---
title: "How to Kill Tree Roots Naturally"
description: "If tree roots are taking over your yard, don't use toxic chemicals to kill them. This guide explains how to kill tree roots naturally using rock salt."
date: "2016-08-02"
modified: "2025-01-30"
authors:
  - name: "Bob Vila"
    job_title: "Founder"
    link: "https://www.bobvila.com/authors/bob-vila/"
url: "https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-kill-tree-roots/"
categories:
  - "DIY"
  - "Landscaping"
  - "Lawn & Garden"
  - "Lawn Care & Gardening"
tags:
  - "News"
  - "Trees & Shrubs"
---

# How to Kill Tree Roots Naturally

![Tree stump in a garden in with new green shoots sprouting from its cut stump.](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/tree-stump-and-roots.jpg>)
*Photo: DigiPub / Getty Images DigiPub*

Trees add great beauty to your landscape and their shade can help keep cooling costs low. But when a tree outgrows its location or is seriously damaged in a storm, it becomes a hazard that should be removed, and chopping it down is only half the battle.

A tree’s underground root system can extend up to 20 feet deep in ideal soil conditions, and spread over an even greater area. The roots can continue to grow even after the trunk is gone; if they're too close to your sewer line or foundation, they can cause serious damage. Killing the roots can avoid potential problems down the road.

One common way to kill tree roots is one that the BobVila.com staff does not support: using the chemical herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp, on the roots and tree stump. We never recommend the use of this herbicide. Instead, we urge readers to seek out more environmentally solutions to lawn and garden problems.

## How to Kill Tree Roots Using Rock Salt

Although it takes long time to work, rock salt can effectively kill tree roots by robbing them of water.

### TOOLS AND MATERIALS

[Rock salt](<https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Cure-Bulk-Rock-Pound/dp/B00C92HYWO/?tag=bovi01-20>)
Water
[Drill](<https://www.amazon.com/Dewalt-DCD771C2-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Compact/dp/B00ET5VMTU/?th=1>) with a [1-inch or larger drill bit](<https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-SPEEDBOR-Flute-Drill-3041007/dp/B000LQAHYC/>)

### Step 1: Drill holes into the tree's trunk and roots.

Bore several holes 3 to 4 inches deep into the cut surface of the tree trunk. Make several additional holes into any larger roots that are exposed near the ground.

### Step 2: Fill the holes with rock salt and water.

Sprinkle rock salt into the holes you've bored, and then pour water into the holes. The rock salt solution is harmful to surrounding vegetation and toxic to pets, so take care to avoid overfilling the holes. Repeat this process several times over the course of a few months, and eventually the rock salt will kill the tree roots. (You’ll know the roots are dead when there is no longer any regrowth from the trunk.)

If you are worried that the roots have invaded a sewer line or your foundation, you can also try digging the larger tree roots out of the ground. It’s an arduous process, but once you remove them you can reclaim your lawn.

Leave it to the pros

Discuss your needs with a tree service and get free, no-commitment estimates.

[Find Pros Now](<https://match.angi.com/ext/34277901?gatc=post-79154>)

[+](<https://match.angi.com/ext/34277901?gatc=post-79154>)

## Author
Bob Vila is America's Handyman. As a TV host, author, spokesperson, builder and historic preservationist, he has been heavily involved in construction and remodeling for the better part of a half century.

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