stump removal

[jes]

This is really off topic -- but it is a post hurricane question and since things are slow I am hoping someone will have information. I have 3 tree stumps at 3 different locations. The trees themselves were expensive to have removed and I hate to pay more money for the stump removal. I'm a gardener and it seems that I should be able to just put roundup on them (many times). Eventually shouldn't they just rot and die. Is there a way I can get rid of these stumps without paying someone to grind them?

[JenyEliza]

There are chemicals you can purchase at Lowes or Home Depot that you can pour over the stumps that will help break them up and dissolve them. I don't recall right off the top of my head the names, but you can check with the stores and they'll know what you're asking after.

I would make sure you do this fairly quickly. Freshly cut and/or rotting tree stumps are a termite's delight. I speak from experience after having 11 trees removed in my yard. Didn't have the stumps ground for 4 years...until I saw swarmers sheltering in my rotting stumps

Jeny

[karenfromheaven]

Please consider using paint thinner or kerosene instead of gasoline. They are essentially the same thing as charcol lighter fluid. They have very low vapor pressure compared to gasoline and won't explode in your face!!!! Be safe, Karen

[PurdueWx80]

Here are some options I found - something to think about before burning are burn laws in your township/neighborhood/city.

1. Dig up the stump with a sharp spade or pick. This is both time- and labor-intensive, but effective. This method works well depending on the size of the stump and the enthusiasm of the labor crew.

2. Consult a local arborist or tree service. Tree specialists use professional equipment to grind or chip the stump into large shreds before removing it. The cost for this service varies depending on the size and placement of the stump.

3. Speed up the decomposition process of the stump with chemicals available at Garden centers, nurseries or hardware stores. Instructions for stump removal chemicals will vary from product to product, but all require drilling several holes in the stump. A measured amount of chemical is poured in each hole, then water is added to fill the holes. Let the mixture stand for four to six weeks. Repeat applications may be necessary. Once the stump is decomposed, it is burned.

4. Include the stump in your landscaping. Hollow out the top with a router or drill and use it as a bird feeder. Fill it with water and watch the birds and butterflies it attracts, especially if surrounded by other trees and shrubs that offer a safe haven. Climbing vines or annuals planted in the stump with good Garden soil can turn the stump into a natural container.

5. Finally, let the stump decay naturally. Cut off all new sucker growth before it reaches eight inches in height to gradually deplete the stored food. This can take five to 10 years, but is easy, inexpensive and chemical-free. As the wood softens it becomes more pliable. If a tree trunk is left, it can provide shelter for birds and small mammals.

[JenyEliza]

If a tree trunk is left, it can provide shelter for birds and small mammals.

Not to mention termites.

[PurdueWx80]

If a tree trunk is left, it can provide shelter for birds and small mammals.

Not to mention termites.

True, but termites are also attracted to any dead/rotting wood around your house - some of which you may not be able to see anyway. Most of the options I posted are really silly IMO, but I guess they work for some people.

[MGC]

Burn baby burn...........MGC

[wayoutfront]

This is a good solution i have used in my yard... it takes awhile but takes the the whole stump out......

create a mulch pile over the stump... all you grass clipping and mulched leaves... it toook over a year and a half , but i was able to get rid of a stump 2' in diameter

[wxman57]

There are people all over who'll come out and grind down the stump to 12-18" below grade level for very little money. Maybe $50 or so for 3 stumps. You can get together with your neighbors and cut a deal with a stump grinding service, perhaps. Your stumps will be gone in 30 minutes, vs. years to rot. Why bother with any other way?

[Aquawind]

I am very impressed ! You Tropics people covered the "Gardening Question of the Day" very well.. :)

Good Options Purdue..

[PTrackerLA]

After Lili came through here I noticed a stump left over from a tree that had been uprooted at a house I pass by everyday. They let vines take over the stump and the vertical roots and even put christmas lights up on it. I have to admit it was a very creative way to deal with an old stump and didn't look that bad either.

[alicia-w]

After starting the South Beach diet, we had a lot of Coke around the house we werent going to drink. Someone said it works great, so we tried it and it does! Pour coke on the stump. Maybe it attracts the insects that will eventually destroy the stump. I dont know.

Here's a good link with additional info:

http://www.gardenpower.com/projects/tree/99042.htm

[Robert]

You can rent a stump grinder (at least in our area you can). Big machines, lots of blades moving very quickly, yeah, got to love it! Just make sure you protect yourself when using it. Chips fly everywhere (and will take out an eye or window in no time).

If you don't feel comfortable using it (and don't want to hire a tree service) make a deal with a neighbor who also has stumps... I will rent the machine for a day/ weekend, you take out my stumps then you can use it until the time is out to take out yours (or do whatever you want with it for the rest of the weekend). I know a 16 year old girl who is pretty comfortable in our area using one (this is not putting down females or anything like that, just pointing out that although they are big dangerous machines, they are not only able to be used by 300 pound men with biceps as big as my theighs).

I have used the "tree stump removal" stuff from Lowes/ Home depot and was not impressed. 4 years after using it I was still out there with an ax trying to get it out of my yard.

[TampaBayBee]

has lots of ideas--some much better than others, from milk to explosives. Interesting reading...

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tips/msg0412444421263.html

[Persepone]

If you and a bunch of neighbors all have stumps, get together and negotiate a "group discount" on stump grinding. The more immediate neighbors you can get in on this, probably the better the discount. It will probably be a lot cheaper than if each of you contracts individually just because the guys don't have to drive from here to there to get from job to job. Travel time really drives up costs.

I suspect burning is not an option in the city--and it is not something you want to do if you aren't into "open burning." Realize that it is probably going to be one of those fires that burns for days--and you have to stand there and babysit your fire holding a garden hose because you don't want it to get away from you.

Termites are an issue.

I'm guessing you don't want to get into creative stump gardening or using it as a birdbath, etc. or trying to carve it into a totem pole or something...

So bite the bullet and get the guy in with the grinder. As said elsewhere in these posts, the rotting stuff does not work well and takes a long time (and you will still have some pickaxe work--it will just be easier), and you really don't need termites on top of everything else.

Stump grinding equipment is DANGEROUS to use if you aren't skilled in using this type of equipment. It is not for the average do-it-yourselfer. Many rental places will only rent stuff like this to contractors.

There is another way to get stumps out--but again, it means a highly-skilled Bobcat operator--and that would be much more expensive and messier than the stump grinding guy. If you were having some grading done at the same time, the Bobcat guy might be an option, however...

[Agua]

I know a fellow who was faced with attempting to do this himself and found the task of digging it out with a shovel and pick to be too much.

He got a high pressure hose and just washed the dirt away from the roots to the point he could cut them with an axe and then hauled the stump away. Worked really well.