you feel the need to use it. However, grinding the stumps and planting into good soil outside the area of the woody debris from the stump is the best course of action. The roots should not cause any issues except depressions in the lawn as they decompose.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Resources:
\n<\/strong>Tree Installation: Process and Practices<\/a>, The Education Store, Purdue Extension\u2019s resource center
\nTree Pruning Essentials<\/a>, The Education Store
\nTree Appraisal<\/a>, The Education Store
\nTree Installation: Process and Practices<\/a>, The Education Store
\nDebrushing<\/a>, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
\nFind an Arborist<\/a>, Trees are Good
\nTree wounds and healing<\/a>, Got Nature? Blog
\nAsk an Expert: Tree Selection and Planting,<\/a>\u00a0Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube Channel
\nPlanting Your Tree Part 1: Choosing Your Tree<\/a>, Purdue Extension-FNR YouTube Channel
\nSubscribe to Purdue Extension-FNR YouTube Channel<\/a><\/p>\n

Lindsey Purcell<\/a>, Chapter Executive Director
\nIndiana Arborist Association<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u200bFull Question: I have removed six Silver Maple trees (12″\u00a0–\u00a016″ diameter) from my yard because of root intrusion and roots surfacing. Can\u00a0I treat the stumps\u00a0by\u00a0drilling and\u00a0applying copper sulfate\u00a0and not\u00a0be concerned with the existing\u00a0roots “leaching” to newly planted trees? If there is leaching from the existing roots, how long a period must I wait before\u00a0replanting a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,45],"tags":[60,63],"class_list":["post-2545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forestry","category-howto","tag-forestry","tag-how-to","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2545"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35185,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545\/revisions\/35185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}