Stump removal methods and techniques

[dgates80]

OK, I have several, roughly 10, stumps I want gone. Since explosives are out, I am considering various methods. Obviously I could spend money and hire a tree company to bring on a stump grinder but that's expensive. Ranges from really expensive to no freaking way expensive, starts at about $150 a stump and goes up from there, it seems.

So, considering other methods. Digging and "fun with chains and trucks" is a possibility however in a number of cases site access is an issue, as I wouldn't want to tear up the lawn in the process. Also involves a great deal of manual labor. Uggh.

I am conducting an experiment on several stumps. I got this "stump remover" stuff, which is really just potassium nitrate fertilizer. Per the instructions, drilled a bunch of 1" bore holes as deep as I could and put the fertilizer in the holes, then back filled them with hot water. A couple of these stumps are pretty large, roughly 30" across, oak. The directions say to then wait "4 to 6 weeks" and the stump will rot very quickly. Then soak the stump with kerosene and then light charcoal briquettes on the top of the stump. The nitrate fertilizer is supposed to permeate the stump roots and provide an underground oxygen source for the stump burn-out process.

Well, since a little is good, a lot must be better, right? Tractor Supply (or Lowes) sells the stuff in little bitty one pound cans for like $8.00. I went online and ordered a 15lb sack of the stuff and it was $27, delivered to the door. (Hope I am not on some DHS list now....) . The bottle says to use "4-6 oz" for a 18" stump, I used probably 2 or 3 pounds in a dozen holes on the 30" stump.

The stuff was applied March 25th, so I am going to look at May 1st as the first stump "burn day".

Anybody done this before?

 

[hitchicken]

Yes, but modified version of your approach. Didn't use any stump chemicals. Cut stump down as far as possible. Drill big holes. Soak with kerosene. Cover with plastic.
Later, lift plastic, soak with more kerosene. Repeat as many times as you'd like. Burn day: remove plastic. Fill holes and cover with charcoal briquettes. Soak with kerosene. Light it off. Burned all the stumps down into the roots. Left holes and little ash. Very effective. Took patience and 6 months +.

 

[dgates80]

Six months but little to no "sweat equity". I like that part! I think the potassium nitrate (which is essentially fertilizer) just speeds up the process.

 

[Taz]

Had a bunch of stumps when we were in Florida, that I wanted to kill off. The local agricultural agent told me to drill holes in it, and use Chlordane (you can get this at Lowe's or somewhere similar). The liquid Chlordane will run off, since it is thin, but he told me to mix a bottle of Chlordane with a gallon of diesel fuel and it would stick to the wood long enough to kill the stump.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Problem with burning is if you don't get it burnt completely it will no longer rot. Its a fair amount of work but I dug around mine and under them, cut the roots off and pulled them out by hand.

 

[DoWhat]

Its a fair amount of work but I dug around mine and under them, cut the roots off and pulled them out by hand.

Stud.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Stud.

Glad someone noticed, just wish it wasn't you.

 

[RoseRed]

Glad someone noticed, just wish it wasn't you.

 

[rhenderson]

I did not see the reason for removing the stumps. Just landscape appearance? Extend lawn/garden? Putting up a structure. Removing the stump by burning will leave empty space that will settle in over time. If its a lawn or garden no problem. If your building a structure it impact the foundation in a few years. You may want to consider renting a stump grinder from a local garden/farm supply store. That would be a compromise between the labor and the risks of an underground fire. Also, depending which county you're in you may have problems with the burning option. I believe Charles County has a year round ban on open burning.

 

[dgates80]

I did not see the reason for removing the stumps. Just landscape appearance? Extend lawn/garden? Putting up a structure. Removing the stump by burning will leave empty space that will settle in over time. If its a lawn or garden no problem. If your building a structure it impact the foundation in a few years. You may want to consider renting a stump grinder from a local garden/farm supply store. That would be a compromise between the labor and the risks of an underground fire. Also, depending which county you're in you may have problems with the burning option. I believe Charles County has a year round ban on open burning.

The big reason to remove the stumps is that they are pain in the butt obstructions when mowing or obstructions to vehicle access. Renting a stump grinder is too expensive. I believe the underground fire risk to be minimal. As for burn bans, having researched them, they are essentially voluntary and don't actually exist in many cases.... And there for sure is not one in effect during this time of year, July - September is typical. I have and use a burn barrel routinely, I am in a fairly rural location.

 

[MMDad]

The bottle says to use "4-6 oz" for a 18" stump, I used probably 2 or 3 pounds in a dozen holes on the 30" stump.

Anything more than recommended is just going to wash away and will not speed things up. The nitrogen in the fertilizer is the biggest issue with runoff into the bay, so not only are you wasting the stuff you are also polluting the bay.

I'd put a burn barrel over it with 5 lbs. charcoal and keep adding it. Or start it with charcoal and feed it the wood from the tree that created the stump. You can sit around the burn barrel with your favorite beverage and honestly claim to be productive while you are removing the stump.

 

[dgates80]

The extra stuff is all down inside the holes I drilled though, so it isn't running off. Besides, compared to the eastern shore chicken farmers this isn't enough to be a factor...

 

[Vince]

Problem with burning is if you don't get it burnt completely it will no longer rot. Its a fair amount of work but I dug around mine and under them, cut the roots off and pulled them out by hand.

Used to do this method.

Yes, but modified version of your approach. Didn't use any stump chemicals. Cut stump down as far as possible. Drill big holes. Soak with kerosene. Cover with plastic.
Later, lift plastic, soak with more kerosene. Repeat as many times as you'd like. Burn day: remove plastic. Fill holes and cover with charcoal briquettes. Soak with kerosene. Light it off. Burned all the stumps down into the roots. Left holes and little ash. Very effective. Took patience and 6 months +.

Going to have to try this method on my next stump.

 

[SamSpade]

The stuff was applied March 25th, so I am going to look at May 1st as the first stump "burn day".

Anybody done this before?

Yup. And it works. You just have to be patient. In my case, I actually bought a long drill bit to make sure I had very deep holes. And I made a lot of them.

Long story short, it is totally gone. It burned for days, but it's totally gone.

 

[dgates80]

Yup. And it works. You just have to be patient. In my case, I actually bought a long drill bit to make sure I had very deep holes. And I made a lot of them.

Long story short, it is totally gone. It burned for days, but it's totally gone.

Cool, the fertilizer appears to be working its way into the stump as it goes through wet / dry cycles. I'll post how it goes when I burn it!

 

[Gilligan]

When I was a young farm lad, we dynamited them out. I enjoyed that immensely. ;-)

But more recently, I have about 3 acres of old pine and oak and some have had to come down for various reasons. The stumps that are in the way, David Springer ground for me pretty reasonable. The others...I let mother nature take care of 'em in her own good time.

 

[Merlin99]

As long as you have all of that posassium around mix in a little sugar and make some big bottle rockets.


[video=youtube_share;12fR9neVnS8]http://youtu.be/12fR9neVnS8[/video]

 

[itsbob]

OK, I have several, roughly 10, stumps I want gone. Since explosives are out, I am considering various methods. Obviously I could spend money and hire a tree company to bring on a stump grinder but that's expensive. Ranges from really expensive to no freaking way expensive, starts at about $150 a stump and goes up from there, it seems.

So, considering other methods. Digging and "fun with chains and trucks" is a possibility however in a number of cases site access is an issue, as I wouldn't want to tear up the lawn in the process. Also involves a great deal of manual labor. Uggh.

I am conducting an experiment on several stumps. I got this "stump remover" stuff, which is really just potassium nitrate fertilizer. Per the instructions, drilled a bunch of 1" bore holes as deep as I could and put the fertilizer in the holes, then back filled them with hot water. A couple of these stumps are pretty large, roughly 30" across, oak. The directions say to then wait "4 to 6 weeks" and the stump will rot very quickly. Then soak the stump with kerosene and then light charcoal briquettes on the top of the stump. The nitrate fertilizer is supposed to permeate the stump roots and provide an underground oxygen source for the stump burn-out process.

Well, since a little is good, a lot must be better, right? Tractor Supply (or Lowes) sells the stuff in little bitty one pound cans for like $8.00. I went online and ordered a 15lb sack of the stuff and it was $27, delivered to the door. (Hope I am not on some DHS list now....) . The bottle says to use "4-6 oz" for a 18" stump, I used probably 2 or 3 pounds in a dozen holes on the 30" stump.

The stuff was applied March 25th, so I am going to look at May 1st as the first stump "burn day".

Anybody done this before?

15 pounds and you poured INTO the stump??

A pound or two under the stump will clear it out QUICK!!

A little tamping.. a detonator.. and GONE!!

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Supposedly brake fluid and pool chlorine will make quite a fire, or at least the hazmat guy that does the training that I have to go to yearly keeps telling us not to store our brake fluid above our pool chlorine. I guess that is a bit more exciting than telling people not to use their mouth as a third hand when soldering.

 

[Chuckt]

I would probably try covering the stump with rock salt in getting rid of a stump.