Tree Stump Problem

babylark · March 24, 2009

I have a very stubborn stump that is in the middle of a new garden plot. It's a Magnolia Tree that we cut down several years ago. I keeps sprouting and we cut off the new growth.

Yesterday I tried to take the shovel and axe to it, like I do with all the stumps, and it kick my butt. I'm really sore today and didn't get very far.

Anyone have any suggestions for rotting stumps or killing stumps quickly. My Dad tried the commercial stump rot stuff and that didn't work on an old Maple. Any suggestions or ideas? My back will appreciate it!

stormymater · March 24, 2009

Drill holes in the stump - big uns - & pack with salt. Pour boiling water over the holes just enough to wet. It'll die.

jwr6404 · March 24, 2009

Up here in the PNW there are business that will remove a stump for $75 more or less. They actually bring out a piece of equipment that will grind it,in place, into small chips. Check your area I'm sure a stump removal service is available.

babylark · March 25, 2009

Thanks! I didn't want to pay the stump grinder. They were just out and it cost me $1200. We had 2 big trees taken down cause they were dead. The one is an oak that was 36" at the base and the trunk was 50 straight feet to the first Y. It's sad to see it down. I don't know what killed it.

Un-employeed= Me with a Axe & Shovel.

I've also dug many out by hand in the past. Didn't know that Magnolias were so root crazy!

bcday · March 25, 2009

If you don't mind using Roundup, cut off the new sprouts a few inches higher than usual and paint the cut ends with Roundup. After a few days, cut the stumps of the new growth back a little until you find fresh moist wood again and apply more Roundup to the fresh cut. Every time you do this, the roots feeding the new sprouts get another dose of Roundup. It might take a while but eventually you won't see any more new growth.

Getting a big dead stump out is a whole other problem -- is it in a spot where you can let vines like squash cover it until it starts to decay naturally?

Barbee · March 25, 2009

My FIL would tell you to get an Almanac and check to see when the sign is in the heart (it's in August) and hit it with the axe then.

Round up painted on the suckers with a little craft brush or foam paintbrush would eventually kill it, but it would take a very long time.
Since it's in the middle of your garden, I'd be leery of using any of the stump killers available..unless you see on the label they are safe to use around food.
If you have a rental place close by, you might check and see if they have a stump grinder to rent. Or maybe the stump grinder service would be willing to barter with you?

Sherry_AK · March 25, 2009

Our Home Depot rents stump grinders. Although I wasn't on the business end of the thing, it looks fairly easy to operate. And what nice wood chips we ended up with!

Vince · March 25, 2009

Dynamite would probably be effective.

Polar_Lace · March 25, 2009

babylark,

If you have an electric drill and Drill Bit like the one Here in the middle then you can drill holes into the stump, and place the salt in the holes & pour hot vinegar (straight vinegar) into the holes; that may help.

Maybe you can borrow these tools from someone?

~* Robin

piegirl · March 25, 2009

Several years ago I used a shrub and brush killer - Ace hardware brand, $3-4 and this product worked quite well. It was non Round-up. Piegirl

DoubleJ · March 25, 2009

I had a stubborn stump at our new house a couple of years ago. We did the drill holes/salt boiling water trick and it killed the stump.

Problem was, now I have a dead stump in my yard. So, to get rid of it on the cheap, I just dug a hole around it about 1.5 - 2 feet deep and continually piled grass clippings on top of and around it. After 1 summer, it was so rotted that it was very easy to dig it up.

svalli · March 25, 2009

Can you have a bonfire on top of it? We had a lot of Box Alders growing on our yard in Wisconsin. Couple of them we dug up and those darn things have wide and deep root system. A big cluster of trees, which had grown from a stump cut down years before, we got rid of by keeping bonfires on top of the stumps.

Polar_Lace · March 25, 2009

svalli,

Some places here in the USA, have "No Burn Zones" because of high winds and Forest Fires! It may be banned or you could even get fined $$$ for doing something like that.

Everyone has to check with their local City and State laws.

~* Robin

RonnyWil · March 25, 2009

I paid the guy that tractor tills my garden to dig mine up with his backhoe. You'd be surprised as to how deep the roots are on some stumps.

svalli · March 26, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polar_Lace

svalli,

Some places here in the USA, have "No Burn Zones" because of high winds and Forest Fires! It may be banned or you could even get fined $$$ for doing something like that.

That is why I asked 'can you'.
We lived in an area in Wisconsin where we were allowed to burn branches on the yard, if asked permission from town hall.

One stump we tried to remove with something that was first put into drilled holes in the stump, wait month or so and then put kerosene in the holes and light it up. This should have burned the roots from underground. The thing kept smoking couple of days and we did not think it was really safe solution, even our soil was sandy and there were no brushes or tall grass near.
When using that stuff in a peat soil, you can end up starting a fire which will burn for months underground.

Sari

March 24, 2009	#1
babylark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lebanon, PA • Zone 6a Posts: 145	Tree Stump Problem I have a very stubborn stump that is in the middle of a new garden plot. It's a Magnolia Tree that we cut down several years ago. I keeps sprouting and we cut off the new growth. Yesterday I tried to take the shovel and axe to it, like I do with all the stumps, and it kick my butt. I'm really sore today and didn't get very far. Anyone have any suggestions for rotting stumps or killing stumps quickly. My Dad tried the commercial stump rot stuff and that didn't work on an old Maple. Any suggestions or ideas? My back will appreciate it! __________________ I can not be held responsible for anything typed above, as I believe my Corgis have learned to type!

March 24, 2009	#3
jwr6404 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: University Place, WA Posts: 481	Up here in the PNW there are business that will remove a stump for $75 more or less. They actually bring out a piece of equipment that will grind it,in place, into small chips. Check your area I'm sure a stump removal service is available. __________________ Jim

March 25, 2009	#4
babylark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lebanon, PA • Zone 6a Posts: 145	Thanks! I didn't want to pay the stump grinder. They were just out and it cost me $1200. We had 2 big trees taken down cause they were dead. The one is an oak that was 36" at the base and the trunk was 50 straight feet to the first Y. It's sad to see it down. I don't know what killed it. Un-employeed= Me with a Axe & Shovel. I've also dug many out by hand in the past. Didn't know that Magnolias were so root crazy! __________________ I can not be held responsible for anything typed above, as I believe my Corgis have learned to type!

March 25, 2009	#6
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	My FIL would tell you to get an Almanac and check to see when the sign is in the heart (it's in August) and hit it with the axe then. Round up painted on the suckers with a little craft brush or foam paintbrush would eventually kill it, but it would take a very long time. Since it's in the middle of your garden, I'd be leery of using any of the stump killers available..unless you see on the label they are safe to use around food. If you have a rental place close by, you might check and see if they have a stump grinder to rent. Or maybe the stump grinder service would be willing to barter with you? __________________ *Barbee*

March 25, 2009	#8
Vince Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 942	Dynamite would probably be effective. __________________ Vince

March 24, 2009	#2
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	Drill holes in the stump - big uns - & pack with salt. Pour boiling water over the holes just enough to wet. It'll die.

March 25, 2009	#5
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	If you don't mind using Roundup, cut off the new sprouts a few inches higher than usual and paint the cut ends with Roundup. After a few days, cut the stumps of the new growth back a little until you find fresh moist wood again and apply more Roundup to the fresh cut. Every time you do this, the roots feeding the new sprouts get another dose of Roundup. It might take a while but eventually you won't see any more new growth. Getting a big dead stump out is a whole other problem -- is it in a spot where you can let vines like squash cover it until it starts to decay naturally?

March 25, 2009	#7
Sherry_AK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Alaska Zone 3/4 Posts: 1,857	Our Home Depot rents stump grinders. Although I wasn't on the business end of the thing, it looks fairly easy to operate. And what nice wood chips we ended up with!

March 25, 2009	#9
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	babylark, If you have an electric drill and Drill Bit like the one Here in the middle then you can drill holes into the stump, and place the salt in the holes & pour hot vinegar (straight vinegar) into the holes; that may help. Maybe you can borrow these tools from someone? ~* Robin __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

March 25, 2009	#10
piegirl Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 791	Several years ago I used a shrub and brush killer - Ace hardware brand, $3-4 and this product worked quite well. It was non Round-up. Piegirl

March 25, 2009	#11
DoubleJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Shelton, WA Posts: 127	I had a stubborn stump at our new house a couple of years ago. We did the drill holes/salt boiling water trick and it killed the stump. Problem was, now I have a dead stump in my yard. So, to get rid of it on the cheap, I just dug a hole around it about 1.5 - 2 feet deep and continually piled grass clippings on top of and around it. After 1 summer, it was so rotted that it was very easy to dig it up.

March 25, 2009	#12
svalli Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Vaasa, Finland, latitude N 63° Posts: 838	Can you have a bonfire on top of it? We had a lot of Box Alders growing on our yard in Wisconsin. Couple of them we dug up and those darn things have wide and deep root system. A big cluster of trees, which had grown from a stump cut down years before, we got rid of by keeping bonfires on top of the stumps. __________________ "I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream." - Moomin-troll by Tove Jansson

March 25, 2009	#14
RonnyWil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Collierville TN Posts: 106	I paid the guy that tractor tills my garden to dig mine up with his backhoe. You'd be surprised as to how deep the roots are on some stumps. __________________ I'm two days older than dirt and I like to play in it.