Best Stump Killer Reviews: A Thorough Guide

Cutting down old and weak trees in your yards can clear out an area for outdoor activities, but more importantly, ensure your friends and family members’ safety. However, stumps are tough to remove, and not eliminating them can result in natural regrowing.

Thus reading this stump killer review may come in handy when you need to find the product exclusively designed for the task.

Our top pick is the Bonide Ready to Use Stump-Out. This chemical stump remover is ready to use when arriving.

It is the best tree stump and root killer because it has sodium metabisulfite in place of potassium nitrate accelerated in other products. This feature allows it to decompose tree stumps quickly, not requiring you to set fire on the stump later.

The Top 6 Best Stum Destroyers

Bonide Ready to Use Stump-Out: Best For Overall

This product’s most outstanding feature is its content of pure powerful chemicals. Instead of potassium nitrate, the manufacturer equips the Bonide with sodium metabisulfite.

This characteristic will allow you to accelerate the decomposition of tree stumps. Thus, you can use the product to quickly destroy the tree base when you are in a rush of building a house or a playground for your kids.

This killer is ready to use when it arrives. You can simply dig 4 holes and add the granules into each hole.

After that, you can pour water and leave it for 4-6 weeks. Now you don’t need to use fire to remove the remnants as the product will kill off and deteriorate the stumps.

There is no need to worry about the product when you store it in the warehouse for it being a non-explosive removal.

However, this tree trunk killer does require tumps that have seasoned for 12-18 months before treatment. If you use it before this period, the tree is likely to re-sprout.

What we like

• Potent sodium metabisulfite
• No need to burn the stump later
• Ready to use

What can be improved?

• Works most effectively on a certain stumps

Spectracide Stump Remover: Best For Speedy Decomposition

Spectracide granules decompose the tree base quickly (around several weeks depending on the stump’s size), making it porous to remove.

Unlike other products, this remover leaves no odor, meaning you don’t have to suffer an unbearable smell in your yard that potentially leads to some respiratory diseases.

Though the product comes in an easy to pour container with a nozzle, the process of eliminating the tree remains can be slightly complicated.

To remove the stump, you have to grill some 1-inch holes up to 12 inches into the tree base. After that, you need to drill one 1-inch hole slanting down to link with the bottom of the hole in the center.

Now you can pour 4 ounces of granules into each hole and hot water to dissolve the product.

Besides, you may need to treat the freshly cut tree base with a brush killer before using this remover.

What we like

• Accelerates the rate of decomposition
• No odor
• Not harmful to the surrounding vegetation

What can be improved?

• Complicated application
• Needs brush killer

Southern Brush Weed Killer: Best For Safety

The product has active ingredients, including Triclopyr in the form of triethylamine salt 8.8%. As said above, Triclopyr is a safe substance for humans, pets, and plants.

Therefore, you can use the weeds formula without worrying about your favorite nearby plants.

One bonus is that you can apply this weed destroyer in many dry areas, including walkways and fences. The remover can kill hard-to-control plants, including vines, broadleaf weeds, and woody plants.

To use the product, you can simply pour 4 – 8 ounces of the product into a gallon of water, and now you can have 500 square feet of solution to kill vines.

For stubborn plants and stump, you can simply use a brush or spray undiluted on a cut tree base.

However, the product has a strong odor you may find unpleasant. It will take some time for the smell to fade.

What we like

• Effective in killing vines and many tough weeds and plants
• Prevents sprouting on stumps
• Uses Triclopyr as a main active ingredient

What can be improved?

• Strong odor

Roundup Concentrate Poison Plus Tough Brush Killer: Best Effectiveness

Made with a special formula, the Roundup Poison features 2 brush-killing ingredients. They can go through the waxy leaves and brush of stubborn trees and weeds, destroying them to the roots.

Besides, the liquid stump killer can destroy weeds, including poison ivy or poison sumac, together with invasive vines, such as kudzu. Thus you have to use it on your target carefully; otherwise, it will affect other trees.

If you want to use it for grass removal, you can mix 6 ounces of the product with 1 gallon of water. However, for a tree stump, you need to use the undiluted product.

As you can create such a solution from just 6 ounces of the product, you can utilize the remover for killing weeds in bigger areas.

One exciting thing about the Roundup product is its money-back guarantee. Should you find the remover useless, simply send them the original proof of purchase, and they will refund the price.

What we like

• Have 2 strong brush ingredients
• Stays rainproof in 30 minutes
• Produces visible results in only 24 hours

What can be improved?

• May kill surrounding plants

Roundup Concentrate Max Control 365: Best For Quick Results

Once you apply the remover, you can see a visible result after 12 hours. This feature is suitable for those who want to free up space quickly.

Just like the Roundup Poison, you have to use an undiluted product for stump removal. But, it can eliminate and prevent weeds for up to 12 months by producing a barrier in the soil.

The product can be applied on concrete surfaces, such as driveways, patios, or sidewalks. You simply need to spray it on the leaves, and the remover will go to the root for a complete kill.

Besides, you don’t need to worry about the weather when you apply the product. The vegetation killer features rainproof in 30 minutes.

As the product contains a large amount of glyphosate (about 18%) for killing plants and grasses. You have to wear gloves and other protective gear because this substance can penetrate mucosal tissue, causing necrosis.

What we like

• Visible result in 12 hours
• Rainproof in 30 minutes
• Prevents weeds for 12 months

What can be improved?

• Provide disposable gloves

Roebic Root Killer: Best Non-corrosive

Roots can have a fantastic ability to seek out small openings in pipes to search for water, blocking the pipelines. The product can help you destroy the roots without damaging the pipe.

Besides, the plants will have no chance to penetrate the pipe again. It is because the dead root will seal off the point of entry.

More interestingly, this killer does not harm the surrounding trees and ground cover. This characteristic comes in handy as it can save the bacteria in septic tanks.

Because the main ingredient is sulfate, it is safer than other killers. However, the remover might take some time for the roots to die completely.

The product is not for sale in many places, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, the Bay counties of California, and is banned in Florida.

What we like

• Destroys roots without damaging the septic tank
• Prevents the roots from regrowing
• Safe for use

What can be improved?

• Banned in Florida
• Takes some time to eradicate the roots.

Buying Guides For The Tree Stump Removers

Safety

Tree base killers are designed with heavy-duty chemicals to effectively handle any unwanted root. As a result, you should be careful when using the product as it can have adverse impacts on your health.

It’s highly advisable to read the manual that goes with the product to know what steps you should take to ensure safety.

Different products will have different application methods. Some compounds require you to simply pour on the area you want to remove, whereas others need to have a dedicated applicator or paintbrush.

There are also some you can use to spray on the tree remains. Thus, it would help if you consider your circumstances to choose the best chemical.

Suppose your stump is near to your house or other plants. The spray options may not be suitable in this case because they can spread and affect your family’s health or other plants in the area.

There are always risks of spillage. Therefore, wear gloves when spraying herbicide and safety goggles if you’re pouring stump killer.

A face mask will be useful during the application of a powder or granule compound to a stump. It prevents overwhelming inhalation of the stump killer, which may result in negative effects on your respiratory system.

You may need to have your feet covered with a closed-toe boost to avoid burn incidents caused by toxic chemicals.

Besides, the product should be stored in a place out of your children’s reach.

Size Of The Stumps

If you have medium to large-sized tree stumps, you may need some concentrate removers designed for rotting out tree remains rather than the ones for a weed or root.

When removing a small stump or vine, the killers with capacities in the range of 16-32 fluid ounces should be sufficient.

Price

The price will depend on the amount of herbicides you want and how useful the products are.

When you want to eliminate more than one stump, you can consider multi-buy packs, allowing you to get rid of more tree bases and save a lot of money.

The Removal Process

Liquid compound:

If you are using this type of killer, you have to cut down the stump or branches in advance. You can then pour the chemicals on the exposed sap and wait for it to do the task.

The downside of this method is that it can leak out and penetrate through your skin, resulting in harmful effects on your health. Thus, wear gloves while using.

When you want to spray it, plan ahead and avoid windy days – it is not a suggestion but a must.

Powder or granule-based products:

You may need to drill some holes deep into the base beforehand. Now, you can put the product into each hole and add water to reactivate the chemical components.

This type is more suitable for a medium-sized stump.

Besides, a tarpaulin is always crucial to keep the stump killer (both liquid and powder) protected from external elements.

The Chemicals In Stump Removers

Tree base destroyers can contain various chemicals and compounds, and the product’s usefulness will depend on them.

Below is a brief description of the chemicals in a product.

Potassium nitrate:

This compound is the most commonly used chemical, and it usually exists in the form of powder or granules.

Potassium nitrate can also be regarded as saltpeter and considered the most powerful stump removal substance.

Magnesium sulfate:

You can find this chemical in Epsom salts. It is a combination of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen.

Magnesium sulfate can be less efficient than the first chemical, but it is more friendly to human health.

Triclopyr:

This one is an organic compound that controls broadleaf weeds and has impacts on woody plants.

Triclopyr can prevent the plant’s growth. Though it has a low toxic level, your eyes can be irritated when exposed to the product.

Glyphosate:

This substance can be highly detrimental to users’ health. However, it is incredibly potent and can eliminate most plants rapidly.

Conclusion

All in all, the best stump killer is Bonide Ready to Use Stump-Out, as it has almost all the basic features of a stump killer. The product features powerful sodium metabisulfite and is ready to use.

We hope with this article, you will have a clean and stump-free garden with one of the most potent stump killers on the current market!

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API