OT: How to kill a stump
Higgs Boson
dealt with every possible eventuality, so here goes:
I am having two large evergreen bushes removed. They
were standing on each side of my front walk. I intend
to put large decorative pots in their place with appropriate plants.
(Suggestions welcome -mini-climate is So. Calif coastal)
What's the fastest way to kill the stumps (approx 10" diameter)?
Last time I dealt with a stump, decades ago, one was supposed to
buy a chemical and introduce it via holes bored in the stump.
Gardener told me to just use gasoline.
Any information out there on (a) fastest and (b) most effective,
and maybe (c) least expensive way. (though that's not the deciding
factor ).
DD_BobK
Have your gardener stick to mow & blow.....that gasoline idea is
stupid, with the rain were bound to get for the rest of the year
that's jsut asking for water contamination.
Depends on the type of evergreens. When cut off nearly flush with
the ground, some will grow back, some will die. Italian Cypress when
cut off flush will die (i"ve done a couple.
A 10" stump is a pretty large "bush".
You could just cut them off at such a height (flush by digging away
enough dirt to get a chain saw in close) and very level that they
could serve as the base for new pots.
Otherwise check this out
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/safe-tree-stump-removal--4-methods
I've done the potassium nitrate thing but it takes awhile....I got
impatient after a year & just dug / pulled it out.
Fastest....stump grinder. Cheapest.....do nothing & let nature do its
thing.
Here's $25 worth of chems that are made for the job.
http://www.amazon.com/Tvtimedirect-Tree-Stump-Remover/dp/B000ZLS6AA
cheers
Bob
DerbyDad03
re: "Cheapest.....do nothing & let nature do its thing."
Almost cheapest - cost of water and your time.
I used Method 3 from the site offered by DD_BobK to remove the stump
from a decent sized locust tree. If you've never seen a locust grow in
sandy soil, you've never seen the mass of surface roots that emanate
from the stump. This tree had so many surface roots that actually
started *above* ground that I had to build a berm around the stump to
cover them.
The one additional step I employed when using Method 3 (quoted below)
was a garden hose to expose the roots so I could find places to cut
out the huge masses of criss-cross wood around the stump. Every day
after work I'd go "play in the mud" (as my neighbor put it) until I
had cut away enough roots to pull the stump out of the hole with a
pick-up truck.
What I didn't know was that the tree wasn't done yet. A few weeks
later I could tell where every surface root was as rows of locust
trees sprang up all over my yard. I essentially dug up my entire front
yard in a effort to remove all traces of the tree.
3. Removing the Tree Stump Manually
If the tree stump is not too big and you intend to dig it out
manually, do not attempt to remove the entire stump and all of its
roots intact. This is time consuming and unnecessary. Begin by digging
a trench around the perimeter of the stump and expose as many roots as
possible. If you can do so without damaging the cutting blade, cut
through the major roots with an axe or a circular saw. Use a pickaxe
to loosen the soil around the stump. Work your way around the stump
and pry it loose from all sides until it comes free.
Jon Danniken
>
>
> What's the fastest way to kill the stumps (approx 10" diameter)?
Stump grinder.
Jon
tra...@optonline.net
wrote:
Which also gets rid of the stump, so if that's needed, then a good
solution, though expensive. Most evergreens will just die off and
not re-grow. If you leave the stumps and new growth emerges, apply
glyphosate (Roundup) at about 5%. You could also use one of the
herbicides labled for brush, which are stronger, but more persistant,
so I would stick with glyphosate if you want to plant anything there
in the next year.
dadiOH
What I do...
1. Liberally apply Rodeo or Roundup to stump top. Best done when the the
sap is running; i.e., when the plant isn't dormant.
2. Wrap aluminum foil or plastic over and around stump top, securing it
around sides.
3. Wait
That should kill off the thing and avoid regrowth but it won't get rid of
the stump; for that, you'll have to dig and pull, grind or burn.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
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Joe
>snip<
> Any information out there on (a) fastest and (b) most effective,
> and maybe (c) least expensive way. (though that's not the deciding
> factor ).
Echoing the other opinions...BTDT and after hours and hours of hacking
and digging, found out that the rental place had a stump grinder so
that was the best answer by far. My tree removal guru charges $1.50
per stump inch for grinding, and that's with all his gear on site for
other work. It sure is nice to watch someone else labor over it,
though, and he always leaves the area spotless.
Joe
DerbyDad03
re: "My tree removal guru charges $1.50 per stump inch"
Cubic stump inches?
Square stump inches?
Diameter in stump inches?
Height in stump inches?
re: "and that's with all his gear on site for other work"
What does it cost if he's coming over just to do one stump?
Jon Danniken
It's spendy to have someone show up and do it, but I noticed that I can rent
a stump grinder from a rental shop, and even my local Home Despot rents
them.
Jon
Fishface
> BTDT and after hours and hours of hacking and digging,
> found out that the rental place had a stump grinder so
> that was the best answer by far.
It's not worth renting if it isn't sharp, and it probably isn't.
I know this from someone else's experience...
Higgs Boson
Yeah, I'd like to know which it is too. Joe, please post.
As to renting a grinder, I've only checked one place on-line
and they want $140/day, and ISTR about $200 for two days?
That's too much for me, so, waiting for Joe's input.
DerbyDad03
The only local place by me that has prices on their website shows $125/
day.
The others make you "request a quote".
Jon Danniken
>
>
> The only local place by me that has prices on their website shows
> $125/ day.
>
> The others make you "request a quote".
Rental place near me has the minimum charge as two hours for sixty bucks:
http://www.beehiverental.com/product.php?id=41338
Jon
DerbyDad03
wrote:
2 hours?
The stump had better be in the front yard of the rental place to only
need it for 2 hours...and that's if you know what you're doing!
Tony
I do know the worst way to get rid of a stump. Try burning it with a
small fire. All that does is kill all the microorganisms and insects
that will eventually destroy the stump. If you're gonna burn it, you
better have one hell of a big and long burning fire.
nor...@earthlink.net
Haven't tried it, but drilling holes and then applying high-nitrogen
fertilizer will help stumps decompose more quickly (less than eternity?:o)
Tony
Hmmm.... I've drilled the holes but didn't add fertilizer. On one of
them I sometimes leave corn on for the turkeys, I ended up with a corn
stalk growing out of it. I left it grow, even watered it, but it didn't
live very long.
nor...@earthlink.net
Plant matter needs nitrogen in order to break down. Some garden sites
advise extra fertilizer when gardeners use leaves or grass clippings for
mulch, so that the plants don't suffer loss of fert. during breakdown.
Jim
"Jon Danniken" <jondanS...@yaSPAMhoo.com> wrote in message
news:7shv14...@mid.individual.net...
find...then fill with deisel fuel....then light it and let it burn... If you
can't light it then fill with salt to dry it out.....my neighbour uses
bleach... Jim
Red Green
c99742...@h9g2000prn.googlegroups.com:
Plug in a TV facing the stump and tune to whatever plays Oprah the most.