Green Light Stump Remover Ingredients

Potassium Nitrate and Wood Decay

• Wood has a very low nitrogen content, but fungi that decompose wood need nitrogen to survive. Potassium nitrate easily degrades to elemental nitrogen once it comes into contact with the soil, and this is how it acts when used as a fertilizer for grass, plants or crops. The fungi then absorb the nitrogen so that they can breed in the wood, and the substances that they produce destroy the tough fibers of the wood. According to the product label, this process takes about four to six months.

Safety of Potassium Nitrate

• Potassium nitrate is safe when used as directed and does not pose any particular dangers or health hazards. In fact, it is used in small quantities as a food preservative, especially for preserving smoked meats and sausages. Nevertheless, Green Light Stump Remover should not be ingested and should be kept out of the reach of children. It also should not be used for any purposes other than removing stumps as its concentration and level of purity may differ from potassium nitrate sold for other purposes.

Chemical Characteristics of Potassium Nitrite

• Potassium nitrate is a solid, and it is prepared and packaged for use in products such as Green Light Stump Remover as crystals or a powder. The chemical formula of potassium nitrate is KNO3, signifying one atom each of potassium (K) and nitrogen (N), along with three atoms of oxygen (O). It is highly soluble in water, and while it is not flammable itself, potassium nitrate is an oxidizer that releases oxygen when it is mixed with certain combustible substances, making those substances easier to ignite.

History of Potassium Nitrate

• Because it is an oxidizer, potassium nitrate is commonly used in the manufacture of gunpowder. Said to be discovered by Chinese alchemists during the 10th century, it came into wide use as an explosive during the 13th century in Europe. At first, potassium nitrate was extracted from the soil or mined. Once chemists understood that it was a compound based on nitrogen, synthetic potassium nitrate became available. Today, potassium nitrate products such as Green Light Stump Remover are made from synthetic, factory-produced potassium nitrate.